December 1, 2005
Is Bar Rouge the 'best bar on the planet'?
A commenter over at Gridskipper seems to think so. Although that same person insists there is "no snobbery" at the bar at Bund 18 and that $7 cocktails are a bargain. Another happy customer says at Bar Rouge you'll find "gorgeous people" and "flaming buckets of champagne all around" -- it's "decadence at its best."
The post also highlights the Dragon Club: "Any night that goes down for the record ends here, at the city’s favorite after-hours party."
It's always sometimes interesting to read what visitors have to say about the city we live in. Do Shanghaiist readers have any comments on their comments?
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I've never stepped foot in Bar Rouge- I'm not gorgeous enough to get in.
SmartShanghai regular Luciferio thinks Bar Rogue has taken a turn for the worse:
Rab Rouge is a microcosm of Shanghai: you can find all that is good and bad about the city under one roof. Insert your own dislikes / likes here.
you don't have to be gorgeous to set foot in Bar Red, you just have to be a complete wanker.
Been there twice but never liked it. Weird place with strange crowd, most people I met there pretend to be something they are not. The pricey drinks also stopped me going there again. Fortunately it doesn't monopoly the view of the bund.
Rab Rouge is a microcosm of Shanghai: you can find all that is good and bad about the city under one roof. Insert your own dislikes / likes here.
You can find tasty dumplings, cheerful old men in their underwear, spitting, and obnoxious taxi drivers in Bar Rouge?
Woah. I need to GO.
My new years plans involve petrol-bombing Bar Rouge (as well as Guan Di. I'm leaving Park 97 as a reminder of why the petrol-bombings took place).
Who wants to join in? I'm hoping the molotovs will be able to penetrate the sheer ego and "belonging" surrounding the place, which won't be easy but I think we can do it. Takers?
[Pirx putting on his flame proof-gear]
I like Bar Rouge, it stands out in all aspects, but they are just overwhelmed by the onslaught of masses of people. If they price themselves higher - actually, they should - the interesting people, the pretty but penniless girls and the young eligible bachelors will stay away.
Dragon Club can sink into Shanghai's sewers, as far as I am concerned. I am not going to set foot into it, because I never ever queue up or wait anywhere to spend my hard earned money AND because I never buy goods from a business that is e-mail spamming its customers.
I can see how you might think that Bar Rouge is among the best in Shanghai, it is at the Apex of the all mouth no trousers, looking good but actually not delivering 80s-ness which typifies much of the city's nightlife (for god's sake man, stop juggling and pour, oh no, you've dropped my drink again, I've only been waiting 40 minutes already...)
But best in the world! C'mon! It's about the quality of your average small town Poonana Bar in the UK.
This is typical of the hyperbole which all those writing about Shanghai from the outside seem required to rely upon to keep up the excitement these days. It's a real pity that almost all English language writing on China, and Shanghai especially, falls into either hyperbolic oh-too-rosy bullshit, or the negative cynicism of the jaded expat...
Shanghai-ist, this is why we love you, keep walking the middle path of truth.
Oh man, I just realized I made a spelling mistake in my comment above: Rogue should have been Rouge; and yet it's slightly appropriate
I need to clarify something in my comment too, Ponana (yes I mispelt it) is a chain of mediocre bars in the UK. Nothing to do with punani, which is something a bit different. You can find out about Ponana at www.ponana.com (if you really want to).
I would like to second Micah and propose that the rogue and distinctly un-Red or cheeky Bar Rouge change its name to something a lot more suitable. Then we could describe all those wonderful Marseillaise bottle jugglers as Rogue Barmen...