Avenue

Slick cocktail lounge aiming to change your perceptions of Hengshan Lu bars

Avenue is yet another smart addition to the stretch of road near Hengshan Cinema that's recently become home to a new branch of Mexican pub Pistolera and a host of bars and restaurants at the Hengshan Fang complex. Their selling point is a combination of 'tapas, cocktails and whisky' and they've thankfully eschewed the current Shanghai trend for below par speakeasy-style 'hidden' bars (surely now at the point of overkill) in favour of a sleek, Japanese-like set up. It's not the most original of concepts, but we're just grateful to be pushing a simple automatic door button rather than grappling with fake bookshelves to enter.

Inside, the bar creates an intimate atmosphere through low lighting and candles, while a beautifully crafted long bar and wooden shelving showcase the extensive whisky selection and the barstaff's mixing abilities. A glass dessert cabinet off to one side and the layout of the low-rise tables gives the venue a slight coffee shop feel, which overall, has a relaxed and inviting vibe.

The drinks list features just over a page of cocktails, with the bulk of the menu dedicated to an impressive internationally sourced whisky list. All of the Scottish regions are included, as well as a number of cult distilleries such as Bruichladdich (1,200RMB for a bottle of The Classic Laddie) and the Yamazaki (also 1,200RMB for a bottle of the 12-year-old).

A number of the cocktails make use of the whisky reserves too, and at the suggestion of the bar manager (whose CV includes stints at Kommune and El Coctel), we opt for the Smokey Sazerac (78RMB). Fragrant cinnamon bitters hit the nose first, before the smooth and smokey duo of Rye and Islay whiskies, served over a large ice cube, present both concentrated flavours and a warming sensation. The apple slice used as a garnish infuses perfectly with the cocktail, making for a homey, smokey winter warmer of a drink.

Four Roses Kentucky bourbon forms the basis of the intimidatingly named Juggernaut (78RMB), which also features Amaro Montenegro, sherry, chocolate bitters and a black cherry. While the hit isn't as strong as its moniker suggests, the whisky still overpowers the other ingredients, with the sweetness of the sherry lost completely.

More successful is the Maple Mule (78RMB), which as the name suggests is a Moscow Mule with a twist. Bourbon replaces vodka, and maple syrup, cranberry juice and lemon are added to the ginger beer. The resulting drink, served in a copper cup, is sweet, fizzy and refreshing.

Although the cocktails are a little measly in size given the prices (the small glasses are dominated by large ice cubes, diminishing the actual drink in volume), they mostly pack a strong alcoholic punch across the board, meaning you'll want to dabble in Avenue's food offerings. The focus here is on a range of hot and cold tapas, though they also offer platters – such as the shareable Avenue Platter (320RMB) including Iberico ham, salami, chorizo, manchego cheese and croquettes – and two seafood paellas (from 198RMB for two people).

Admittedly, the food on our first visit was patchy, with the beef meatballs and squid in tomato sauce (65RMB) arriving at our table luke-warm. But things improved substantially a couple of weeks later with dishes such as golden fried Iberico jamon croquettes (58RMB/three, 110RMB/six) and crunchy Parmesan and garlic-topped grilled mushrooms (36RMB) proving tasty bar snack fodder.

With continued progress on both the food and drinks, plus a few tweaks to the atmosphere (on one occasion we're subjected to an entire Jamiroquai album at top volume), Avenue could become a firm neighbourhood favourite this winter. We'll certainly be back, especially for their daily 6-8pm happy hour of buy-one-get-one-free cocktails and beers.