Starbucks, that gentle champion of the independent coffee shop, has opened a fancy new bakery in Xujiahui and god damn, is it expensive. The Starbucks Reserve Bakery Cafe has been squeezed out of the same mold the Green Giant used for its Reserve Roastery: a menu of special drinks that are twice the price of a regular Starbucks, and a bunch of baked goods from the Italian baker Rocco Princi. This new one in Grand Gateway also adds brunch, egg dishes, and booze. So I went down yesterday, its third day of operations, to see how it was going.

The first thing that strikes you is the heavy, heavy rope used for crowd control, and indeed, at 2pm on a Monday, the place was heaving, with a line to get in and not an empty seat in view. When I finally got to the counter, sliding past the Princi bread, across the pizzas and sandwiches, and onto desserts, I picked out a lemon chiffon sponge cake, a cream puff absolutely drenched in hazelnut chocolate, and a square slice of "pizza". I had hoped for an iced tea too, but this being a fancy Starbucks and not a regular Starbucks (which, to be fair, Shanghai does not need more of), the cheapest option was 56rmb and involved a nitro charger. Instead, I settled up at the register, where my bill for the three little friends totaled 238rmb. 238rmb! The cake was 78rmb. After that, I closed my eyes and pretended everything was ok, while handing over my Alipay code. I felt physical pain as they scanned it. How was it? Well, you know, Princi stuff is actually really nice. It's done very well. Both desserts were so sweet they made my tongue curl, but that's just me. No real issues. They'd sit well on just about any Italian restaurant menu in town and not be out of place. The pizza was... I'd rather Homeslice. But the artichoke hearts, which aren't cheap, were generous, as were the nice black olives, not the cheap kind, so you can kind of see where the money goes. Still, for 238rmb, I can go eat lunch at a five-star hotel, and have change left over to get an iced tea... at Starbucks. If you're a fan of the Bucks, as I am, then this shop is probably in your future at some point. Be prepared. Eat before. Bring a flask of coffee. Expect to wait. Set a budget. And, unlike me, don't order two desserts. Starbucks, wansui. Starbucks Reserve Bakery Cafe, 1/F, Grand Gateway 66, 1 Hongqiao Lu, near Huashan Lu.