IFE Coffee

We hadn’t been down to Nanshan Road for quite some time, but we just had to go to the new Dragon Fly (see address on page 45) to check it out. It was a sunny, mild, December day (before the cold front hit us), so we were feeling good before we even got there. We had a traditional Chinese massage and it was blissful. On the way out we decided to go to the newly opened furniture shop next door called, Insideco. It felt like we were on Huahai Zhong Road in Shanghai. The paintings and the furniture in the shop were all swanky enough to adorn the hippest hipster’s house. In addition to the fine accoutrements the shop had to offer, there was also a coffee bar set up right in the middle of the shop. We were fortunate enough to have met the boss a while ago and he made us a cup of fantastic coffee that reminded us of a coffee shop he had recommended. If the coffee in his shop was that good, the café he recommended must be no less than excellent. It was a very cold (post cold front) day when we went on over to Ife Café (this being the café the boss at Insideco recommended). So cold in fact that we had to ask the taxi driver to close all of the windows even though the taxi stunk something fierce. Luckily, Ife Café is located on the south side of Xixi road giving it great sun exposure. We went in and were immediately warmed up. Exactly what you would want from a café in this kind of weather. Though it took a little while to get our drinks, they were much better than what you find at Starbucks. The ham sandwich (15RMB) wasn’t too bad either. If you’re a student at Yuquan, this place is the perfect study retreat. They also have coffee to go.