Local Talk: Julu Lu

The western end of Julu Lu has seen quite the revival since its seedier residents got the old heave-ho during the citywide sanitation that came before the Expo. Where once stood hostess bars with high-stake dice games now sits whitewashed boutiques and restaurants. Sure, the gentrified shops might not be as useful after a night of striking out at Velvet Lounge, but they sure do make for a nice stroll in the light of day.

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Operated by the Shintori group, this Taiwanese fusion restaurant is an eatery during the day/evening and cocktail lounge late nights. The set lunch has been winning over loyal diners for years now, with RMB 45 netting you soup, salad, two mains and coffee/tea. Make reservations, remember the daily password and test your cleverness in the funky bathrooms. Hint: the door is a phone dial pad. Thank us later.

805 Julu Lu. Tel: 5404 0707

Movie Storm

You say Hulu, I say Movie Storm. Why wait for online movies to load when you can get your hands on the hard copy? This DVD store offers the newest in motion picture, television and music entertainment, as well as quite a few of the classics. The real treasure lies in the left back corner: a unique selection of English documentaries on everyone from Mao Zedong to Kobe Bryant.

891 Julu Lu

VANITAS

Why travel to Paris, London and NYC when you can get designs from all three in one store? Every season, products are brought straight from overseas, so don’t worry about anything ever being out of style. Brands include Helmut Lang, Nicole Richie’s House of Harlow and Acne. Never heard of them? No worries, Beyoncé, Madonna and Kate Moss sure have.

899 Julu Lu. Tel: 6445 9228. Web: www.vanitasboutique.com

Zen Tea Room

Venture over to Zen Tea Room and get a whiff of the leaves that have made men healthy and happy for centuries. Loose black, rose, chrysanthemum, pu’er, oolong, jasmine – yep, sounds like all the tea in China. Whether as gifts or for your own tasting pleasure, here you’ll find just the right type of cha to sip on in both early mornings and chilly summer nights.

796 Julu Lu. Tel: 6209 2690. Web: http://zentearoom.blogbus.com

Life Experience Paper

This tiny, but well-lit showroom offers decorative lanterns, floor lamps, desk lamps and more in a variety of styles, sizes, colours and textures. Handcrafted with paper, the products are designed to withstand high temperatures and utilise energy-saving bulbs. Made for good ventilation, these lights are also collapsible and thus easily transportable, but they deliver too!

849 Julu Lu. Tel: 138 1886 5907

The Freshary

Satisfy all your sweet tooth cravings this summer at The Freshary. The organic vegan bakery specialises in chocolate mini muffins, soy ice cream and ginger tea. Made fresh daily in the store, these yummy treats have no added preservatives or artificial colours and are made from scratch. Brownie pops, cornbread, blueberry minnies… who needs love when you can have dessert?

907 Julu Lu. Tel: 6445 2137. Web: www.thefreshary.com