(City Weekend)
Updated: 2006-07-06 15:23

Nighttime in Houhai with its seemingly endless line of restaurants, bars and clubs can either be exciting or head throbbing.

Taking a trip to the other bank across from Lotus Lane, I found, next to venues decked out like they were in a Christmas light extravaganza show, the small yellow sign of East Shore Live Jazz Cafe.

Walking up the wooden stairs, I was greeted with wafting tinkering piano music and a small room decorated in dark hues, lots of wood and black and white posters of jazz gurus. Off to the side is a small stage for weekly live jazz performances and a rooftop patio.

While East Shore's drink list was limited in the wine department (RMB 30/glass) but extensive in the whiskey (RMB 40), you got the feeling that patrons came not for the drinks for but for the atmosphere. The place is definitely more Hemmingway than Gatsby and perfect for those tired of the glitz but hungry for jazz.

Perfect for: chilling out
Location: 2/F, Bldg 2, Shichahai Nanyan 
Tel: 010-84032131