Shanghai Nights
Linda Furiya | First appeared in SilkRoad September 2001

If you look a block south past the glass and chrome building on Huaihai Zhong Road, Shanghai’s most fashionable street, you’ll make out a cluster of shikumen longtang, or stone-gate houses, built along narrow alleyways. Conjuring the days of qipaos and rickshaws, a peek behind the old stone façade reveals modern day restaurants, boutiques and cafes. This tasteful mix of past and present is Xintiandi, part of an ambitious urban redevelopment project managed by Hong Kong-based Shiu On Group. Meaning “new earth and sky” in mandarin, you’ll find the dining, drinking and entertainment offering next to heaven.

There’s a neighborly, small-town feel when entering the northern most walkway off bustling Taicang Road. A modern stone and glass fountain gurgles playfully as the flagstone walkway blooms into a large pedestrian-friendly square. This is the best vantage point from which to admire the unique detailing of the two-to-three-floor abodes up close. Built in the 1930’s by French architects, every archway is crowned with the Shikumen’s signature, a charming stone-gate lintel decorated with rococo curlicues and stately Chinese characters. Similar to the gas-lamp quarters of Paris and the canal houses of Amsterdam, the stone-gates have become a historic symbol of the city.

The main plaza is the center for people watching. Located front and center is Luna, a Mediterranean restaurant where the passing scenery is best admired over a sampling of the signature duck and eggplant salad and a tall iced tea. Across the way Latina specializes in traditional churrasco rodizio or Brazilian barbecue, an assortment of meats first coated in rock salt then marinated for two days in bay leaves and cachaca (Brazilian rum), before it is slow roasted on a spit.

Tucked away from the hubbub of the central plaza hides the red awning of KABB, Kathleen’s American Bistro and Bar. Well-known for its selection of American favorites like gooey grilled-cheese sandwiches and classic cheeseburger and French fries, KABB also reels in the after-work crowd with celery-garnished Bloody Mary’s, gin and tonics with a lime twist and tangy margaritas.

The month of September bring the best weather to Shanghai. Situated across Wanpi Nan Road, Xintiandi Park is the idyllic spot to enjoy the temperate weather and a picnic lunch of tea of sandwiches from Paos, a Japanese-based bakery situated in the main plaza.

At night, when familiar surroundings are shrouded in darkness the lights of Shanghai dazzle like a showgirl sheathed in a glittery gown. Veiled in elegant shadows cast spotlights, Xintiadi’s centuries-old façade appear all the more elegant.

Xinjishi, located on Wangpi Nan Road, specializes in authentic Shanghainese cooking, which weaves the delicate flavors of soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar in its distinctive-tasting dishes. The second-floor dining room is a cozy setting in which to enjoy a supper of tender raw shrimp marinated in Shaoxing wine and soul-satisfying crab and vermicelli cooked in a special heat retaining yixing clay pot. A cold pijju (beer) of a glass of huangjiu (yellow wine) washes it down nicely.

Deep inside the romantic narrow corridors on the eastside is T8. The romantic interior is modern with a nod to old Shanghai with varnished wood panels and carved wooden partitions. Featuring what its management calls “modern Western food” or Western cuisine prepared with international ingredients like tea, Sichuan peppercorn and lemongrass, the wood-fired veal cutlet and pan-fried pork tenderloin are true menu highlights.

Cabaret La Maison brings the excitement of the Moulin Rouge to Shanghai. The inside of this sprawling two-floor mansion feature brasserie cuisine on the first level and fine French dining on the second with a clear view of the two nightly dance performances from any table. With one taste you’ll find the frogs legs fricassee, escargot and fish stewed provincial-style are showstoppers, while Eric Perez, La Maison’s award-winning pastry chef who counts Hillary Clinton as one of his fans, creates sweet concoctions for desserts that are almost too beautiful to eat.

Across from Cabaret La Maison, the trendy university set hovers outside Xintiandi ARK “live-house”, a music venue where Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese pop rock bands perform nightly. Like the best college joints, ARK serves up inexpensive drinks, cheap ticket prices, hearty Chinese bar food and great music.

On the other side of the precinct, the second-floor terrace of StarEast, the four-floor restaurant and entertainment venue with an impressive shareholder’s list of Hong Kong film celebrities, is the perch of Shanghai’s young and beautiful. After grazing over tapas style dishes under the stars the action moves down to the dance floor or one of the thematically decorated karaoke rooms.

Like a big neighborhood party, revelers move from one house to another. Some stick to their regular favorites while others are discovering it all for the first time. All the while, the spirits from the 1930’s applauding the merriment happening within their historical walls.