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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Tags: lounge
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.
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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
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Nestled on the short stretch of JinXian Rd near Shaanxi Rd, this low-key, classy cafe is a haven from the bustling streets of Shanghai. During the day, you can spend hours sipping on your coffee while surfing the net for free. At night, enjoy a candlelight lounge scene over some yummy martinis, romantic jazz music, and beautifully arranged flowers. They do a decent job on appetizers and light fares. I like their quesadillas, chicken wings, pastas and sandwiches. The fries are very good too. They also serve a nice but limited brunch menu on the weekends. If you're looking for a place to relax, this is it.
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This new little cafe/restaurant is located on on AnFu Rd near the Center office building. It looks like a vintage home decor shop from the outside. The owner, a Shanghainese girl, has created a funky but homey space with her collection of vintage furnitures, complete with an antique barber chair and a birdcage with live chirping birds. What's really impressive is that the set lunch menu changes DAILY. There are both Chinese and Western set menus in the $25RMB range. It comes with a soup, 2 main dishes of your choice (they come in petite bowls), as well as a icy dessert of some sort. It's a relaxing place to have lunch or take a break from the office.
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This is their 2nd cafe on Changshu Rd., not the original Wukang Rd location, and it's in a much bigger 3-story glass building. In my opinion, it's MUCH nicer than the original one, although it's not much of bar/night lounge as the original one seemed to have been. I was really happy when it opened, because it's close to where I live, and has by far the best brunch deal around. Free wifi internet is also available, along with all the free English magazines such as SH, City Weekend, Shanghai Talk, and That's Shanghai, etc. Ranging from $80-90RMB, you can choose between Italian (my favorite with salmon filet, salami, prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella), Scandinavian, American, Mexican, and coffee (espresso drinks included) or tea is included. The price is a bit on the high side, but with ingredients they put in there, it's a far better value than some of the other places I've been to. The burger is pretty good too, while the other selections are more standard fares. A nice French manager who was working there gave us free refills on espresso drinks but he's gone now... It's interesting to see that these western restaurants start off using Filipino waiters but later switch to local staff --- to save some money?
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