Want to sleep in on Sunday morning, indulge yourself...or get up and do some shopping, or go to church...in any event, make it to the Westin (Wuhan) for their bodacious brunch. Walk in to the palatial lobby and your senses are assuaged with both scenic views and scented air. Take a seat in the majestic lobby chairs, soak it in, make your last phone call for the afternoon, and get ready to have your palatal senses stimulated with an almost overwhelming variety of fine dining delights.
We have already written about the Westin (Wuhan), which is arguably the top hotel in Wuhan at present. It is an excellent establishment, grand and beautiful in so many regards.
The focus of this review is the “Grange,” the Westin’s brand name for their steakhouse or chophouse.
The Renaissance Hotel in Pudong is now giving people a reason to make their way across the river for a night of fun & festivity. Their brasserie, having always boasted a wide selection of fine cuisine from all over the world has now upped their game as they now present the 'Brasserie Beer Festival'.
On entering and after having paid for your buffet ticket, you are given 5 free coupons that you can spend on beer. While they also have vodka shots available, it's better value to go for the beer as you can get 5 full pints for your money.
While the Shanghai summer certainly can be the mean side of muggy, sitting on Hai Pai’s patio with a cool glass of Chardonnay in hand, the water fountain spraying just off to our right and some funky beats snaking around from the front, l can only think of the good side.
On the second floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai, we took our seats before to the obligatory fish tank offering calming Asian aesthetics alongside a healthy dose of Feng Shui and immediately began to admire the unique cutlery and table settings of Si Ji Xuan Chinese Restaurant. Resembling a royal place mat, before each of us was a square jade plate. The spoon’s base matched the plate’s attractive stone as well as a traditional Chinese carp carved from jade, it’s pale green back a rest for our chopsticks.
The lighting temperate, the atmosphere tranquil, a large aqua-blue fish tank the backdrop of a window-enclosed open-kitchen, utilizing the same tactic as fisherman, as the restaurant’s name implies, Luwan Marriott’s Blue Moon attracts both appetite and attention.
Cantonese, with Shanghainese and other regional cuisine characteristics, we whetted our appetites with a mildly bitter Long Jing Green Tea from Suzhou.
Hai Pai: Two faces, its left reflecting the chilled-demeanor of a French style bistro, the right, Shanghainese, modern and chic, yet inviting, both body and spirit joined by a quasi-connected menu is the culinary and artistic brainchild of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts’ ‘boutique division’ Andaz Shanghai.
With a lot of the focus by major hotel chains and restaurants on the East side of town, living on the West side of the city, especially near the northwest, can leave you feeling a bit left out in terms of options. Especially in the university and technology districts, if you’re looking for Western fare, there are a number of very so-so eateries the majority of which I do not find worth mentioning by name, thus the chance to explore a quality buffet or restaurant in the vicinity is always one I’m ready to jump at.
Chongqing is famous for its soaring summer temperatures and humidity. So it is no surprise that the city’s national dish is equally hot - a tongue numbing, fiery and spicy hot pot dish (Chongqing huo guo) - and the locals are proud of it. If you are a foreigner, the first question often posed is, “do you like our hot pot?” on the assumption that all foreigners would have to try it at least once while in this mountainous city.