We're not exactly sure what it is about this winter that's causing a sudden spate of closings - is it just a terrible coincidence? - but several well-known institutions around the city are shuttering or have shuttered their doors. Sometime recently, costumed restaurant ICONs was cleaned out and replaced with a nightclub called Ming. Then we were hit by news that The Uighur Restaurant (on 1 Shaan Xi Nan Lu) had closed, to the dismay of everybody who loved joining in a Xinjiang conga line halfway through your meal.And then went City Diner and the adjoining seedy bar M-Zone on Tongren Lu last week, according to a tipster. more ›

As credit crunches, and exchange rates plummet, it's time for fancy cocktails to step aside for our old favourite: cheap beer. more ›

In a Shikumen style alleyway in Jing-An there is a new string of bars and restaurants that is worth a visit. more ›