Free Soul perfect place for hangout in Shanghai | Shanghai | Jan 4, 2006 08:17
As you walk into some dingy local bar with rather dubious looking girls lurking in the shadows, you may feel that you're selling your soul to the devil. But a bar nestled on the more respectable (Yanan Xi Lu) end of Fahuazhen Lu aims to change all this by freeing your soul with good company and a homey atmosphere. The affable manageress Sky says she wants to create a bar that's essentially a home away from home. And in many ways it is. Customers often take over the music system, choosing from the eclectic selection of CDs, while the amicable, English-speaking staff, converse with customers like friends.

Despite being open only a few weeks, this two-storey establishment has already attracted a growing band of regulars. The bright, airy downstairs bar area, despite having somewhat uncomfortable park-bench seating, ropes clients in with its fooseball table. While upstairs, the bar is fitted out with comfortable sofas and opium-style couches surrounding a pool table. The reasonably priced drinks keep people coming back, with shots and cocktails around the ?0 mark, beer ?0. If you're taking it easy on the alcohol, the bar brews up a surprisingly large selection of coffee - definitely a place for all sorts of souls.