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Published: April 12th 2007
Thursday dawned a little less hazy with a brisk breeze. My new colleague, Henk, and I planned to get together in the afternoon and have dinner, so I didn't have the whole day to lolly-gag around so I got up bright and early and headed to the French Concession, a neighborhood I had not visited before.
My destination was the Sun Yat Sen museum and home. Unfortunately you're not allowed to take pictures inside, but I found it very interesting, especially since I'm unfamiliar with Chinese history. The memorabilia included personal items and letters sent dating from the time this revolutionary Chinese leader was a teenager until his death.
After being suitably educated, I happened upon the main shopping street in the French Concession. I couldn't figure out why all the people, press, and police were gathered on one corner. As I approached I saw that it was . . . of all things . . . the opening of an H&M store. The line to get in was 2 blocks long and the red carpet was rolled out for celebrities. Funny, I never thought H&M was that special . . .
Anyway by this time I
was hungy and took a chance on a restaurant closeby. I ended up sitting with a lovely young Chinese woman who works for an American firm and she advised me that the restaurant was known all over the city as one of the best for noodles. She translated the options for me and I enjoyed pepper beef with noodles. Scrumptious, and more than I could eat for the equivalent of 1.80 Euro!
At this point, it was time to head back to the hotel, take a load off and meet Henk. He has traveled to Shanghai frequently since the '80s so I was looking forward to an "insider's" view. Unfortunately, we were a bit too late for the Museum at People's Park so we did some window shopping . . . silk, bags, you name it, they have it here. Henk gave me the option of a 3-star Michelin French restaurant or the restaurant he thinks has the best Shanghai cuisine. We chose for the Chinese and was that a great choice!
Yé shanghai is in New Town, a part of the city that's been built to cater to nightlife, good food, and good times. The restaurant is
in an old warehouse and they have designed it in such a way that it retains its original concept and charm, while incorporating modern interior architectural elements.
I wanted to try Chinese "wine", and that was the beginning of a great dinner. By the way, I had read that Chinese wine is actually very strong spirits sort of like schnapps so I was marginally prepared. It tasted of pear and took my breath away! Strong stuff for sure, nothing like my favorite borrel, Jenever. What followed was amazing. Peking duck, which is one of my most favorite of all foods, and yellow fish, a Shanghai specialty in sweet and sour sauce. Fantastic!
After a stroll through New Town, we headed to the Grand Hyatt in Pudong. This is not to be missed! The Hyatt is located in the Jin Mao Tower on the 53rd to 87th floors. Yes, 87 floors! If you've ever been in an atrium Hyatt, you'll guess what I'm going to say next: the open atrium inside the hotel is from the 53rd to the 87th floor! The picture just doesn't do it justice. It literally takes your breath away when you step into it
from under the low-ceilinged entryway . . . even if you know what's coming! A quartet playing modern music on ancient instruments provided the background music to desert: a lime mousse with coconut crust, mango, and strawberry coulis for me and a chocolate mousse with ice cream for Henk. What a place! But that's not all. After dessert, we took the elevator up to the bar on the 87th floor with a view over Shanghai. Wow, words fail me!
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Dottie
non-member comment
Wonderful and beautiful
Adjectives are for your diary, pictures and you. Keep the good things going and coming our way. Lots of love.