Touting itself as the first French bar on Houhai, it's somewhat odd that manager Laurent chose the green, yellow and black color scheme of Jamaica over the Tricolor's red, white and blue.

Perhaps it has something to do with the time Laurent spent in Lijiang, which despite being in the far reaches of southwest China still shares a few of Kingston's more popular pastimes. Whatever the reason, the reggae theme ensures that Upsetter's is infinitely more laidback than most of its lakeside competition ¨C an ambience complemented by affordable drinks (Tsingtao for RMB 15, "special" drinks RMB 20-25) and the scruffy outdoor seating on the waterfront, which provides a good place to catch the best of the remaining autumn weather.

Laurent hopes that Upsetter's will become a new venue for Beijing's increasingly popular reggae scene, attracting live acts such as Mitabe. While the bar's cheap and cheerful approach is charming enough, it still has its shortcomings. The trite, happy-rasta decor has been done to death and the chart-friendly reggae tunes don't help substantiate the manager's ambition for the bar to become a serious reggae venue. However, in view of Laurent's mission statement of cheap drinks and a place to chill out, Upsetter's doesn't go far wrong.

Upsetter's Bar
Opening time: Daily 2pm-late.
Address:1-3 Houhai Nanlu (500m west of Yinding Bridge), Xicheng District
Tel: 021-66155082