Thursday, August 6, 2009

Club Velas

Under the bar at Velas

Free entry? Free drink vouchers? More free drink vouchers? Yes, please. It is Friday night and this is Velas. Off Huai Hai Middle Road this club on the second floor is said to be “very Chinese.” The impression implies more of the same thing. What is so Chinese about it…This has to be learned. In any case, there is a healthy number of expats intermingling with local Chinese.

After taking the lift up to the second level, one of the club promoters will promptly hand you three drink vouchers or wait in the foyer while hunting for more drink vouchers. Then the club promoter tells you, “If you want more drinks, look for me and I’ll get you more drink vouchers.” Sweet! Bring on the mixed drinks and beer.

Inside the club is dark and lit with disco lights giving the vibe of glitz, but lacking the glam. Tables surrounding the dance floor reveal dice games and guys sitting around waiting for…something.

Never too full and sometimes on the verge of mass exodus, the bar tempts you to sit there and steadily drink until the thundering commercial electronic dance music or your friends drag you out on the dance floor or are convincing enough to get you on one of the two dancing podiums. As the volume of the music and drink take over, your toes can’t help tapping to the music, granted the choice selection is more main stream and at times the DJ gets a bit carried away with himself before remembering why he was hired to spin in the first place. The next thing you know, everyone is dancing around you and all the cheesiness of club begins to melt away.

Velas is a good time, but it is better served as a spot to begin the night and intake alcohol before moving on elsewhere to hit your Friday night stride.

Club Velas. 2F, 1045 Huaihai Lu, near Fenyang Lu (entrance on Fenyang Lu).

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