(City Weekend)
Updated: 2008-02-15 12:51

Although it's surrounded by some of Shanghai's seedier nightlife haunts, it appears that Red Beatis trying to set itself apart.

The decor is simple and tasteful—a black ceiling, a black floor, and bright red walls in between. An energetic house band with a great guitarist plays a vast repertoire of Western pop and rock classics. If you are a veteran of Shanghai nightlife, the first thing you may notice on the drink menu is how similar the RedBeat logo is to that of one of the Bund bars.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but what you won't see imitated here are Bund prices. Beer and cocktail prices range from RMB38-50, while most bottles will set you back a few hundred. So, decent décor, reasonable drink prices, little-to-no sleaze factor. What's missing?

Atmosphere. But we can't blame RedBeat for this since it's such a new venue. When we visited, the crowd had all the liveliness of a nursing home bingo game. This place just needs to be filled up with some rowdy, fun-loving and thirsty people to complete the already solid mix.

Add: 3/F, 72 Tongren Lu