With a warm “Buona Sera”, ‘good evening’ in Italian, we were greeted by the hostess and the Italian Chef de Cuisine, Roberto Mancini who perfected the welcome with a pinch of his fingers, putting us in the right frame of mind for InterContinental Shanghai Expo’s Bascilico Italian Restaurant, where warmth and charm is as respected as oregano and pesto.
The presence of a 5-star hotel captured in a striking landmark skyscraper, right beside the Shanghai Railway Station of the Zhabei District is a real sign of the modernization of what used to be the common riff-raff junction of Shanghai. Indeed, it was a pleasure to finally have a classy hotel in this high traffic locale.
In contrast to one of Shanghai’s busiest transport hubs, the entry into the upscale Japanese restaurant, Koi, within the luxurious ambiance of the new Intercontinental Puxi, quickly prepares your mind for an evening of relaxing indulgence.
Five Star dining should not be exclusive to dishes that often can be a challenge to envision, let alone pronounce. At Sheraton’s (Pudong New District) The Feast’s regular dinner and lunch menus offers both, the rare and exquisite alongside the familiar, which retains the 5-Star touch.
With an entrance road briefly cordoned off for the President of Fiji, I could not think of a more fitting introduction to Shanghai’s only luxury hotel located directly alongside the World Expo Site – InterContinental Shanghai Expo, a five-star hotel that has been regularly entertaining dignitaries along side its regularly customers around the world.
When called upon to review Café Swiss, part of the Swissotel Grand establishment, it was without question that it will be an evening of gluttony. Since it’s opening in 2008, Café Swiss has already carved a reputation for its repertoire of buffet selection.
Classified as a City Heritage Boutique Hotel, refurnished and designed to rekindle its early history in Shanghai’s roaring thirties when opium, sing song houses, and unchecked debauchery were the flavor of the day, the French Concession’s Mansion Hotel, is an architectural blend of both Chinese and French sophistication.
There is a perception that the restaurants connected to the 5 star hotel chains are simply replicated in carbon copy across the world. A trip to the Intercontinental in Pudong and a discussion with Ivan, its head chef, would soon make anyone put aside any such ideas.
In the middle of Pudong New District, connected to Four Points by Sheraton, is the Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, a fifteen minute drive to the World Expo. As with any 5-star hotel, Sheraton’s restaurants are an extension of its hotel service and must be cultivated through austere design and innovative options. We were invited to dine in Sheraton’s popular restaurant, Feast, and its Friday evening offering, ‘Indian Night.’
Stepping into Chateau Moon Hotel, you immediately know you’re not stepping into any ordinary 5-star establishment. Here is none of that contemporary minimalist drabness that is the hall mark of so many of the well established chains which strive for a sense of clean, well-ordered efficiency. At Chateau Moon, you know straight away that you are stepping into someone’s fantasy world. This is a world which takes its key inspiration from the great stately homes of the 18th century – high ceilings, glittering chandeliers, long corridors that stretch on and on.
Kappo Yu, the sister restaurant to Sushi Oyama, is a kaiseki style Japanese restaurant nestled away on the tranquil Wuxing rd of the French concession. Established in Tokyo, head chef Yohei Terada, offers a ten course menu which changes every day. One should expect the freshest food of the highest quality, while executed with remarkable style and precision.