After a busy working day, Rumaku offers relaxation and enjoyment for those looking to unwind in Houhai’s IT park. Though not easily spotted, this shoebox-sized space carries a cozy yet chic vibe, well worth the initial work of getting there.
Known as RMK by the regulars, the bar serves all kinds of shochu, a Japanese spirit weaker than whiskey yet stronger than sake. Presently, no concrete menu exists, though a wide variety of shochu combinations can be ordered. Customers need only to speak with Rex Wang or one of the other co-owners of the bar.
“I always talk to our customers and then recommend several drinks to them,” Wang says of the process. He appreciates shochu’s versatility – its lack of constrictions as a cocktail base or stand-alone drink; its ability go down just as easily hot as it does cold.
Wang starts us off with the cocktails. The shochu mojito (RMB50) sweeps across the palate, fresh and cool, like a sea breeze at summer’s end. Grapefruit shochu (RMB40), an RMK original, arrives with a lemon and rosemary garnish and the distinctive sweet-sour taste of fresh grapefruit juice. A chunkier mouthfeel than the mojito, it arrives perfectly blended.
Yet, we want to experience the many sides of shochu and go for the harder stuff. In response to our request, Wang gives us Sekitoba shochu on the rocks (RMB60). Even though it smells like potatoes, a full, flowery flavor emerges within the first sip. And that large ice ball in the glass, the RMK bartenders carve it themselves.
“We hope that everyone who comes to RMK can find a new chapter of their lives,” Wang says, elaborating that the reason for the bar’s location was intentional, specifically targeting the IT workers wanting to have a low-key drink after leaving the office. Shochu’s low alcohol content of 25 percent, provides just that, as it would take quite a few cocktails here to send people over the comfortably tipsy edge.
Swing by any night from 6pm to 1am and experience the exotic drinks, intimate setting and jovial owners yourself!
Price: RMB100 or less per person
Who’s going: IT dudes, Shochu lovers, A8 concert-goers
Good for: Inventive cocktails, educating people about Shochu culture, a light buzz
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