It seems that upstairs is the place to be in Shanghai (Park 97) unless, of course, upstairs is supposed to be the place to be and it turns out it isn't (Attica) or unless upstairs becomes downstairs and develops an insufferable queue (Glamour Bar) Anyway, upstairs at Volar turned out to be indescribably better than downstairs. Familiar faces were there, comfy chairs were there, the music from the downstairs DJ, who was astonishingly good, was there. Bottles arrived on tables, shots were brought out in celebration of nothing more than it being a Saturday night, and much fun proceeded to be had by all. The Philippe Starck design started to work for me, the waited-on-hand-and-foot service started to flatter me, the dark toilets even started to grow on me as I accepted, in a good-music-good-drinks haze, that I actually was looking pretty damn fine that night (God knows what a shock fluro lighting in a bathroom normally gives me when I look in the mirror after a couple of 'tini's.)

Purely in the name of research, I've been back to Volar more than a few times since that initial visit, and the place has really grown on me. It is not the exclusive members club that I was expecting. It is, however, quite a nice chilled out lounge bar where you can go most days of the week, at most hours, for good service and great drinks in nicely hip environment with some great music. It lacks the bad attitude, old men, and urm, dancing gals of Bar Rouge, it lacks the queue and lousy service of Glamour Bar, and it's more cosy than Attica. Maybe I'm secretly quite pleased to be a Volar member. Twice.

Volar
Location: 99 Nanchang Road, near corner of Yandang Road, outside Fuxing Park.
Tel: 13482239390