Bar Review: Les Café des Stagiaires

What: French bar in the French Concession

Why: You’re looking that je ne sais quoi

How Much: RMB 40 for Le Chouffe draft, RMB 55 and up for pizzas from next door

Where: 54-56 Yongkang Lu, near Xiangyang Lu

For some time now, the Spanish have been encroaching on the territory of all that is nightlife related in Shanghai’s French Concession. However with the arrival of Les Café des Stagiaires, or ‘The Stag’ as we, the French impaired are calling it, the café-crats from the other side of the Pyrenees are primed for a comeback. One of four joined concepts on Yongkang Lu, including La Boulangerie (‘The Bakery’), Les Garçons Bouchers (a butcher) and Pizza Peppone, Stagiaires is backed by the folks behind the Changle Lu French bistro, Le Saleya.

The name of the café in French means ‘The Intern’s Café’ and its operation proves to be a lesson in doing business in the rough and tumble economic environment of the 21st century. The bar staff are all themselves interns on loan from the prestigious Swiss institution, the Lausanne Hotel School. Indeed, a neighborhood crammed with interns and students from across the globe, it was only a matter of time before they got their own café.

Prices also prove to be intern-friendly. Happy hours see prices on some drinks fall to just RMB 10, and a draft pour of the Belgian blond beer La Chouffe (‘the one that comes in a gnome glass’) for RMB 40 (RMB 30 at happy hour) could be one of the best drink deals in the city. Did I mention that it’s eight per cent alcohol by volume?

Finally, it should be said, sans doute, the café is tres French. On a busy evening, the intimate, wood-paneled confines reverberate with the language of the Loire. Die-hard Anglophones and Francophobes alike will feel uncomfortable, but for those that don’t mind throwing in the occasional bonsoir or having the ‘Oh, you don’t speak French?’ conversation during an impromptu tête-à-tête, chances are you’ll have a great time.