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A Tuesday night of revelry
Namrita Chow
Shanghai_Star
page16 2006-3-23
So you have a couple of friends visiting Shanghai on business and they need a night out. You've been working hard and need a relaxing evening. The problem is -- it's Tuesday.
We decided to start at the Glamour Bar. Its soft cosy corners allowed us to chat amidst super drinks and service. The glittery crystal curtains and the bar adorned with crystal created a glamorous ambience with which to begin our night of revelry. Champagne all round, it is going to be a good night. Even if it was still only Tuesday. Rumours abound of the new bar which is due to open... we are waiting. Ellen, the lovely, soft spoken new recruit from Melbourne is here to set the stage for what promises to be a classy new venue with a definite base in glamour from decadent times. Chandeliers and champagne. With the Bund lights glimmering through. Was I getting carried away?
We nibbled on olives and dabble between intellectual and trivial conversation. We had done the talk, now we needed a walk.
Off we went to Face. The gorgeous old villa in what used to be the Morriss Estate: home of the Western newspaper giant -- the largest English language daily -- The North China Daily. Built in 1926 there was not a finer example of luxury which commoners like us could sit in 80 years later and still felt the aura of grandeur envelop us.
The building is divided into three floors. (Chinese style; count the ground as the first). The top floor is one of the coolest places to book for a private dinner party. There are dining rooms and a cosy living room plus a lovely terrace; perfect for a drink at twilight with your exclusive dinner guests. But the service could be much better.
Then there is an Indian-Hazara, which I have yet to try. Below that is Lan Na Thai which is renowned for polished Thai. Compared to other Thai restaurants in Shanghai the food here has no shortage of lemon grass, basil and galinga. Basically it is worth the price. Although, like most places in Shanghai a normal wine -- say from Australia -- has a larger overhead making it more exclusive than it may warrant, I was told by our Australian dinner guests.
We decided to go for a nice bottle of chardonnay and combine that with delicate Thai. Lana Thai was packed; good thing we called before hand and booked a table. Though by now it was 10:15 pm and last orders were at 10:30 pm. So we ordered and relaxed into more conversation. It was an hour later and we were, bar one other table, the only people in the restaurant.
The ground floor houses the Face bar. With South East Asian Buddha statues and deep maroons, it is a nice place to relax in, especially when the sun is out and you can lounge outside, sip a Martini and pretend to be HE Morriss, Jr, clicking our fingers in the hope of getting a glass refilled.
We moved downstairs, but then decided to try somewhere else.
We settled on Upstairs at Park 97. The Lan Kwai Fong establishment in Shanghai, it encourages all and the staff are courteous and always friendly. Although I have begun to like Lux, the bar on the ground floor, we decided to head upstairs for the ambience and music. Red, red and more red. On a Tuesday night Park was still alive. Musicians BB Queen playing and seduction hot in the air; we only managed to leave at 2 am.
And I have been told our all-time-favourite, Bonnie will be back next month. For those who were here two years ago, she was the one who fell into the crowd at the Moet party; getting so carried away by her jazzy vocals! Spring is definitely in the air!
Not bad for a Tuesday night, I say. |
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