Do you get a warm, fuzzy feeling from seeing police pictures and reading heartwarming stories about policing initiative. Well, thank goodness, in Shanghai, you need look no further then the nearest newstand to get your fix. Pick up your complementary copy of 'People's Police', the monthly mag dedicated to keeping all abreast with the beat from the street. Sorry, Chinese text only. A private sector iniative, you think? Yeah, sure...
Caesura Café is a rare, unpretentious destination to head for a quiet drink. The sort of place it could be fairly persuasively argued that Shanghai is lacking, at least in sufficient quantity. Caesura is the latest café addition to Taikang Lu, the quickly evolving art and design street situated in the Luwan district (just off Jianguo Lu). A tucked away corner of Shanghai that remains undiscovered by many. With the opening of Caesura, the possibility of some quiet after hours activity on the street has now been thrown into the mix, as well. Incidentally, Taikang Lu has experienced a pace of development of late that would probably be a bit much for a city not accustomed to the sort of frenetic rate of change Shanghai continues to experience.
The Heineken sign hanging beside entrance is about the only thing saving the café from being all but anonymous. Stepping inside, the faint smell of incense wafting through the air greets you. Though potentially inviting, the stools at the downstairs bar are not the main attraction. Up the staircase lays a small, colourful, dimly lit room filled with simple couches, soft low-level beds with plenty of cushions. It is a cosy, comfortable and intimate place - an ideal spot to lounge with a friend or two for a couple of hours. If not for the (cheap) moving spotlights, one could almost be forgiven for mistaking it for a living room – there’s even an irresistible little kitten running around to add to the illusion. In spite of the constraints of an evidently modest budget, the efforts to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere have largely succeeded. The service is relaxed and friendly – no overbearing servers waiting to pounce. All this said, Caesura is not quite perfect, at least not just yet.
The drinks menus, offering the expected selection of beers (Tsing Tao, Heineken, Carlsberg, Corona and Guinness ranging in price from 18 - 30 RMB), a largely unoriginal selection of mixed drinks (30 – 35 RMB) along with a selection of coffees, soft drinks, juices and smoothies (priced from 15 – 35 RMB) is hardly memorable. Disturbingly, the coffee served during successive visits was not quite hot enough, indicating the purchase of a more capable coffee machine should be a top priority. An expanded drinks menu perhaps featuring some a few more adventurous cocktails wouldn’t hurt either.
Caesura’s short, western oriented, snack menu should certainly not be the motivation for your visit. We indulged our sweet tooth with a brownie and piece of cheesecake. Though not homemade, they were tasty enough and at 15 RMB each, we really couldn’t complain. Ham and tuna sandwiches are also available at 25 RMB. Clearly, Caesura is not aspiring to attract people for its food.
So our verdict? Is Caesura brilliant? Definitely not. But can it succeed? We do hope so - only time will tell. In Shanghai, it is a fairly original effort. It may prove to be ahead of its time. In spite of its shortcomings, we will return.
Timothy Anderson. timothyanderson2005@gmail.com
Every Chinese New Year, tens of thousands of Chinese set off tonnes and tonnes of fireworks across Shanghai (and all over the country for that matter). Two of the favourite firebombs of choice are particularly ear-shattering little devices. Probably the most popular is a rather small tube from which a single fireball is launched into the air before exploding several seconds later in an eardrum-shattering BANG! A second of a line of noise-making explosives that sounds like a long round of artilery being shot.
Chinese people tend to take this little tradition very seriously - it is intended to scare off the demons from their houses (which they have spent all day cleaning). Needless to say, as foreigners caught in the middle of all of this, we really didn't need much more of an excuse than that to get involved ourselves.
It was nearly 2AM after several hours of fireworks when this elderly gentleman emerged from a row of houses across the street from my party of choice for the evening to take care of the necessary dirty business. Cigarette in mouth, away he went.
That's the way to do it, indeed.
When in Rome...visit The Coliseum. When in China...well, try turtle soup (among many other things).
Of the handful of the more questionable Chinese delicacies yours truly has tried over the past months, (arguably) none have been more questionable then the recent experience with turtle soup. While the broth itself was admittedly not all that bad, the contribution of the turtle in this dish is uncertain, to phrase it ephemistically. Turtle soup, however, is a popular dish in China with a long tradition.
The only part of the turtle where meat is found is on the rather bony arms and legs. So when one finds a little claw sticking out of ones soup bowl, one can be certain they have struck gold - even if what visual appeal the dishes holds basically vanishes. Crunch, cruch, crunch - enjoy!!
