Welcome to Shanghai’s new spaceship of clubbing and lounging. Galaxy’s silver sliding doors and smoky pathway look very Star Trekesque, but once you’re inside, you’ll find – surprise – mandrakes instead of constellations. The patterns of these elegant flowers sneak their way onto the ceiling and bartable, changing colors according to the rhythm of the music. The whole place is bathed in demure red light, but the disastrously deafening house music shatters our hope of starting a decent conversation. With a dazzling LED column standing behind, the elevated DJ booth overlooks a moderately sized dancefloor filled with young and middle-aged clubgoers.

A hidden flight of stairs near the entrance leads to the more tranquil lounge room. With a well-stocked bar, this half-moon-shaped space provides plenty of couches for people to sit down and unwind to the mix of jazz and pop songs performed by a foreign live band. It’ll be interesting to see how Galaxy caters to two completely different kinds of crowds: the more sophisticated, cigar-puffing type in the lounge upstairs, and the carefree, dice-playing variety in the club downstairs.

Specialize in sollongtang, a Korean shin bone soup. Best kimchee on the block.