{"id":3515,"date":"2016-09-13T04:13:53","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T04:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/?p=3515"},"modified":"2016-09-13T04:14:11","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T04:14:11","slug":"mans-world-magazine-48-hours-in-shanghai-by-nikhil-agarwal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/?p=3515","title":{"rendered":"Man’s World Magazine – 48 hours in Shanghai by Nikhil Agarwal"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s something about\u00a0modern cities in\u00a0Asia that I thoroughly enjoy.\u00a0There\u2019s an infectious energy\u00a0from the sheer number of\u00a0people, and a beautiful mesh\u00a0of traditional architecture,\u00a0food and lifestyle, plus the\u00a0best of western luxuries,\u00a0brands, food and drink.\u00a0Shanghai is no exception,\u00a0and I have explored this\u00a0massive city carefully over\u00a0the last two years on two\u00a0separate occasions. You can\u00a0visit a ton of places over\u00a0a two-day period (a lot of\u00a0them are very close to each\u00a0other) and getting around is\u00a0incredibly easy, with every\u00a0option of transport you can\u00a0think of.<\/p>\n

Training Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the airport, take the\u00a0Maglev, the world\u2019s fastest\u00a0train, to the centre of\u00a0town at speeds over 400\u00a0kilometres per hour for the\u00a0thrill and convenience of it.\u00a0It literally takes minutes, for\u00a0a distance that is otherwise\u00a0is an hour or so away from\u00a0Pudong.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t visit Shanghai\u00a0and not visit the Bund. It\u00a0overlooks the River Huangpu\u00a0in the district of Pudong,\u00a0with its sky-kissing, futuristic\u00a0glass buildings, including the\u00a0Oriental Pearl TV Tower and\u00a0the Jin Mao Tower (what the\u00a0locals refer to as the bottle\u00a0opener building) on one side\u00a0and old colonial buildings\u00a0on the other. Both sides\u00a0are equally eye catching in\u00a0exactly opposite ways. The\u00a0river itself is full of activity,\u00a0with floating restaurants,\u00a0cruise and cargo ships, all\u00a0slowly moving along this\u00a0ancient waterway.<\/p>\n

Mr. & Mrs. Bund<\/strong><\/p>\n

When at the Bund, you have\u00a0to visit Shanghai\u2019s most\u00a0famous restaurant \u2014 Mr.&\u00a0Mrs. Bund, by Paul Pairet.\u00a0This restaurant offers\u00a0incredibly delicious French\u00a0food, great cocktails and\u00a0a brilliant wine and spirit\u00a0list with a view of Pudong\u00a0to die for \u2014 a glass of wine\u00a0on the terrace here is pure\u00a0bliss.<\/p>\n

\"Mr&Mrs<\/p>\n

Interiors of Mr. & Mrs.\u00a0Bund<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\"Mr<\/p>\n

Mr.<\/em>& Mrs. Bund banquet<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

One floor above, on\u00a0the terrace of the building,\u00a0you have the Bar Rouge,\u00a0which is a must-visit for\u00a0some late night shenanigans.\u00a0If you have the budget\u00a0(approximately Rs 40,000 a\u00a0head) you should definitely\u00a0have the Ultraviolet\u00a0experience. This restaurant\u00a0is in a secret location and\u00a0takes dining to a whole new\u00a0level, using sounds, light\u00a0and aromas to take you on\u00a0a gastronomical journey like\u00a0no other.<\/p>\n

Food & Drink<\/strong><\/p>\n

Further down the road along\u00a0the Bund is a high-end yet\u00a0casual tapas bar called\u00a0Unico, which I thoroughly\u00a0loved. They have live\u00a0music there and the food is\u00a0delicious. I had the lobster\u00a0with peanut oil, which has\u00a0quickly become one of my\u00a0favourite dishes of all time.\u00a0I took a sip of their Malbec\u00a0Cosmopolitan, which I\u00a0thought was truly inventive,\u00a0with a whole new take on\u00a0how to enjoy Malbec.<\/p>\n

\"Mr<\/p>\n

Egg mushrooms and duck\u00a0confit<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Not too far away, in an\u00a0area called Xintiandi, you\u00a0will be spoilt for choice.\u00a0This area is a little touristy, I\u00a0must warn you, but excellent\u00a0nevertheless. Head for a\u00a0beer at the Pauline Bauhaus,\u00a0or have a glass of vino at\u00a0the wine bar right next to it\u00a0for some \u2018lucky\u2019 red wine.\u00a0The Chinese believe that\u00a0the colour red is lucky and\u00a0have taken to their lucky\u00a0red wines with some serious\u00a0aggression, so much so that\u00a0now, in a relatively small\u00a0period of time, they have\u00a0become the world\u2019s largest\u00a0consumers of red wine. But\u00a0I digress. If you want some\u00a0live jazz, head to the jazz bar\u00a0slightly ahead, or visit The\u00a0Devil\u2019s Share, for a range of\u00a0whiskies as you watch the\u00a0world go by down below.\u00a0Try the famed Xiao Long\u00a0Bao at Crystal Jade, and try\u00a0to not burn your tongue.\u00a0Oh, and if you\u2019re looking for\u00a0some seriously good steak,\u00a0there is a spanking new\u00a0Wolfgang Puk restaurant\u00a0bang in the middle of this\u00a0area. Connected here is\u00a0Nanjing Road, famous for its\u00a0shopping and underground\u00a0markets. For world class\u00a0shopping, head to Huahai\u00a0(also known as the Paris of\u00a0the Orient) for your fix of\u00a0fashion and designer labels.<\/p>\n

\"shanghai;<\/p>\n

Truffle Bread<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\"Mr<\/p>\n

Black Cod Essential Soy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Chilling It<\/strong><\/p>\n

An area definitely worth\u00a0a visit is the French\u00a0Concession. I found myself\u00a0on a road called Yong Kang\u00a0Lu, that is lined on either\u00a0side with what seems like\u00a0hundreds of small bars and\u00a0restaurants, with residential\u00a0apartments above them. I\u00a0don\u2019t think I have ever seen\u00a0anything like it before. Go\u00a0down there in the early\u00a0evening for a very slow\u00a0drink , especially over the\u00a0weekend, and take in its\u00a0almost Goa sort of vibe. This\u00a0place seems to be off the\u00a0tourist map and is visited by\u00a0tons of expats and hipster\u00a0locals, who ride the most\u00a0fabulous modified scooters\u00a0on the planet. Shanghai is a\u00a0serious food and drink town\u00a0and you can have great food\u00a0anywhere \u2014 I particularly\u00a0liked Din Tai Fung, a chain of\u00a0value for money restaurants\u00a0that are scattered all\u00a0around Shanghai and the\u00a0rest of Asia. If you\u2019re the\u00a0adventurous kind, try the\u00a0many street food options,\u00a0that include duck tongue,\u00a0insects, bamboo shoots\u00a0and a variety of pork-based\u00a0dishes.<\/p>\n

Kung Fu Panda<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alternatively, it does not\u00a0all have to be about food\u00a0and booze. I would highly\u00a0recommend visiting the\u00a0Yu Yuan Gardens, with old\u00a0King Fu Panda movie-like\u00a0structures. You could spend\u00a0a lot of time here walking\u00a0around or you could head\u00a0to one of the many tea\u00a0spots and get a glimpse of\u00a0what China was like eons\u00a0ago.<\/p>\n

\"shutterstock_38700322-resized\"<\/p>\n

Shanghai night life<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\"Old<\/p>\n

Yu Yan garden<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The City God temple is\u00a0definitely worth a visit, and\u00a0so is the Shanghai Museum\u00a0for Fine Art Chinese\u00a0Porcelain, if porcelain is your\u00a0thing. The Urban Planning\u00a0Centre shows Shanghai\u2019s\u00a0architectural plans in 3D for\u00a0the next four years, and I\u00a0would highly recommend\u00a0a visit just to see the\u00a0technology used here.<\/p>\n

In Pudong, you could\u00a0walk around the Oriental\u00a0Pearl TV Tower and IFC Mall\u00a0area and see swarms of\u00a0people go from one place\u00a0to another. The mall has a\u00a0great number of restaurants\u00a0on top, and some with\u00a0terraces. You could sit there\u00a0with your neck craned\u00a0upwards and look at some of\u00a0the world\u2019s tallest structures\u00a0around you.<\/p>\n

All this, and I frankly\u00a0haven\u2019t even scratched the\u00a0surface; I don\u2019t think anyone\u00a0could, even after living here\u00a0for a year. I have to say that\u00a0I love this city, and Shanghai\u00a0has quickly become one of\u00a0my favourite cities in Asia.<\/p>\n

\"Man's<\/a> \"Man's<\/a> \"Man's<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.mansworldindia.com\/travel\/48-hours-in-shanghai-chinas-showpiece-city-is-an-exhilarating-mix-of-the-old-and-the-new\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s something about\u00a0modern cities in\u00a0Asia that I thoroughly enjoy.\u00a0There\u2019s an infectious energy\u00a0from the sheer number of\u00a0people, and a beautiful mesh\u00a0of traditional architecture,\u00a0food and lifestyle, plus the\u00a0best of western luxuries,\u00a0brands, food and drink.\u00a0Shanghai is no exception,\u00a0and I have explored this\u00a0massive city carefully over\u00a0the last two years on two\u00a0separate occasions. You can\u00a0visit a ton of places over\u00a0a … Continue reading Man’s World Magazine – 48 hours in Shanghai by Nikhil Agarwal<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,89],"tags":[1688,16,1692,1187,1690,64,975,130,1689,1691,1693],"class_list":["post-3515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-our-blog","tag-48-hours-in-shanghai","tag-food-and-drink","tag-kung-fu-panda","tag-mans-world-magazine","tag-mr-mrs-bund","tag-nikhil-agarwal","tag-shanghai","tag-sommelier","tag-travel-story","tag-truffles","tag-yu-yan-garden"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3515"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3522,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3515\/revisions\/3522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allthingsnice.in\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}