Had most of our meals at the hotel – our old favorite, the Chinese restaurant, Dragon Phoenix on the 8th F; the Cathay Room on the 9th F where we had our breakfasts and some late dinners; and Victor’s, the deli on the ground floor. (view of Pudong across the river, from the Cathay room)
We dined on fish at Jean Georges (« Three on the Bund », 4F) one night – égal à lui-même à tout égard (food and price!). Was there in 2004 with Laurence and Eric. Actually I can’t imagine Alsatian-born chef and entrepreneur Jean Georges (Vongerichten) spending much time in Shanghai these days as he also has to attend to a dozen or so other restaurants operating under his name around the world (I have been at least to one other of his places, his flagship in New York City)… http://www.jean-georges.com/
The commemorative dinner (with former colleagues) took place at the swanky M1NT (say mint!) (http://www.m1ntglobal.com).
Typical for the new Shanghai: perched on the top floor (24F) of an office tower! Located a few streets back from the Bund (Shandong Lu and Fuzhou Lu) It’s also a bar/night club, packed with a younger expat crowd; we are told it has been around for a couple of years; used to be a part of some chain, with similar places in Beijing, Hong-Kong and London, but apparently the partners have had a fallout, and the Hong-Kong joint has gone belly up! Dined on cod and Australian (300-day grain fed Black Angus) beef (and New-Zealand wine – Cloudy Bay Sauvignon and Merlot) in a glass-sheltered private room carved out in the middle of the restaurant! Run and managed by eager young Chinese – one of which is from Canada – quick to handle their business cards!
Food and crowd is not enough to attract people in this town: the place features a huge elongated fish tank filled with sharks (34 of them we are told, a couple of feet long!...)
