Bar review of now defunct Pirates in the area near Shanghai’s Jiaotong University.

What is French for “all aboard my hearties”? Shuffle Bar has walked the plank and the space filled with Gaelic electronica. The area industrial in feel is divided between the comfy front lounge area and back stage area. Both have well stocked bars. Cocktails are mainly in the Y45-50 range. Black and white stick drawings line the walls of the white lounge area to the complement of black and white sofas along with various paintings. The stage area is largely black with red walls. This supports an eclectic variety of music, where else in Shanghai would there be a Walkman Battle? Despite the barman’s insistence of large crowds, a Friday night visit provided a small group of mainly French groupies. Whether the venue has that certain je ne sais quoi remains to be seen.

Mark Andrews has written about everything from Japanese houses to heli hikes on New Zealand glaciers, test drives of Chinese cars to bar and restaurant reviews. He currently specialises in travel articles and reviews of Chinese cars plus articles about the Chinese auto industry.