Famed for lumberjacks, ice hockey and being the country in North
America it's OK to like, Canada has much to recommend it.
With its virgin pine forests, plummeting winter temperatures and large
bearded men, it should come as no surprise that more and more people are
choosing the country as an emigration destination.
Which is all well and good, but goes no way toward explaining why Canadian
bar The Eager Beaver is a good place to watch the World Cup.
Canada may be noted for a great many gifts to mankind-maple syrup, the
electron microscope and Pamela Anderson among them -but great soccer and,
arguably, great beer, just do not make the list.
That is probably why Australian owner Kit Goldrick has purged his watering
hole of anything remotely Canadian, bar the name and a cuddly rodent that sits
atop one of the beer pumps, in favour a pretension free environment ideal for
drinking, talking and, watching football.
On Yueyang Road near Dongping Road, The Beaver is close to Hengshan Road, but
conforms to none of the area's cliches, so there are no scantily clad hostesses
and no fairy lights, it is not a place Chinese businessmen go with their younger
female companions and neither is it a concept foreigner bar with overpriced
drinks.
Not that the affable Goldrick hasn't made an effort for the World Cup.
During the competition, The Beaver is screening every single game live and
running promotions around drinks associated with the teams that are playing.
A small bar, it doesn't take many people to get an atmosphere going, and,
being in one of the most cosmopolitan parts of the city, whatever game you
watch, you are more than likely to find customers cheering on their home side.
It may not have the fame or perhaps the polish of some of its nearby
competition (it certainly doesn't have the astronomical prices) but that is all
part of its charm.
If you're looking for somewhere to watch the football with a decent
atmosphere and no pretensions, The Eager Beaver is it.
The Eager Beaver
Location: on Yueyanglu, near
Dongpinglu
