ROAM: 3 floors of dinner, drinks, dancing in city鈥檚 new hotspot
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From the makers of Shanghai鈥檚 favorite secret-but-not-really-all-that-secret alt lounge Tang comes Roam, the new hotspot in town for house-y, tribal-y, boho-chic vibes, newly opened at 909 Yan鈥檃n Rd. A much more ambitious concept, Roam features three floors of diversions in the form of a snacky restaurant and wine fridge on the first floor, a dime-sized cocktail bar and open kitchen on the second, and the smallest house and electronic music club in the city on the third floor.
If you鈥檙e a fan of the alt electronic music scene in Shanghai (SYSTEM, Wig Wam, Celia), and, of course, Tang, it鈥檚 one to check out. Maybe go later in the week to make sure the club portion is open. Do a late dinner and check it out afterwards.
The main draw is the food menu, which is served in a communal but comfortable room on the first floor. Pan-Chinese bar bites comprise most of the menu, with some Continental-style mains. We went for their vegetarian plates to complement the drinks.
Other options include 鈥淐rispy Pig Ears鈥 (48 yuan), 鈥淏eef Tripe with Red Kidney Bean鈥 (58 yuan), and 鈥淪ea Snails in Spicy Wine鈥 (48 yuan). Moving into mains, they have just a few options that are heavy on the sous-vide. 鈥淪ous-vide Beef Short Ribs with Herbs and Baby Corn鈥 (286 yuan), 鈥淕rilled Spicy Chicken鈥 (68 yuan). Food is delicate and creative. Maybe a touch on the pricier side, but maybe the elevatedness of the whole thing justifies it.
It鈥檚 three floors, yes, but still really snug. It鈥檚 more like three bedrooms stacked on top of each other. They鈥檙e making as much as possible out of the small space, taking you from happy hour cocktails and dinner to clubbing moments later in the evening. Based on their goodwill from the much-adored Tang lounge, the space is already attracting Shanghai鈥檚 young and hip crowd 鈥 it鈥檚 the new hot opening in the alt scene.
Dinner plus a club is not a new concept in Shanghai, but the Tang team鈥檚 presentation is definitely unique. Singular, serene orange and gold lighting, a zany paper installation for the ceiling on the ground floor, and expressionist and abstract art pieces on the walls create an overall bohemian sort of vibe. It鈥檚 arty, it鈥檚 idiosyncratic, and it feels like it鈥檚 coming from one person鈥檚 point of view rather than from a consensus business strategy from an F&B group running multiple venues.
Up the stairs to the third floor, you鈥檒l find the club, which is a surprising little discovery indeed. The entire space is one couch bed on one side and one DJ booth on the other, with about 10 feet by 10 feet of dancing room separating them. It鈥檚 a darkened, minimalist room 鈥 more like an attic, really 鈥 with the DJ facing away from the audience to an installation video piece. It鈥檚 very neat. And a bit trippy. Super tiny. Anywhere in the room, you鈥檙e standing next to the DJ like it鈥檚 a mini Boiler Room. Very much house party vibes. But at a friend with a really cool house鈥檚 place.
The real deal, and what we鈥檇 definitely go back for, is their excellent happy hour special. Its three price tiers 鈥 149 yuan, 129 yuan, and 99 yuan 鈥 offer some quite excellent all-you-can-drink options between 6pm and 11pm. That鈥檚 a five-hour window at just one price. The cheapest tier gets you a few selected mixes, the second tier gets you a bunch of house cocktail options, and the top tier gets you access to a couple of labels of wine. The drinks are really quite delish. It鈥檚 a great deal.
Really refreshing. And a five-hour window to go to town. The happy hour special is a steal.
After dinner, you鈥檙e moving upstairs. The second floor is a tiny cocktail bar. Maybe about five seats deep. It鈥檚 more of a pitstop between the first and third floors, but they鈥檝e got a range of more pricey and involved Roam signature drinks here in the 100 yuan range. This is also where their mixologist is working.
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