DUBBED as Shanghai's new art street, Yongkang Road's recent facelift makes it hard to believe that it was once a wet market where only locals ventured. The tranquil road in Xuhui District slowly began to prosper and is today a mix of local and foreign flavors with shops ranging from cafes to furniture stores and beer boutiques to organic supermarkets.

Wash Bakery

With only seven seats in this small cafe, Wash Bakery offers bread, desserts and espresso coffee freshly made at their main store on Yan'an Road W. Their star item is the bread selection, which despite lacking in variety is compensated by its yummy taste. There are also special English breakfast sets with black coffee at 35 yuan (US$5.30), and tea sets with a choice of drink and a cake at 42 yuan. For children, there are milkshakes with such flavors as mango and banana, all at a price of 22 yuan, and coffee for the adults from 15 yuan, all from the highest quality espresso coffees. The interior is soft and inviting, and decorated to resemble a home making it most suitable for afternoon teas. Both the cafe latte and cappuccino are 32 yuan, and breads are priced from 5.8 yuan to 7.8 yuan, while multi-grain bread is 8.5 yuan.

Opening hours: 9am-6pm

Address: 189 Yongkang Rd

Tel: 6472-5985

Love My Treats

This family-run franchised Taiwanese eatery sells old-time favorite desserts made from recipes written by a Taiwanese couple who originally sold their treats from a push cart. They later opened their first shop on Hongjing Road, and after tasting it the boss of Love My Treats couldn't help but open her own joint using the couple's recipes and basic ingredients imported from Taiwan. No preservatives are added and all elements such as the pearls and grass jelly used are homemade daily using a strict traditional method. Their dessert selections can be classified into cold and hot, and highly recommended for summer are their grass jelly treats, which have various medicinal purposes such as a cooling effect and multiple vitamins. To sample all the homemade goodness here, try the mix and match cold grass jelly treat on top of shaved ice (9 yuan) which combines taro balls, pearls, grass jelly, peanuts and three types of bean. Cooling, naturally sweet and light, this is the perfect dessert for the summer.

Opening hours: 10am-10pm

Address: 70 Yongkang Rd

Tel: 1882-1002-005 (delivery)

Taipei Yongkang

Yongkang Street in Taipei is where Taiwan's most famous beef noodles are found. Coincidentally, Yongkang Road in Shanghai is where a Taiwanese couple decided to open their own eatery selling popular Taiwanese dishes such as the favored beef noodles and minced pork on rice. The owner is a wedding-photographer-turned-restaurateur and head chef, and insists on cooking healthy food with no preservatives and the freshest ingredients while giving his patrons an authentic feeling of dining in Taiwan. His high expectations for food and critical taste buds have made this restaurant a success, and he has regular customers that come daily just to taste his delicious mince pork on rice. For only 15 yuan you are given a generous portion of rice with a side of vegetables, and a nice big bowl of minced pork braised with the most delicious southern Taiwanese-style sauce. Apart from this yummy dish, the original beef noodle soup with half beef tendon (28 yuan) is also popular. Braised treats include braised tofu (8 yuan) and pork trotters (18 yuan), and cold dishes ideal for summer include assorted cucumbers (6 yuan) and tofu with preserved egg (12 yuan). For other treats try the delightfully fried pork ribs (12 yuan) and seasonal greens (10 yuan).

Opening hours: 11am-9pm

Address: 66 Yongkang Rd

Tel: 6472-5443

La Boulangerie

Yongkang Road has no shortage of bakeries and cafes, but La Boulangerie opened last October by Frenchman Laurent Meffre offers authentic French pastries and coffees in a very Gallic atmosphere. French breads, viennoiseries and desserts such as chocolate éclair (25 yuan) and lemon meringue tart (28 yuan) are popular choices. They also provide a small selection of French wine and cheese. The 58-yuan lunch set includes a choice of salads, sandwiches or quiches plus a dessert from the display. Opposite the cafe is Chez Nous, Meffre's first shop selling fresh organic produce from his Belgian partner's 22-year-old farm in Siping, on the border of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. Previously supplying only hotels and restaurants, their organic foods sell for cheaper than larger supermarkets. Their organic-farming concept began with herbs, then vegetables and has now extended to meat and eggs. Imported organic foods are also sold, including rice and seasonings. The bestselling meats are beef (ranging from strip loins at 198 yuan to tenderloins at 238 yuan per kilogram) and veal (topsides at 228 yuan and chops at 248 yuan per kilogram), but lamb and pork are also stocked. Iceberg lettuces are around 7 yuan, carrots are 3 yuan per pack and mini radishes are 35 yuan per kilogram.

Opening hours: 7am-9pm(La Boulangerie); 9am-9pm (Chez Nous)

Address: 54 Yongkang Rd (La Boulangerie); 53 Yongkang Rd (Chez Nous)

Tel: 3425-0210 (La Boulangerie); 1522-1334-554 (Chez Nous)

Hoffmann Juwellen Uhren Seit 2010

Translating from German as "Hoffman Valuable Watches Since 2010," Mr He's shop sells antique clocks and unique watches from his collection sourced from Switzerland where he returned from to China six months ago. He has turned his hobby of collecting watches and antique clocks into a vocation with his shop which has around 30 valuable clocks for sale, all imported from Europe. His collection is impressive, with antique clocks that need winding and are mainly around 60-70 years old - the oldest being a century-old clock from the 1889 World Expo in Paris. His collection also consists of watches from brands that are not retailed in Shanghai such as Zeno and Movado, priced from 3,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan. His clocks are from 30,000 yuan to 40,000 yuan but are all antiques in good condition and with certification.

Opening hours: 10am-8pm

Address: 40 Yongkang Rd

Tel: 1870-1789-098

Cheers In

Hailing from France, Cedric Bourlet's love for beer led him to becoming a "beer hunter" and opening up his own beer boutique where you can find a staggering array of around 150 types of beers from 25 countries. There are beers from Turkey, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, Australia, the United States ... you name it, he has it. With a collection that can be considered the biggest selection of beers in Shanghai, Bourlet even stocks rare beers that cannot be found in China. For example, the boutique offers five kinds of Trappist beers made by monks in Belgium (26-39 yuan/US$3.93-5.90) and crowned one of the best beers by Belgians. Small but overwhelmingly extensive, Cheers In gives you the opportunity to be acquainted with the taste of other countries without the hassle of actually having to go there personally. Price per person can ranges from 5.5 yuan for local beer to 39 yuan for Belgian beer. To discover what other beers they have, visit their blog (www.cheers-in.com) which will give you a detailed explanation of their beers, the origin and their tastes.

Shanghai Table Co

This furniture showroom that opened only a month ago is owned by the same people behind Elm Workshop, the Shanghai-based furniture makers reputed for their hardwood and upholstered goods over the last seven years. With a spacious workshop located in Jinqiao of the Pudong New Area, Christopher Curran and Sherrian Liang decided to open a smaller showroom in the city center, displaying and introducing their hand-made, high-quality furniture pieces to both expats and locals who are not willing to travel far. Their primary materials are French white oak, black walnut imported from the United States, the finest north China seasoned elm and teak wood from Burma. Chairs are priced starting from 900 yuan to around 2,000 yuan and an eight-person dining table costs from 6,700 to more than 10,000 yuan. Teak and walnut wood pieces are more expensive. Their fine hardwood furniture draws inspiration from simple, clean and classic American design. They have a big selection and you can even have your own designs made.

Opening hours: 11:30am-6:30pm

Address: 59 Yongkang Rd

Tel: 3368-6075