Sugared & Spiced

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Cafe Paddy

Add: 394 Yongjia Lu, near Taiyuan Lu 永嘉路394号, 近太原路
Tel: 6466 8608
Hours: 11am~11:30pm
Price: [drinks] 25~45 RNB
Visited on: 2012-07

Look at this lush little courtyard garden. Doesn’t it just draw you right in? Welcome to Cafe Paddy.

The interior is filled with a curious collection of mannequins, carousel pony, skulls, and other vintage paraphernalia, but the atmosphere is far from eerie thanks to large windows and warm lighting.

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Cafe des Stagiaires

Address: 54 Yongkang Lu, near Xiangyang Nan Lu  / 永康路54号, 近襄阳南路
Tel: 3425 0210
Hours: [Tue-Sun] 10:00am~midnight
Price: 20~30 RMB/coffee
Visited on: 2012-03-09

Are you sick of me posting about this place yet? Yes, I was back at Cafe des Stagiaires again. A snapshot of my afternoon: a cup of latte, a cup of cappuccino, canelé, éclair, pumpkin tart, mini strawberry tart, and mini citron tart (all 10~30 RMB/piece). Liked everything I tried, but the winner of today was definitely the pumpkin tart (though the canelé was very close behind).

Click here to see my first visit and here to see my second visit.

Latte, 30 RMB

Pastries,  10~30 RMB/piece

Pumpkin Tart

A full house

Click here for pictures from my first visit and here for pictures from my second visit. I have a feeling that I’ll be back very soon :)

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aroom

Address: No. 15, Lane 120, Tai’an Road / 泰安路120弄15号
Tel: 5213 0360
Hours: 12:00~8:30pm
Price: 20~35 RMB/drink
Visited on: 2012-02-26

Aroom is an extremely well-hidden cafe/shop on Tai’an Road – so well-hidden that you definitely, DEFINITELY won’t discover it if you weren’t specifically looking for its door. There are a few wooden tables and leather sofas for those who want to linger for the coffee and cakes, but the focus here are random objects collected by its owners (two Shanghainese couples, I hear). It’s one of those places where I get so busy trying to capture everything on camera, but there’s just too much…way too much…

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Anna Maya

Address: 3 Taojiang Lu, near Hengshan Lu / 桃江路3号, 近衡山路
Tel: 6433-4602
Hours: 10:00am~10:00pm
Price: 68~110 RMB/set
Visited on: 2012-01-02

Almost forgot about a delightful lunch I had at Anna Maya at the very beginning of this year. Like I said last time, this vegan cafe will not please everyone, but for those looking to sooth the stomach with some light and healthy macrobiotic food, this is a must visit.

Anna Maya

The place is run by a small Japanese woman (met her once on my first visit), but the decor and ambience music are all Tibetan.

Interior

Interior

Love the wooden floor, wooden furniture, and wooden utensils.

Table setting

Order a la carte or set menus, which range from 68 RMB (1 drink/soup + 1 salad) to 110 RMB (1 soup + 1 salad plate + 1 main dish). We sampled 2 soups, 4 salads, and 3 main dishes – it’s been more than two months since I had these, so I’ll have to skip on detailed descriptions…sorry!

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Mistral

Address: 133 Fuxing Xi Lu at Yongfu Lu / 复兴西路133号近永福路
Tel: 6433 4261
Hours: [Mon] 5:00pm~12:00am [Tue-Sun] 12:00pm~12:00am
Price: 300~400 RMB/person
Visited on: 2012-02-12

Please note that this is an arranged tasting, so my experience is possibly more positive than a regular visit.

Mistral, a Spanish restaurant and tapas bar on Fuxing Lu, has got an understated storefront, a heavy black metal door, and a little TV scribbled with “turn off TV, turn on music”. First impression – quirky! – I loved it.

Mistral

Turn on the music!

Enter the door, and it’s casual, rustic, with simple white-washed walls. The first floor has a few tables and a small patio, and the second floor has two private rooms and terrace seating – no doubt a nice spot on a balmy day.

Interior

Decor

So what’s in the name? “Mistral” is a strong wind from the Northwest of France that affects its eastern Mediterranean coast from Marseille to St. Tropez and is what makes the charming weather in these sunny regions. And the food? Rustic Spanish, with lots of French and a bit of Italian additions.

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Cafe des Stagiaires

Address: 54 Yongkang Lu, near Xiangyang Nan Lu  / 永康路54号, 近襄阳南路
Tel: 3425 0210
Hours: [Tue-Sun] 10:00am~midnight
Price: 20~30 RMB/coffee
Visited on: 2012-02-19

If you’ve read my last post on Cafe des Stagiaires, you already knew that I was quite charmed by its cozy atmosphere and quirky decor on my first visit. I went back again this weekend to try the food, and fell even more in love with this enchanting little space.

Cafe des Stagiaires

The food menu is short and simple – charcuterie from their boucherie Les Garcons, pizza from their neighboring pizzeria Pizza Peppone, and pastry from their bakery La Boulangerie.

Food menu

We started with a 1/2 order of pate (80 RMB), which came with a bag of fresh baguettes – the only thing I wished for was to have these toasted and served warm, especially on a cold day like this.

Pate (80 RMB)

Pate (80 RMB)

We wanted to try both the Pepperoni (85 RMB) and Nicoise (75 RMB) pizzas, so the kitchen agreed to let us do half and half. They ended up giving us a Pepperoni / Lawaiianne mix instead of the Pepperoni / Nicoise mix we requested, but we quite enjoyed it anyway. Thin curst, with just the right amount of toppings.

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Cafe des Stagiaires

Address: 54 Yongkang Lu, near Xiangyang Nan Lu  / 永康路54号, 近襄阳南路
Tel: 3425 0210
Hours: [Tue-Sun] 10:00am~midnight
Price: 20~30 RMB/coffee
Visited on: 2012-02-04

For a little piece of France, visit Cafe des Stagiaires, a cozy bar and cafe on Yongkang Lu. What’s on the menu: coffee, beer, wine, charcuterie from their boucherie Les Garcons, pastry from their bakery La Boulangerie, and pizza from their neighboring pizzeria Pizza Peppone. It’s all very, very French.

Click here to see my second visit.

“I do not get drink – I get awesome.” Werd.

The menu is a single sheet of paper, folded.

A lovely cup of Cappuccino (30 RMB) in a cute tin cup.

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Manne et Sante’

Address: 96 Shaoxing Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu / 绍兴路96号, 近陕西南路
Tel: 5465 6297
Hours: 8:00am~10:00pm
Price: [afternoon tea] minimum spend 50 RMB/person,  [lunch/dinner] approx. 100 RMB/person
Visited on: 2012-01-03

It’s been a long while since I last visited Manne et Sante’, and I’m feeling very fortunate to have rediscovered this hidden gem. Take a look at this post, which will hopefully convince you to venture up its shabby and twisting staircase (be careful not to hit your head on the way up). Comfortable leather sofas, natural light streaming in from large window panes, Ella Fitzgerald in the air, and most impressively – affordable and delicious dishes! I wasn’t expecting much given the tiny size of the cafe and the presumably small kitchen, but I was very pleasantly surprised.

Manne et Sante’

Interior

Interior

Menu recommendations

Window seats

Our lunch started with a basket of warm bread, accompanied by salted butter with parsley.

Bread and butter

Then, a thick slice of chicken and pork Meat Paté (88 RMB) served cold with pickles and a mound of fresh greens. Not a connoisseur of meat paté, but I quite enjoyed the version at Manne et Sante’ and will gladly order this again. 

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Song Fang Maison de Thé 宋芳茶館

Add: 227 Yongjia Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu /永嘉路277號, 近陝西南路
Tel: 6433 8283
Price: [tea] 40~70 RMB/pot, [cake] ~40 RMB
Website: www.songfangtea.com
Visited on: 2011-12-17

Song Fang Maison de Thé is an enchanting tea salon located in a converted former French Concession lane house. From the 1st floor retail space, climb up the winding wooden staircase to arrive at its bright and airy tea salon adorned with vintage tin cans, wicker chairs, and nostalgic floral red prints from Northern China – you probably wouldn’t have guessed that this place is opened by a French lady, would you? With light jazz floating in the background, this is a truly stylish retreat indeed.

Song Fang Maison de Thé 宋芳茶館

Interior

Floral print sofa

View of the former French Concession

Floral print sofa

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Vienna Cafe

Address: 25 Shaoxing Lu, near Ruijin Er Lu / 绍兴路25号，近瑞金二路
Tel: 6445 2131
Hours: 8:00am~8:00pm
Website: www.viennashanghai.com
Price: [coffee] 25~40 RMB, [cakes] 20~45 RMB

Vienna Cafe is old news. This cozy little place has been around since 2004, attracting coffee drinkers with its dark wooden decor, marbled tabletops, warm lighting, and a lovely sunroom that’s perfect for lazy afternoons. It’s been months since I last visited so let’s forget about the details (dish names and prices etc.) and just look at the pictures :)

Vienna Cafe

Interior

Warm lighting

Sunroom

Coffee, desserts, and a small selection of simple Austrian dishes like Gulasch and Spaetzle.

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