Two new cocktail bars to check out. Bund-side rooftop bar The Upper Room to serve a revolving menu of cocktails by the J.Boroski team, and Dentree, a sustainable project with drinks by Hope & Sesame.
📍7/F, 190 Beijing Dong Lu, near Sichuan Zhong Lu 北京东路190号7楼, 四川中路
📞 13248388738
🕒 Sun-Thu, 7pm-midnight; Fri-Sat, 7pm-2am
The Upper Room is a slick Bund-side destination with two concepts—an indoor cocktail bar serving a revolving menu inspired by “great travels,” and a rooftop terrace bar shaking up tropical rum-based drinks. Note: the latter is not a tiki bar.
It’s the latest from the Shanghai Oud group (J. Boroski, MOST Izakaya, Bistro 11), and the drinks program is curated by none other than group bartender Mark Lloyd. Shanghai Oud also has a western restaurant within the same building, The Living Room, which serves a western menu for lunch, brunch, and dinner.
The Upper Room is located on the top floor of Shamei Mansion, a historical building on Beijing Dong Lu that was largely disused the last couple of decades. The building has since been remodeled to accommodate a hotel (ZHotel), restaurants, bars, and an exhibition space. The first floor is home to Yunnan bistro Dian Fu, the company that brought Shanghai Oud into this project, which is why The Upper Room has dedicated the first revolving menu of cocktails and bites to Yunnan.
The “great travels” menu at the inside bar will change every three months. Following Yunnan will be Spain in February, and Colombia after that. The bar bites will also mirror the drinks in theme.
The outdoor rum bar.
All the signature cocktails are ¥120 each. Below are drinks from the Yunnan menu.
Passion Fruit Chili Daiquiri – Passion fruit infused light rum with lime and chilies. This packs a hell of a punch. It is quite spicy and will wake you up. Still, it is balanced, with crisp citrus notes of passion fruit and lime coming through.
Yunnantini – Fermented bamboo infused gin, dry vermouth. A dry martini laced with the distinctive aroma of the fermented bamboo. A must-try for martini enthusiasts.
There’s also a Bloody Mary inspired drink, Da Jiu Jia with pickled quail eggs that also sounds delicious.
These are from the outdoor rum bar:
Coffee Estate Punch – Cascara infused dark rum, plum, soda, nutmeg. A strong kick of coffee with a smooth finish.
1% Probability – Mushroom infused dark rum, apple, and fig leaves. Velvety and earthy with a hint of umami.
The Gem – A split base cocktail of rum and cognac with pineapple juice and angostura bitters, dusted with cinnamon powder.
As for the food, it’s simple bar snacks.
Truffle Chips (¥68) – Highly addictive housemade truffle chips with truffle dipping sauce.
Yunnan Milk Fan (¥48) with rose dipping sauce – Milk fan is a type of cheese from Yunnan, traditionally eaten with sweet rose jam. Served here with rice crackers.
Yunnan-Style Fried Chicken (¥88) – Easy-going fried chicken with served with a spiced dip.
Yunnan Rice Noodles with Beef (¥88) – A comforting bowl of noodles topped off with thinly sliced beef and chili crisp.
The Upper Room has become a destination for Bund-side drinks with a mixed crowd of cocktail enthusiasts delving deep into the menu and selfie snappers looking to get a rooftop photo op. If you're looking to do business drinks, either go earlier or later. Reservations recommended.
📍Anken Air, 465 Zhenning Lu, near Xinzha Lu 镇宁路465弄, 近新闸路
📞 18964993024
🕒 Daily, 6pm-late (soft opening)
Dentree is a sustainable cocktail bar driven by a superstar team. It has a drinks program by award winning team Hope & Sesame, is powered by Rémy Cointreau Group, is operated by MUSE Group with bar bites from group chef Conrad, and has interiors done by OHA Design. Pow! And the investment shows.
It's a gorgeous bar that aims to be eco-friendly and carbon-neutral with minimal waste while also serving tasty cocktails. Dentree will also host seminars and programs on sustainability.
It’s located in Anken Air, in the former Egg 2 space. Later on, it'll also be a café by day, when full hours extend. It also has an outdoor seating area.
As for the sustainability angle, it’s all itemized in the menu. It lists their ambitions of reducing use of plastics, working with conscientious and like-minded suppliers, and to minimize their carbon footprint by installing solar panels on the rooftop garden, where they’ll also grow herbs for the drink and food. The accountability of these mission statements falls to their “head of sustainability,” and they promise to produce an annual report of their progress.
Cocktails are courtesy of Hope & Sesame, a bar and consultancy group (Spirits Architects) with roots in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Hope & Sesame is #18 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. There are just over a dozen signature cocktails, half of them in the style of highballs, priced from ¥98 to ¥128. The drinks are not only pretty, but are also very delicious.
Between The Sheesh (¥108) - A clarified milk punch version of the classic cocktail “between the sheets,” made with Mount Gay rum, Remy Martin VSOP, Cointreau, electrolytes, raspberry, and almond nut milk.
Adjusted Bamboo (¥108) - A cocktail made with underused proteins such as insects. A twist on the bamboo cocktail with savoury notes made with turmeric fino sherry, dry vermouth, osmanthus rice wine, Fernet Hunter Granit, and cordyceps and silkworms. Served with a cup of osmanthus jelly. An easy sipper.
Pip Hyball (¥128) – Rémy Martin VSOP that’s been "time reversed" or redistilled to strip the aged aromas of oak and vanilla to give it a fruitier, grassy, almost sweet taste. The remainder of the distillate is infused with umami notes from onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. from the kitchen. It is combined with Ugni Blanc wine soda, umami powder, and pear eau-de-vie.
Come What May (¥98) - Botanist gin, Yunnan soe, Hainan cacao, junta sake, clarified cream, and strawberries. Tasty, juicy, citrusy and fresh with aromas of coffee and cacao.
Super Gimlet (¥108) – Botanist gin, freeze-dried acai, blue berry, pearl vermouth, lemon verbena, and stevia cordial. A light, low-ABV drink with mild sweet-sour notes. It is as crushable as it is beautiful.
As for the food, it’s a bar bites menu of odd ends that would otherwise be discarded or left unused, as well as insects. Yep. Bugs! Many believe that insects will be the food of the future and will be a solution to the impending food crisis. Makes sense that a sustainable bar would want those on the menu. It’s only a matter of time until we see larvae the same way we do lobster.
Crispy Bamboo Worms (¥58) – Curry spiced bamboo worms with crispy curry leaves. The spice-mix here could be its own Pringles flavor, and it makes these crispy worms go down like any other highly addictive bar snack. The worms are deep-fried, so it’s just crispy in texture and a bit oily in mouth-feel. This is currently the only insect on the menu.
Yuzu Pickled Boquerones (¥98) – White anchovies pickled in yuzu with Moroccan chermoula sauce, sea urchin, and olives. An appetizing dish that’s bright and zesty.
Pig Brain Fritters (¥58) – If I told you these were battered, poached livers, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The brains have a pillowy, custard-like texture, and are a delicious snack when wrapped in crispy batter and dipped into sambal mayonnaise.
Crispy Pig Tails (¥78) – Sections of tail coated in a finger-licking Sichuan pepper spice mix with ginger and honey. Again, another tasty bar snack. No two ways about it—you’ll have to pick them up with your fingers and gnaw away.
Chicken Cockscomb and Coconut Curry (¥128) – The most odd thing I’ve eaten this year. When cooked, cockscomb, the bright red crest atop a chicken’s head, has a gelatinous texture similar to tendons.
Here, it’s served in a Thai-inspired coconut curry, which was a tad sweet but still nice. I’m not sure I’d order this again though. It’s a touch too odd for me. But if you’re curious, give it a try.
Miso Eel Sliders (¥68) – Miso-glazed river eel, pickles, onion rings, and quindilla peppers on a brioche bun. Tasty, but could use more sauce.
Venison Heart Tartare (¥78) – Fine diced venison with cherry blossom jelly and mayonnaise made with aquafaba, the liquid from soaking chickpeas similar to egg whites. Topped with raz el hanout sweet potato crisps. It’s a tasty plate of tartare and not at all gamey. A must-order.
Sturgeon Caviar & Bone Marrow (¥198) – Roasted bone marrow studded with caviar, served with butter-toasted sourdough and herb sauce. Also a must-order.
Beef Tongue & Cheese Sarnie (¥88) – A tasty sandwich served in a paper bag with crisps. Smoked beef tongue with sauerkraut, smoked cheddar, and cognac mayo on sourdough.
If you’re going to serve it to me like that… I’m going to stuff my sandwich with chips. Yum.
Currently in soft opening, Dentree is very quiet, so there's not much of a vibe to tell about yet. If anything, it's intimate. The cocktails are very good, and I implore you to check it out.
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