Shanghai Cafe Review: Sweat & Tears

By Celina Huynh, February 18, 2016

The Place

Evocatively named Sweat And Tears is a two-story dark and woodsy space that looks straight out a romantic Korean soap drama, or should that be Taiwanese, since its founder is none other than Taiwanese singing sensation Jonathan Lee (李宗盛). Clearly marketed at hip young locals, the space is nicely decorated with cute, vintage-y knick-knacks on wooden shelves. Already fulfilling its purpose of transporting local female hipsters into soap drama land, the place frequently sees a line of customers out the door.

The Food

Offering everything from standard espresso drinks, flavored mochas and lattes, to single origin drips, it’s hard to ignore their ‘special blend’ category, featuring adventurous concoctions like ‘geisha blossom tea coffee’ and such a thing as a ‘cheese coffee.’ We’ll admit we weren’t brave enough to try the latter, instead opting for a safer-sounding ‘energy banana coffee.’Presented with a sliver of freshly brûléed banana delicately placed on a floating mound of whipped cream, underneath was a muddle of indistinguishable liquid that appeared to be a mix of coffee and milk, but mostly sugar. Sadly, we struggled to down even half of it; needless to say it supplies more sugar hit than caffeine fix.

In terms of savory fare, Sweat & Tears also offers Taiwanese noodles from RMB68-78, American bits and pieces such as fried chicken (RMB42), onion rings (RMB38) and toasty focaccia sandwiches. On the sweeter side are milk tea pancakes (RMB68), fresh strawberry pancakes (RMB 68), and all sorts of mousse cakes (RMB 40).

Food verdict: 1.5/3

Vibe

We were less than impressed with the slow service and the café gets quite crowded at peak hours, but know that you can skip the line and head straight to the cashier if you’re looking to just grab a coffee. However, the cozy, mahogany atmosphere lends itself to visions of a chiseled, man-banged Asian heartthrob melancholically writing love letters, while a melodramatic ballad plays in the background. It’s a good casual spot for a coffee date, or grab a seat and plug in one of the provided headphones to sulk about the single life.

Vibe Verdict: 0.5/1

Value for Money

But what really breaks our hearts are the prices of their beverages. A standard latte is RMB42, while the special blend coffees are a steep RMB58. Though the baristas are experienced and have a keen eye for detail, we can't justify paying what would normally buy us a whole meal for a single cup of coffee.

Value for Money: 0/1 201602/L10290071.jpg