Xintiandi is bound to stir mixed feelings among Shanghai residents. However, no matter what your opinion of the gentrified shikumen strip, one thing that is beyond argument is the quality of Xintiandi's Dr Bar.

Dr Bar is owned and was designed by the architect of the Xintiandi project, Ben Woods. With his intimate knowledge of the pedestrian mall, Woods has picked a quiet yet accessible nook of Xintiandi for Dr Bar.

The bar is a small and quiet affair compared to other venues in Xintiandi and this definitely adds to its appeal.

The first thing that strikes you upon entering Dr Bar is the darkness of the place. The walls are painted charcoal black and the lighting is incredibly dim.

However, once your eyes adjust to the murky room, the bar seems strangely cozy. The ambiance of the bar is helped along immensely by the fact that everyone is reliant on their table's scented candles for light.

A raw tile feature wall at the back of the bar and three pieces of art are the only break from the black, but it definitely works. The bar is stylish yet relaxed and considering Woods designed the interior himself, this is no great surprise.

One thing Dr Bar prides itself on are its martinis.

Only the classic gin or vodka martinis are available and as a firm believer that two shots of straight liquor shouldn't be considered a classic cocktail, I found myself reluctant to try one.

However, a friend was up to the challenge and the Absolut Vodka Martini was quite good. Shaken well enough to have a thin film of ice over the top, the martini was crisp, potent and about as good as two shots of fermented potato can taste.

I opted for the safer whisky sour and was pleasantly surprised, the drink was well mixed and used fresh juice instead of the cordial that is found in so many of Shanghai's cocktails.

The martinis are priced at a reasonable 68 yuan (US$8.40) and cocktails go for around the same price. There is also a very healthy selection of spirits that will cost you 58 yuan a glass.

Dr Bar attracts an older crowd but it avoids being at all pretentious and everyone seems to have quite a good time, which is possibly a side effect of the poisonous martinis.

On a Monday night, the bar wasn't crowded but was a long way from empty and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed.

A good selection of lounge music is played through a glowing iPod, which provides the only splash of artificial light in the shadowy bar.

Dr Bar is a good place to wind down and is the much better looking cousin of other Xintiandi watering holes.

However, the relaxed atmosphere of the bar seems to have worn off onto the inattentive waitresses.

Yet apart from that Dr Bar remains something of an oasis in Xintidi.

Add: No. 15 Xintiandi, North Block