faysroOms » Noteworthy bars, clubs, lounges

Diage restaurant/lounge/boutique -- hidden Spanish villa with haute design

fay — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:51:39 +0000

I stumbled upon this beautiful house last year at night when walking on DongHu Rd. The place is tucked in an alleyway next to the hairsalon, so they lit candles along the cracks in the wall, creating a glowing trail into the house and front garden. Just inside the house, there's a cigar lounge area with comfy black leather sofa. Further in, there 2 dining areas with a bar that's converted from the original fireplace. Upstairs there's a small gallery and a boutique shop with cutting edge designer fashion from Japan and Europe. The Japanese owner took great care to restore the house with period antiques and decorative elements. There never seems to be many people there so I worry about their survival. They have good-value lunch and afternoon set deals, starting at $30 something. The food is delicate but I'd go there just for the ambiance. Behind Diage toward the back of the house, a little shop called Ushigokoro has opened up. This peculiar shop is also Japanese owned (same owner as Diage?) and offer little cubicles for rent to anyone who wants the space for display. Many of the cubicles are occupied already, which a range of handmade jewelry, bags, art pieces, clothing, etc. They have recently held a flea market also.

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Velvet Lounge and Casanova

fay — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:35:47 +0000

This stylish, ambient pair of lounge and Italian restaurant is located in a little house on Julu Rd, around the corner from HuaShan Rd. Unlike the row of seedy bars next door targeting traveling business men, Velvet and Casanova are frequented by local residents. Velvet is a relaxing hideout with great music and reasonably priced cocktails, perfect for an intimate week-night date. Upstairs at Casanova, you can get a nice multi-course Italian meal. A lot of people like their thin-crust pizzas, which you can also order from Velvet. I also like their Caesar salad and breads. This place is definitely not one of those big productions on the Bund, but it's nice to have some place like this in the neighborhood.

Club JZ -- live jazz and you can take lessons too

fay — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:17:42 +0000

Located on the quiet Fuxing Rd across from Cafe Boona II, Club JZ is one of the few more serious jazz clubs around Shanghai. There's a band playing every night of week; some are based in Shanghai, and some are visiting musicians and bands. The venue has a cozy stage w/a mezzanine level of seating. The bands play several sets between 10pm-2am. They also have a jazz school nearby, where classes and private lessons are taught to beginners and experienced musicians alike.

See their website for upcoming performances: http://www.jzclub.cn/index.asp

People 7 -- contemporary Chinese with an open sesame door

fay — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:14:20 +0000

Tucked away on Julu Rd near Fumin Rd on the 2nd floor, it's very hard to notice People 7 unless you really look for it. To get in the door, you need to figure out the passcode for it. The 2nd floor is the bar/lounge area, and upstairs is the restaurant. The decor is industrial 'shi-shi' modern Chinese. It has a sister location People 6 (Yueyang Rd and Yongjia Rd) and is by the same owner as Shintori, a very cool Japanese restaurant. The food is delicate and comes in small portion so go there if you're not starving. Don't forget to check out the bathrooms (if you can figure out how to get in there) ;-p

See other cafes and restaurants nearby.