Re-Phil: From South Bar Street to Ritan Park
Phil’s Pub (map) – which hung on at the peripherary of the former South Bar Street until about 18 months ago – reopened north of Ritan Park on Saturday night. In contrast to the tightly organized, wood-heavy, neighborhood pub feel of the original, expect a much larger venue with higher ceilings, seating for about 100, and a much longer bar. Looks like a good spot to visit before dropping into Chocolate just down the street. We tried some mixed drinks, at RMB30 and up, though I would advise against the rum-ginger-”cherry bay flower”-”fermented glutinous rice juice” concoction for anything other than research purposes.
Apothecary: Side Cars, Old Fashioneds, and Black Feathers
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Dropped into new Nali Studio joint Apothecary thrice on the weekend and enjoyed the vibe and drinks. As mentioned, this place is just down from Mosto (map), is taking the DIY route for many ingredients (bitters, olives, syrups, etc.), and has a special focus on classic American cocktails. This should turn out to be among the more interesting openings this season, especially as the place fine-tunes the service (a bit slow at times) and ingredients (those olives pack some punch!), though it already offers a good atmosphere for enjoying an Old-fashioned or a Side Car. The “pre-opening” hours are 6 PM until late, Tuesday to Sunday.
