(That's Beijing)
Updated: 2006-09-25 09:09

Since Lotus Lane was pimped out with a Starbucks and a handful of overpriced bars and restaurants with very little quality (roll on the new-look Nanluoguxiang!), there has been scant reason to visit.

However, Goldfish Home Bar, despite its nonsensical mantle, finally brings a touch of class to a street otherwise ruled by Carlsberg girls clad in pleather knee-high boots and miniskirts. Goldfish boasts three floors styled similarly to the 1920s decadence used to such effect by Suzie Wong's. Funky lounge music offers a welcome alternative to the croons of the xiaojies favored by neighboring establishments, while the third floor-cum-roof terrace elevates you above the bustle and provides a great view of the lake.

Sadly Goldfish adheres to local inflation: beers starting at RMB 35, "special" cocktails, including the Goldfish Private for RMB 45, and ten-year-old rice wine for RMB 180. Still, attentive service and absence of the unnecessary tack so often bedecking Houhai bars, make Goldfish worth a visit.

Goldfish Home Bar
Location: 5 Lotus Lane, Houhai, Dongcheng District
Opening time: 12pm-late