Testing, testing ...

This was shot a week ago on the day of my birthday party. Was just testing the camera ahead of the big night and Tommy was a willing guinea pig.

Birthday Smoothie

My company has quite a nice perk – staff do not need to come to work on their birthday, so yesterday, I had probably one of the best birthdays I can remember. I started with a self made strawberry mango smoothie which I drank while watching the two latest episodes of the best show on TV : Mad Men.

Dim sum at the Mansion Hotel

I didn’t have anything planned, but a friend also had the afternoon off and asked if I had lunch plans, so we ended up having a dim sum lunch at the Mansion Hotel, which is a lovely, old style hotel on Xinle Road near Xiangyang Road.

Chocolate cake at Hof

After lunch we had a walk before heading for dessert at chocolate heaven, aka Hof on Sinan road. I was surprised to find it was completely full at 3.30pm on a week day. It’s incredible how many people here don’t need to work.

Hof is close to Fuxing Park, so after dessert, we went for a walk in the park to burn off some of our lunch time calories. I was feeling pretty tired by then, so I headed home to get some rest before the evening activities began.

Pre-dinner Dom Perignon at M1NT

After a short nap, I met a few friends at M1NT for a bottle of Champagne followed by dinner at M1NT. I have to say, it was a very enjoyable was to spend an indulgent birthday evening. The food was excellent, my favourite being their battered soft shell crab appetiser which I’ve had before.

After dinner, we moved to the club section for more drinks and a cigar before heading home where I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow. Between 4 of us, we managed 3 bottles of wine, a few glasses of whisky and aperatifs, which I thought was very impressive. Needless to say, this morning, I wished the company policy was that staff did not need to work the day after their birthday!

That’s well and truly it for all birthday related activities (I promise) until next year. I just have to add that this year was probably the best birthday week I have ever had and I think the difference with previous years was not working on the actual day.

Can you believe it – I feel like last year’s birthday party was just last month, and yet it’s already another year. And so on Saturday I had another small birthday gathering of 50 or so close friends. The venue this year was Velvet Lounge, a nice little lounge bar that I used to go to a lot, many years ago. And it’s still a surprisingly good place to spend a Saturday night.

The bar is split in to 4 sections and I basically reserved one whole section which included 3 tables plus lots of standing room, so what you’re looking at above is basically is my section and some of the guests – that’s actually me in the bottom middle with the grey jacket. The only drawback with the bar layout is that the section is not enclosed, so we had the occasional stranger wander in to our party (and in to some of our photos) from the other sections.

Lisa and Johan, all the way from Sweden

What I’ve always liked about Velvet Lounge is that they’re not snotty about silly minimum charges to sit at a table. And they kindly gave me two bottles of Prosecco on the house which was a nice gesture I thought. I don’t think I’ve ever had that at any other club or bar.

Yanni and July all the way from Beijing

Minnie, Carrie and in the background Baltic Ninja (Nick) and Lucy

Cute Kari and WoAi (back to camera)

I had to be a bit selective with the invitations from work, because the guest list was spiralling out of control.

A few people from the office

The party in full swing by 11.30pm

For the last 2 years, the after party has been at M1NT and this year I couldn’t think of any reason to be different. Despite the huge amount of alcohol consumed at Velvet Lounge, we still managed to finish TWO 4.5 litre bottles of Moet (I think that size of wine bottle is called a Rehoboam) and a 3 litre bottle of Grey Goose vodka at M1NT.

The girls wrote a birthday message on the window behind us @ M1NT

Just after 3am - the girls getting down @ M1NT

Party people in the house tonight ....

There were several incidents at last year’s party and by contrast, everyone was well behaved this year, but things were spoiled right at the end when one of the idiot managers at M1NT came over to tell me to stop taking photos with my DSLR. It’s my birthday and we’ve just spent over 10,000 RMB on 3 large bottles and you’re telling me I can’t take photos so I can remember the event? He gave a lame excuse about it being the club policy and suggested I use my cell phone to take photos instead. WHY WOULD I USE A CELL PHONE TO TAKE PICTURES WHEN I HAVE A PERFECTLY GOOD DSLR? I was so upset I told him to go fuck himself. When you do that to a staff member in a club, there’s a good chance you can get swiftly ejected by several very large bouncers. But he just responded “fuck you too” and walked off, never to be seen again. It really was the only incident of the entire evening and it’s a shame the idiot had to spoil an otherwise perfect party.

Always relaxed

You know what’s good for calming down a heated internet debate? Why a Caturday featuring the adorable Hui Hui of course! And a happy mothers day to all the non-British mothers out there!

Growing up in London as an ethnic minority, I had to put up with a fair amount of teasing and some English kids would sometimes stretch their eyes with their hands to make them narrower, I suppose in reference to the notion that Chinese have small, narrow eyes. But that was many, many years ago and I’d almost forgotten about it till I came across this ad from a Taiwanese cosmetic surgery company (clearly it’s not mainland China as nobody would have 3 kids). The idea is that the parents have had work done on their eyes to make them bigger while the kids, clearly haven’t. The slogan reads “the only thing you need to worry about is how to explain it to your children”.

Is it me or is this wrong on so many levels. I mean, isn’t it a bit like someone advertising a treatment for black people to whiten their skin, saying something like “you too can enjoy the benefits of being a white man”? Or am I taking a humorous ad far too seriously?

The other thing that strikes me is that in the picture, the parents actually look like normal Asians and it’s the children that look strange. I have never seen any kids with eyes that small!

(Thanks to loyal reader CP for sending me this)

View from VUE - best view in Shanghai?

I mentioned this in passing in part one, but VUE Bar at Hyatt On The Bund is a contender in my opinion, for most breathtaking view of Shanghai as you look out at Pudong on your left and Puxi on your right. I took this picture a few years ago using a point and shoot, so imagine how it would look with a better camera!

Vertigo inducing view of the atrium

On the same night, we visited the Grand Hyatt which is housed in what is still my favourite building, the Jin Mao, which was once the tallest building in the city, although that honour now rests with its neighbour, the Shanghai World Finance Centre. The building looks great from the outside, but the real attraction is the atrium which goes from the 54th floor all the way up to around the 88th floor. If you look closely you can see a black grand piano on the left by the lift shaft. I’d be pretty nervous sitting down there having a coffee!

Yes it’s a bit touristy, yes it probably isn’t the most authentic Yunnan restaurant, but no Shanghai tour would be complete without dinner at Lost Heaven at the bund. The place is massive, but always full, making for a great atmosphere. And I’d prefer great food that wasn’t authentic to authentic food that wasn’t great, so for me, this is a no brainer. Book early to avoid disappointment. I only got a table on my second attempt and ended up having to go to Xibo instead on the first night. If you like Xinjiang food without the noisy music and belly dancers and you prefer your “big plate chicken” off the bone, then Xibo is for you!

Cheap and cheerful

We dined at some pretty fancy places, but I think Rich and Ben were happiest with the cheap eats, like this Xiaolongbao lunch we had on their first day. Little Shanghainese dumplings, green stir fried vegetables, beef with vermicelli soup, egg fried rice, drunken chicken, garlic cucumber and spring rolls. Quite a feast for the hungry visitors, just off the plane from London. There is a strip of places on Shan Xi road, just off Nanjing road east. Take your pick, they’re all pretty good.

Eventually, the English visitors tired of Asian food and the perfect antidote was a Sunday roast carvery dinner at Glo London, complete with roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.

Joe 90 anyone?

Tianzifang is somewhere I avoid like the plague … unless I have visitors. It’s basically a highly concentrated area of small alley ways packed with tiny boutiques and shops selling cheap souveniers, along with a few bars and cafes. If you’re with someone you shouldn’t be, you’ll be taking a big risk here, because the place is also full of people armed with cameras taking photos which undoubtedly will end up on Facebook hours, if not minutes later!

An innocent looking tie rack

I mentioned the fake market in part one, but I’m mentioning it again because, well, we went there more than once. The picture above looks like a rack of ties, but it’s actually a secret door behind which is a tiny room where they sell the fake watches. For some reason, China’s intellectual property rights enforcers are very selective. So while you can see fake Abercrombie & Fitch tops openly on display, the day we went, there were no watches anywhere to be found. Eventually we were lead in to one of these secret rooms, the door locked behind us and the only way to get out again was for the guy with us to call his associate to let us out. Not great when negotiations break down and you want to make a quick exit!

But if you persevere, you can end up with some pretty nice fake watches for a few hundred RMB, depending on your negotiation skills.

As much fun as the shopping and clubbing was, we needed a break from it and go-karting at Stampede is a great way to get away from the aggressive haggling and the unrelenting Shanghai nightlife. Well, I say that, but Stampede is actually a bar / lounge with go-karting, so you can literally drink and drive.

They have tickets for about 80 RMB that gets you about 7-8 minutes or around 10 laps. Or for 100 RMB you can get the faster cars if you feel the need for speed. We of course went for the faster cars and everyone agreed they were as fast as we would want them to be.

Two thumbs up from the boys

And I think that just about wraps up the whirlwind fortnight. Ben and Rich I think went home happy and gave Shanghai a resounding two thumbs up. We did visit a few other places of course (Crystal Jade, Din Tai Fung, Long Bar at the Waldorf Astoria, cocktails at Glamour Bar, Yu Gardens, Sichuan Citizen, Korean BBQ, Japanese whisky at Constellation 3, pork overdose at the Grumpy Pig) but I think these were the highlights.

Anyone have any favourite places to take out of town guests? Please do share so the list can be improved.

The 3 amigos at Element Fresh, Silver Court

So you may have heard my brother was here for two weeks with his friend Ben. It was a vacation for them, but for me it was two weeks of playing host and tour guide by night, and working at the office by day while they slept till mid afternoon! Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time the two weeks were up, but I think I fulfilled my duty as we ticked off a wide variety of activities in a relatively short space of time. Here are some of the highlights, which could probably help anyone expecting visitors to Shanghai this summer and wanting to put together an itinerary …

Beijing Roast Duck @ Lao Beijing

This place has been my go to roast duck joint for two main reasons – firstly, the duck is as good as I’ve had outside of Beijing and secondly, well, it’s across the road from where I live. The service has always been appalling, but the food, not just the duck but also the other main course dishes, has always been excellent. But we were horrified to see several huge rats running around in the rafters quite casually. The staff seemed fairly unconcerned when we pointed this out and as a result, I’m going to have to take this place off the list for a while!

Flair @ Ritz Carlton, Pudong

I genuinely cannot decide if this or VUE Bar at Hyatt On The Bund provides the best view of Shanghai by night. From VUE Bar you can see a spectacular view of both sides of the river at the same time, but Flair has a stunning and unique view of the nearby Pearl TV Tower. Beware though, they have a minimum and frankly ridiculous 350 RMB per head charge for the privilege of sitting outside. Fortunately, there’s no minimum if you sit inside, and you’re still free to wander out to enjoy the view.

Just a light snack - 85 Degrees at 2am

One of the big surprises of the 2 weeks was how Rich and Ben became obsessed with Taiwanese bakery 85 Degrees. I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything from there, despite having one just across the road from my home, but Ben and Rich were over there several times a day and often did bakery runs at 2 in the morning. Apparently, the “French donuts” are to die for.

The Shampoo Girl

Perhaps less of a surprise was how young Ben enjoyed having a shampoo at Tiffany salon at Raffles City in People’s Square. We were just passing by, but my stylist spotted me and with some justification, pointed out that I was overdue for a cut. Ben is very particular about his hair so refused to have it cut but didn’t seem to mind have a shampoo while he waited for me. Of course, in China, a shampoo includes head massage, ear cleaning and a few “accidental” brushes with various parts of the shampoo girl’s anatomy – all for 24 RMB!

Going nuts at the fake market

Every tourist’s favourite destination – the fake markets. Yes, that’s not 1, not 2 but seven Ice watches at 50 RMB each including the boxes. I personally detest this place and the way they start their opening prices at ridiculous prices before eventually collapsing the price once you threaten to walk away. So a watch that starts at 1,800 RMB ends up costing around 300 RMB. I suppose that’s all part of the game. But how can a fake A&F tee shirt cost more than a real one? Riddle me this (or should it be “riddle me that”?)

Love at first sight

In some ways, we peaked too soon. Young Ben’s highlight of the fortnight was the very first jet lagged night out, when he met the very lovely Jenny at Eden, one of the new additions to Shanghai’s club scene.

The gorgeous M1NT dancers

How do you top an amazing first night? Well, a visit to M1NT is probably a good option, especially when the dancers are doing their thing on the bar top.

And so there you have it. A flavour of what the last two weeks have been about. More to come, but I’ll sign off for now ….

My brother has been visiting for the last two weeks and as you can expect, there’s lots to blog about there, but that can wait as today is Caturday and we have a special guest appearance this week from Charlie Mao, who was looked after by loyal reader and occasional commenter, Heinrich, before he had to return to his home country.

As you can see, she’s a gorgeous animal with the same pure white fur patches that Tommy has (but Hui Hui doesn’t) on her legs and chest.

I must admit, I’ve never seen a cat lamp shade picture like this before. I’m going to try one out on Tommy soon.

These are just a sample of Charlie Mao pictures which I blatantly stole from here if you want to see more.

Thanks Heinrich for sharing and hope all is well in Norway.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

My little brother and his friend Ben are visiting for two weeks, which is why the posts have dried up (again). It’s been full on nightlife action from the moment they landed last Friday, in a desperate attempt to cover all Shanghai has to offer in just 2 weeks.

I love showing newbies around and seeing Shanghai through their fresh eyes. Young Ben found it amazing that our taxi driver the other night kept falling asleep at every traffic light and had to be nudged when the lights turned green.

At one such stop light, Ben decided to take a photo to share with friends back home before waking him up and continuing our journey to the next bar.

I think I’ve been here too long. I didn’t see what all the excitement was about!

More on the antics of Rich and Ben will follow shortly, so stay tuned.

Many local businesses think that using a western sounding name is all it takes to be a hit. And maybe it works with some of the locals searching for some European sophistication but don’t know any better. Croissants de France is a good example. My former French colleague used to call them “Croissants de France de Chine”! One clue is the old ladies they hire who wouldn’t know what a baguette was if it hit them in the face. Another is the way the whole store becomes a moon cake shop as mid-autumn festival approaches. And the final clue that it may not be a genuine French bakery is how they’re using festive new year cups less than two weeks before the May holiday!