Inside the newly constructed Jing An Design Centre off Yuyuan Lu, a shared creative office space from the people at Xindanwei, SeeSaw Café hosts a staff of obsessive coffee ‘architects’ who have distilled the brew down to a science. ‘We’re all geeks about coffee here,’ says one talented Chinese barista as he delicately scribbles a milky tulip onto a cappuccino top. Started by three Chinese entrepreneurs, SeeSaw’s primary goal is to distinguish itself from a typical Starbucks-like chain with a range of customisable options – you can pick out your own caffeine method: syphon, hand press or a standard pulled cappuccino. They also have a small ‘coffee academy’ out back– a barista training school that issue coffee-making certificates. With the choice of sitting outside at a large wooden table flooded with light from the glass roof above, or lounging inside the spacious café with its soaring ceiling and mosaic tile floor, SeeSaw serves as a coffee-nut’s haven. While the food offerings are simple (Strictly Cookies, and a few cake options) Seesaw is definitely a destination for their affordable rich coffee, with silky cappuccinos starting at 18RMB. Our only complaint is the top ten generic song list playing in the background
