Ranajit Dam

LET me state categorically, for the record and without a shred of doubt: the city of Shenzhen owes Sabrina Sun plenty.

You may not know who Sabrina Sun is, but that's understandable. She's neither a singer nor a philanthropist; she's not a wildly successful busines sperson (although she would be if every Shenzhen resident had her taste and sense of style); she's not China's ace golfer and she doesn't even play basketball for the Milwaukee Bucks. But Shenzhen owes Sabrina Sun, because she's given the city something extremely special. She has given Shenzhen the 92 Degrees Coffee Club.

For those of you who don't know what that is (which means you're either a newbie, or too enamored with the over-priced coffee served in some boring U.S franchises to care), 92 Degrees is an iconic fixture of Shenzhen's dining scene. The original cafe, which opened in the first half of 2003, is near the Shangbu Building on Nanyuan Road at the border of Luohu and Futian districts. Atmospheric, dimly-lit and with an otherworldly ambience, the cafe's design harks back to some bygone era, with its timber floor, long windows, hanging drapes, old movie posters and so on. Admittedly the coffee could do with some improvement, but in terms of decor and ambience, nothing comes close to it in all of Shenzhen.

Or so I had thought. Because there is a new place in town, which matches 92 Degrees in atmosphere and style, is substantially larger, has a complete lunch and dinner menu, and boasts an outdoor seating area with a great view of one of the more picturesque parts of Shenzhen. Not surprisingly, therefore, that it is also called the 92 Degrees Coffee Club.

Sabrina Sun's latest cafe is large by any standard. Measuring 400 square meters, the new 92 Degrees Coffee Club can seat 100 people in four distinct areas over two floors, including four private areas for couples or small groups of friends who wish to get really cozy. That's not the only aspect where the new 92 scores over the old one. Situated in the OCT area of Nanshan District, the new cafe is within the Huaxia Arts Center and a single minute's walk from the OCT Metro stop.

My favorite aspect of the new 92 Degrees, however, is that it has not just outdoor patio seating, but also a covered area with long glass windows which is quite a nice place to sit during the daytime. Sabrina says the best time to sit there is between the hours of 3 p.m and 5 p.m., when you can have a cup of coffee and chat, read a book or gaze out towards the Intercontinental Hotel and the coast beyond. The main part of the dining area is at the back and decorated with red curtains and red candles, but it also has four private rooms, each with its unique decor, seating two to eight people. There is also a dimly lit cafe area.

Those who have for so long associated 92 Degrees with coffee and small eats will be in for a surprise at the Nanshan cafe. The menu comprises different kinds of soup, steak, fish dishes, spaghetti and dessert. I ordered the cream of mushroom and spinach soup (28 yuan, US$3.4), the panfried codfish with garlic butter (88 yuan) and the tiramisu (18 yuan). While the food is on the slightly pricier side, it is certainly very good, and besides, you're also paying the extra money for eating dinner in a one-of-a-kind restaurant in the city, a place that'll wow your date, your colleagues, your friends from out of town, or anyone you care to take along.

When asked about her competition, Sabrina shrugs it off. "Places like Starbucks stay in people's minds," she smiles. "But I want 92 Degrees to stay in people's hearts."

There is no doubt that 92 Degrees occupies a permanent place in my heart. Make a trip down there and, I assure you it will be a part of your's, too.