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(shanghai daily)
Updated: 2007-02-15 08:58

AS great as the bars in this city are, their hotel counterparts are sadly lacking.

Other than the Adam Tihany-designed Jade on 36 Bar in the Pudong Shangri-La and the subdued Cloud 9 in the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, five-star bars have generally been lacking for glitz. Party towns across Europe and the United States have great nightspots in their luxury rest houses; so why does Shanghai that aspires to be party central seem to suffer from a lack of imagination when it comes to a good, fun hotel bar?

The Le Royal Meridien is trying to break this mold. The recently-opened Nanjing Road property has been working on injecting some energy into its food and beverage outlets from the get-go, and this philosophy extends to its three-story entertainment complex on the hotel's top three floors.

Named 789 after its address, the 66-story hotel has produced a bar that does not feel like an extension of an airport lounge. With a lounge, discotheque and cigar bar, this luxury property has all its bases covered. It has resisted the temptation to tout its bold, towering view over other buildings in the area (which are quite impressive in their own right) as the main selling point. What it has also done is to turn down the lights, turn up the music and slip in some cool.

On Friday evenings, the nightclub hosts the Lipstick ladies'night. This is a slick affair for sophisticated dames to strut their stuff in a very female-friendly environment. Platters of strawberries beckon invitingly on each table as hunky male models strut about. The eye candy does not just look good; they appear to talk too, although it is unclear if conversation is limited to a few pre-rehearsed lines. Not that too many femmes would mind, of course. Men have been guilty of ogling anything in a skirt for eons now; Lipstick is a great chance for women to enjoy the same guilty pleasures that the boorish opposite sex have been getting away with for centuries.

Frankly, what woman could resist the sight of a well-built Justin Timberlake-wannabe losing his top in the middle of a crowded dance floor?

Setting the groove to the evening frivolities is DJ Jigz from the Philippines. The man on the decks spins a mix of Latin, salsa and sexy, glamorous house music, getting the ravishing beauties on to the dance floor, shaking their bits to the hits. If you have heard a popular tune sometime in the past year or two, you will likely hear it here.

A ladies' night also means special drinks. While some women may enjoy the taste of scotch as much as the next fella, most would prefer a pretty looking drink that tingles the sweet tooth. Assistant Manager Onno Schreurs hits all the right spots with his mixes. The Dutchman, who could probably pass for a male model himself, has a smattering of experience in the business and he knows his cocktails.

The signature 789tini is a luscious mix of vanilla vodka with guava and watermelon juices. Sickeningly sweet, each swig is refreshing and surprisingly not heavy on aftertaste. The bar also does a coconut martini and a strawberry mint martini. These cocktails, as well as a glass of house white, red or sparkling, cost 50 yuan (US$6.45) all night.

Of course, as with most ladies nights anywhere, a fair amount of men are attracted as well. It makes sense - the chances of finding a soul mate increases when so many potential suitors are gathered in the same area.

The difference here is that this is not for the teenybopper crowd and ladies are unlikely to be pawed at by sweaty, hairy, beer-swilling lads. Instead, this is the sort of joint that Carrie Bradshaw and her "Sex in the City" gal pals would doll themselves up for and come to complain about the lack of sweaty lads in their lives.

And Samantha would probably leave with the Timberlake replica.

Address: 65/F, 789 Nanjing Road E.
Tel: 021-3318-999