A “members preferred” luxury club, M1NT promises world class service, food, drinks, and a panoramic Bund view. To get in without member status (¥4,500 per year) you’ll have to call ahead and negotiate. Their selling points? A full service restaurant, club, and lounge, all managed and supervised by veteran expat staff. The shareholder option - partial, dividend-paying ownership of the club starting at ¥80,000, including innumerable perks, like a private car to pick you up and take you to the club. And, of course, the famous 17m long shark tank packed with 22 live sand sharks.

Despite the shark tank, the decor of the rest of the club is surprisingly understated, although that might be because the 6.5m high ceilings make everything else look lilliputian. Table areas are few, blending possum-furred couches with the minimal design of dark, lacquered wood floors and bars of under-lit, translucent marble. Some things that do leave more of an impression, however: a men’s room featuring bronzed urinals and cylindrical porticoes styled after ancient Roman shrines, and a unique, locally designed mural that looks as if it’s been lifted straight out of a bordello – titillating indeed. Then there’s the bar staff’s uniforms by Shanghai designer Lu Kun – snow leopard print never looked so good. The giant disco-ball of a crystal chandelier above the dance floor may also catch the odd eye.

M1NT hopes to attract “apirational, entrepreneurial individuals interested in entertainment and networking”, however, with such a massive space to fill, you can expect to meet all kinds of people from executives and celebrities to officer workers and sexy young things.

Resident DJs spin house/funk and hiphop on alternating nights, with internationally-known names stopping by from time to time. The martinis (90rmb) in the lounge area are exceptional.

More Shanghai bars in: the Bund

See the bars that define Shanghai nightlife. M1NT is one of them!