By Emi Kagawa
The Matsutake Mushroom is not so much about taste as it is fragrance, it has a very faint, in some cases, almost indistinguishable earthy, pine scent. They are hard to find and are usually hidden under leaves at the foot of a pine tree. Each year it is becoming harder to find enough of them in Japan to meet demand, to supplement the supply they are also gathered in Korea, China and the Pacific Northwest coast of North America.
288 Linyin Xin Road, Sheshan, Shanghai, China • China
Phone: +86 21 5779 9999 • Fax: +86 21 5779 8999 • Email: reservations.sheshan@lemeridien.com
Located by the shore of Shanghai’s largest lake, the stylish Le Méridien She Shan provides guests with a relaxed elegant ambience set amidst the natural beauty of the She Shan National Tourism Resort. The hotel features several restaurants and bars offering a variety of delicacies: Exquisite French Feast, Outdoor BBQ, or if you crave the wonderful variety of Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisines, Le Méridien She Shan Shanghai will please your palate. If you are looking for a drink or feel like training your vocal chords, the Shandy Bar and karaoke will be the places to consider.
BEIJING BARS: Most of the bars are jumbled together around Sanlitun Lu, recently renamed Jiu Ba Jie Bar Street and Nan Jiu Ba Jie South Bar Street, a hutong south and just to the west, all within walking distance of one another. Sanlituns bars lies just inside the third ring road (take the subway to Dongzhimen and then take a taxi) Following are a few of the many bars in these areas, just to get you started.
Minders Bar Sanlitun Lu. Another of the originals, with an in-house Filipino band that covers seventies and eighties pop and rock.
Jam House, Sanlitun Nan Tel. 65063845 Just past Nashville about 100 meters a sign points you down an alley. This little place is Sanlituns hippest, thanks to the gregarious manageress Mimi, Popular both with young expats and trendy locals, who usually converse with each other in Chinese. Live music on weekends with jam sessions afterwards. If it gets too raucous in the bar downstairs find your way to the rooftop.
Jazz Ya, 18 Sanlitun Lu Tel. 64151227 This place with wooden tables and mood music has a better drinks menu than most of its neighbours. Its hidden back from the road and can be hard to find; look for the yellow sign down an alley next to Bella Coffee.
Franks Place, Sanlitun Nan. One of the original group of bars frequented by expats, with a cosy neighbourhood feel; it is a place to enjoy a few quiet drinks.
Nashville, Sanlitun Nan Lu. The superb female vocalist is the headliner for the in-house band, which plays Wednesdays to Saturdays and unexpectedly does a wide variety of covers despite the country-and-western theme, the best in Sanlitun.
Poachers Bar 7 Sanlitun Lu Tel. 65323063). The theme is English meaning darts and pheasant but this famous expat watering hole is accessible, casual and cosy, complete with snooker room. Western movies are shown on Wednesday, and a jazz band plays on Thursday.
Public Space Sanlitun Lu. Sanlituns first bar and still one of the most pleasant.
Busy Bee 208 Dongsi Bei Dajie, (two blocks west of the Poly Plaza) Tel. 64025788 Look for the small neon sign. Local bands play here on Friday and Saturday. Simple, inexpensive French and Italian dishes. Cover price may vary.
Shadow Cafe 31 Kexueyuan Nan Lu (tel 62618587). A quiet place, attached to Club X, known for its weekend jazz gigs. There is no cover charge.
CD Cafe Dongsanhuan Bei Lu, (300m south of the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel) Tel. 65018877 ext 3032 Worth popping into for jazz played here on Friday and Saturday. A rock and blues band on Sunday.
Keep In Touch, (down an alley opposite the Kempinksi Hotel) Tel. 64625280) A casual and comfortable place, brightly decorated and featuring the motorcycle that Zhang Yu, former bassist with top rock band Tang Dynasty, died riding. This is one of the places to go to hear Beijings new young bands, with live music on most evenings. Live blues on Thursday, jazz on Sunday, and local bands play on Friday and Saturday.
Maggies, (close to the Hilton) Infamous as among one of the Beijing’s low-life dives, with a clientele of unsavory characters.
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1221 RESTAURANT
1221 Yan’an Xi Lu
Shanghai, 31 200050 China
+86 (0)21 6213 6585 / +86 (0)21 6213 2441
Inexpensive-Moderate
By all accounts this is one of Shanghai’s best restaurants in terms of the upscale crowd that goes there to savor modern Chinese cuisine and the Chinese menu has an English translation.
It is a nice surprise to find pleasant design and decor amongst all the drab and brightly lit Shanghainese restaurants. It is located in what appears to be a building that manufactures toys.
Best dishes: Crispy Duck and Shredded Pork served with scallions and pancakes, Bao Zi vegetable dumplings.
HENRY
8 Xinle Lu
Shanghai, 200031
Tel. +86 (0)21 6473 3448
Inexpensive
Henry features traditional Shanghainese cuisine in a modern setting with touches of art-deco and black and white framed photos. The customer mix is up-scale locals together with ex patriots that come for the reasonably priced Shanghai cooking served in a stylish atmosphere.
M ON BUND
7F, 5 The Bund
Shanghai, 31 200002 China
+86 (0)21 6350 9988
reservations@m-onthebund.com
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 11:30a-2:30p Tue-Fri; brunch: noon-3pm Sat-Sun
Dinner: 6:15p-10:30p daily
M on Bund serves a good selection of various Western dishes most of them are good, and the cuisine is complimented by a fairly extensive wine list.
It is a trendy place, at the moment, and booking in advance would probably be a good idea. You are able to look through the tasteful decor out to sweeping views of the Bund. The food can be good to excellent and the service follows suit.
SASHA
11 Dongping Road
corner of Hengshan Lu
Shanghai
200031
Metro:Heng Shan Road Station
Tel.+86 21 6474 6628
Expensive
The location of Sasha, was at one time, the home to Chiang Kai Shek and his wife, Soong Mei Ling, during the civil war.
Today, the restored three-story house is the location of the fashionable Sasha’s restaurant, bar and patio. The lovely patio attracts diners when the weather cooperates, and is ideal for a Sunday brunch. Inside, the wooden interiors are very attractive. There is is no doubt it is a beautiful setting, and the fact that the food is good as well, makes for a pleasing lunch or dinner.
PRIME RESTAURANT
Prime is a newly launched restaurant just above Sasha, which has been a Shanghai institution for the past 10 years. Prime has been created to attract steak lovers and will offer six different cuts of beef
from Melbourne’s Chef Julian Robertshaw who has designed the menu from his long experience dealing with beef in Australia. He serves double cut veal chops and 450g T-bone steaks along with two of Australia’s favorites, mud crab and barramundi.
This restaurant is highly recommended if you enjoy steak and of course, let us not forget the famous mud crabs and delicious barramundi fish.
TRADER VIC’S
598 Fengyang Lu (by Nanjing Xi Lu)
Tel. 5228 3882
Credit Cards: All Major
Nearest Metro: Middle Henan Road
Expensive
I think I have sampled enough Trader Vic’s around the world to understand the concept including: Beverly Hills (closed) although a new one will be opening in L.A. 2009, New York (closed), Chicago, San Francisco (closed), Oakland (closed), Scottsdale AZ, Vancouver (closed), London, Tokyo, Munich, Singapore (closed), Munich, and Bangkok (terrible).
The Shanghai Trader Vic’s Polynesian Restaurant is situated on the 2nd floor of an apartment complex near The Thai Gallery.
The menu is the typical Traders menu that you will now find in cities across the globe. You will find Asian and Western dishes mixed in with some South-Pacific recipes and of course their famous drinks that include the Navy Grog and Mai Tai among many others. Try the meat, lamb and beef steaks cooked in the wood-fired oven.
They have Happy Hour from 5:30-7:30, when drinks are buy one get one free and you can save money and sample some appetizers during these hours.
ALLURE RESTAURANT
Le Meridien Hotel
1/F, 789 Nanjing Dong Lu (by Jiujiang Lu)
Phone: 3318-9999 x. 7022
Credit Cards: All Major
Nearest Metro:Peoples Square
Expensive
Allure French Restaurant has been recently opened in the Le Méridien Hotel on Nanjing Dong Lu. A comfortable, ultra-modern dining room seating about 45 is located on the 11th floor with a lovely view.
Allure is probably the best French restaurant in town and the Chef, Michael Wendling pays attention to minute details. A notable dish is the the Truffle Noire soup with black truffle emulsion and white beans. I might add that his cooking is good across the board.
The wine list contains only French selections but they have been carefully chosen and it is a well balanced list.
RED AT THE GRILL
JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai
Tomorrow Square
上海明天广场JW万豪酒店
399 Nanjing West Road, Shanghai 200003, PRC
中国上海市南京西路399号
邮政编码: 200003
Telephone : (86 21) 5359 4969
Facsimile : (86 21) 6375 5988
Credit Cards: All major
Prices: Expensive
A very good restaurant featuring steaks and lobsters with other additional dishes offered with many choices of side dishes and accompaniments.
Red Meat
t-bone steak 450g 380
fillet steak 150g/250g 220/350
rib eye 250g 300
cowboy steak 550g 480
new york strip 250g 300
mongolian wagyu oyster blade 200g 200
australian rack of lamb 500g 325
chateaubriand 600g 780
ask for more m.p.
Red Lobster
lobsters from our lobster tank
poached, steamed, grilled or roasted
boston lobster 650g 550
australian lobster 1000g 1100
south african lobster 250g 225
ask for more m.p.
WHAMPOA CLUB
No 3 the Bund 5th Floor 3 Zhongshandongyl Road Shanghai, 200002
Tel. 86 21 6321 3737
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive
Shanghainese dining has reached high levels with the introduction of a revolutionary new cuisine under the guiding hand of Chef Wap Poh Yang.
It is located on the 5th floor of Three on Bund that houses four unique restaurants.
JEAN GEORGES
Three on the Bund
No. 3 The Bund, 4th Floor,
3 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road,
Entrance on 17 Guang Dong Road
Shanghai 200002
Tel. 6321 7733
Opening Hours:
Dinner
5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Bar
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive-Very Expensive
In his first signature effort outside of New York Jean-Georges Vongerichten presents modern and light French cuisine using organic products. Yvonne Chiong, one of Asia’s few female sommeliers, worked here from 2003-2007.
LARIS RESTAURANT
6th Floor, Three on the Bund (on the Bund / “waitan”)
17 Guangdong Road by Zhongshan East Road
Tel. +86 (21) 6321 9922
Opening Hours: Daily, 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Website: www.threeonthebund.com
Cuisine: Fusion
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive
Located on the Bund, in the Three on the Bund complex it offers lovely decor, efficient service (thanks mainly to the watchful eye of Australian Chef David Laris). He is also a chocolatier. Be sure not to miss stopping for a drink at the Vault Bar attached to Laris.
WANG BAO HE
Fuzhou Lu 603, Shanghai
(West of Zhejiang Zhong Lu)
Tel. 021/6322-3673
Cuisine: Chinese
Prices: Inexpensive-Moderate Crabs: Expensive
Their specialty is Hairy Crabs (available only in autumn). The place is brightly lit with florescent lighting, rushed service and a menu in Chinese with pictures and indecipherable english.
LA GRANGE
La Grange
94 Julu Road Tel: (86 21) 6248 2185
Shanghai, 31
The French cuisine here is quite good. Choose the restaurant’s “set menu” at 498RMB; a starter, main course, cheese course and a dessert may be chosen from the menu. Ordering from the menu directly can become quite expensive.
