[Shanghai] Cafe des Stagiaires (2)

Cafe des Stagiaires

Add: 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: Feb 2012 (visits 1, 3)

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.

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.

We started with a 1/2 order of pate (80 RMB), which came with a bag of fresh baguettes.

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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[Shanghai] The Public

The Public

Add: Sinan Mansions, Block 2, 4/F, Lane 507 Fuxing Zhong Lu / 复兴中路507弄2号楼4楼
Tel: 3368 9419
Hours: [Wed-Sun] 6:00pm~late
Price: 65~80 RMB/cocktail
Visited: Feb 2012

The Public, recently rebranded from The Apothecary, is a cocktail lounge in the Sinan Mansions neighborhood. It’s my preferred type of place where the music isn’t so loud – you can actually have a conversation. The drinks menu features fine cocktails that are hand-crafted from house-infused spirits and bitters, fresh juices, fruits and syrups, while the food menu lists an appealing selection of some all-time favorite comfort foods (think charcuterie and sweet potato fries)…and all held together by smooth and efficient service.

For those who are overwhelmed by the extensive drinks menu, take a look at their list of “Auspicious Eight”, an abridged collection of eight of The Public’s most popular cocktails.

Here are a few we sampled, starting with my favorite for the evening – The Kind (70 RMB): Ketel One vodka, grapefruit and lime juice, a tad of black pepper, cinnamon and lime syrups, house-made ginger beer, soda. “This Tiki-style Moscow Mule variation takes the too-easy original and pumps up the spice and fruit variables for a pungent, dry drink that’ll tickle your taste buds.”


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[Shanghai] Bikini

Bikini

Add: 47 Yongfu Lu, near Fuxing Lu / 永福路47號,近復興路
Tel: 6433 6511
Hours: 6pm~2am
Price: 45~65 RMB/hot dog, 38~310 RMB/”snacky”
Visited: Feb 2012

For some sexy and “very hot dogs”, visit Bikini. Named after a famous Spanish disco from the 1970s, El Willy’s adult film-themed sandwich/hot dog joint is small (only four tables) and simple. Choose from the selection of “very hot dogs”, “hot and pressed”, and “snackies”, which don’t really make a satisfying meal, but for a mid-afternoon or late-night snack, they might be just right.

Soft-core porn posters on the wall, on the table, on the door.

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[Shanghai] Norman+Karen

Norman+Karen

Add: No. 36 Lane 248 Taikang Lu, near Sinan Lu / 泰康路248弄36号, 近思南路
Tel: 6467 7223
Hours: 11am~7pm
Visited: Feb 2012-02-04

If you weren’t specifically looking for Norman+Karen, you will probably miss it. Its slender storefront, tucked away in one of the small lanes in Tianzifang, is not screaming for attention. But venture inside, and you will discover an enchanting little world of stylish designs and alluring fragrances.

Norman and Karen met in San Francisco while studying architecture, and together they started Norman+Karen in Shanghai 6 years ago as an interior architecture studio. Because of their personal interest in home fragrance, they converted this little shop in Tianzifang to a retail space for a select few imported home fragrance brands, including Baobab Collection, Ladurée, MIZENSIR, LINARI, DayNa Decker, Anthousa.

Let’s start with Baobab Collection, a fragrance brand inspired by the enchanting landscapes of Tanzania. Handcrafted in Belgium since 2004, the collection captures the intense colors and bewitching fragrances of Africa. Illuminate the candle and take a plunge into the cradle of humanity. Click here for more information.

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[Shanghai] Malt Fun

Malt Fun

Add: 123 Hunan Lu, near Yongfu Lu / 湖南路123号,近永福路
Tel: 6212 8728
Hours: 6pm~2am
Price: 80~500 RMB/single malt, 70~80/cocktail
Visited: Feb 2012

An evening of single malts and cigars at Malt Fun, a Taiwanese-run, Japanese-inspired whisky bar on Hunan Lu.

On a side note – Taiwan, though tiny, is among the top 5 export markets for Scotch whisky (via), after USA, France, Singapore, and Spain. Wowee! (By the way…Singapore? Even tinier, I’m impressed.)

James Bond has a bottle of Balvenie at Malt Fun from a past visit, and that’s what we had for the evening.

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Favorite Meals of 2011 – Shanghai

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In no particular order, here are Sugared & Spiced’s favorite meals in the year of 2011, Shanghai edition:

Kota’s Kitchen

There’s a warm buzz at Kota’s Kitchen that makes you feel you’ve come to the right place. This intimate, perpetually packed Japanese yakitori shochu bar has all the right elements – skewered items grilled to perfection over Japanese charcoal, artery-clogging but supremely gratifying fried chicken, fried potatoes, fried anything, and Beatles posters all over its walls and classic tunes of “Love Me Do” and “Yellow Submarine” in the background. My favorite yakitori place in town, hands down. Click here for details.

Sushi Oyama

Once in a while I eat a meal so perfect that I can’t help but grin from ear to ear until long after the meal has finished. Such was the case after my dinner at Sushi Oyama, an omakase Japanese restaurant with menu that changes nightly. It’s a small but elegant place. The decor is simple, the air is filled with light-hearted jazz, and the focal point of the room is an open sushi bar where Oyama-san and a couple of helpers slice, scorch, press, fold, and roll with determined confidence. I’m charmed by Sushi Oyama beyond remedy. Click here for details.

Cuivre

It’s hard to not notice the warm glow exuding from Cuivre’s windows if you pass by its storefront. This upscale French bistro, adorned with copper coils (very approrpiate given the name Cuivre, “copper” in French), leather chairs, woven wood/bamboo light fixtures, is a welcoming and slightly quirky place. But what attracts patrons most is Cuivre’s straight-forward and delicious Southern French fare created by Michael Wendling, former Executive Chef at Allure of Le Meridien Hotel. Click here for details.

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[Shanghai] The Ritz-Carlton Pudong: Checking Out

The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong

Add: Shanghai IFC, 8 Century Avenue, near Lujiazui Huan Lu / 上海IFC,世紀大道8號,近陸家嘴環路
Tel: 2020 1888
Website: www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/ShanghaiPudong
Visited:  Jan 2012

Waking up to this view, feeling on top of the world (albeit a gloomy and drizzling one). Good morning Shanghai!

Though I already mentioned this in the previous post,  I do feel the need to stress the point again – the bathrobe at Ritz-Carlton Pudong is so very very comfortable.

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[Shanghai] Cafe des Stagiaires

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: Feb 2012 (visits 2, 3)

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.

“I do not get drink – I get awesome.”

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

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[Shanghai] Ricco Cafe Rainbow Cake

Ricco Cafe

Add: 107 Wuchuan Lu, near Wudong Lu / 武川路107号, 近武东路
Tel: 3531 2558
Hours: 10:30am~10:30pm
Price: 88 RMB/rainbow cake
Visited: Jan 2012

I’m not a fan of artificially-colored food either, but you have to agree that this rainbow cake from Ricco Cafe would please a 4-year-old on his birthday. And no, Howard is not my son, but his mom was kind enough to let me have a piece of his birthday cake.

Frosting

And what does the cake taste like? Well, each layer is of a different story: strawberry, apricot, lemon, taro…etc. The taste isn’t exactly impressive (and quite artificial), but after all, this cake is all about the looks.

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