the glamour bar - shanghai

m on the bund is the kind of place that makes you think shanghai is cool.  It's glam, it's stylish & sophisticated, it's cosmocrat. and the food is fab, tasty, and the pavlova is absolutely to die for.  the people watching beautiful, and the atmosphere so luxurious, it makes me feel I am hot.it's what shanghai is in my mind.  i never fail to come here each time i visit the city and i am always delighted.

this time around though, i decided to focus on chinese food and so will not eat here for dinner.  nevertheless, faithful to my chickens, I made sure to come to the glamour bar, their sister operation one floor below, for happy hour.

with basically the same breathtaking view over the bund and pudong, albeit without the stupendous balcony of the 7t floor restaurant, the bar is as cool, if not more.  the decor is semi shanghai-of-the decant-20s with a touch of kitsch-meets-glam-meets-modern-art.  it's definitely cool, it makes me feel cool, and it reminds me that i am a lucky guy to have the chance to travel as much and have the chance to visit places like that.

the happy hour has a nice little antipasto offering (italian style) and the bar is opened until the wee hours.  i am told the people watching here is something else and all of the cool cats and the beautiful people of shanghai stop by at different hours.

decadent, lush, glamorous, hip, stylish, and cool, that's the glamour bar.

not to be missed on your (my) next trip to shanghai.

the glamour bar - 6/f, no 5 the bund (corner guangdong lu), shanghai tel. +86 21 63 50 99 88

Published by jc on November 27, 2008

chile - colchagua valley - casa silva

maria and franco always laugh at me so much i am fussy about the hotels i stay in. who knows, maybe i was a fengshui master in a previous life? for me, the setting must be right and that includes the smell in the room, the view, the size and comfort of the bed, and the pressure of the shower. the room must be alive, it must vibrate positive energy. i can never describe it to maria, i just feel it and when i don't, i have been known to change room 3 or 4 times before i am satisfied.

in any case.. for our stay in chile's colchagua valley, i thought we could try the newly opened boutique hotel of 7 rooms in casa silva winery.

and so, after a 3 hours drive from santiago i was a little razzled and my stomach cramped as we followed the indications to the hotel through the small country roads. we passed several ramshackle buildings and the area reminded me more of india than tuscany so i looked at maria in a near panic. until we arrived to the hotel...

wow, what a setting, what a nice little place! set in an old part of the winery, the building was tastfuly renovated with a beautiful and homey-rustic-yet-modern decor. there is a nice little terrace in the central courtyard for alfresco dinning, a super comfortable lounge with a fireplace and those big fluffy couches that reminded me of those my grandmother had in her living room. each of the 7 rooms are appointed differently depending on their size and location in the building and all have a huge bathroom with an absolutely incredible shower.

the hotel is also home of one of the best restaurant in colchagua. as mentionned, you can eat outside on the terrace, but an interesting attraction is that it's located right inside casa silva's cellar. so while you have dinner you have the decors of rows of new oak barrels ageing their best wines slowly and gracefully. we had great food there on the 2 nights of our stay and obviously their wine list, although listing mostly their wines, had great offerings from around the region.

a great place to stay and can imagine the setting during the cool vintage season must be absolutely magic. we will certainly go back if we return to colchagua valley.

Published by jc on February 26, 2008

wine 365 - santiago

last night, tired and lazy, we decided to stay at the hotel's wine bar incidentally called ''wine 365'' because they have 365 chilean wines on their list, one for each day of the year.

decor was hotel like but we sat on a nice little terrace outstide.  service is definitely lacking as we waited 1/2 hour to be asked if we wanted wine and another 1/2 to receive them.  in any case, i am not sure if this is south america or the hotel, i will let you know later.  one thing is sure is that we will not go back unless it's torrential rain outside...

i order a flight - you know i love this concept and so while i was writting my notes, my sweet maria was listening to the couple next to us having a fight...

here are my notes, the carmenère was had by maria:

Van siebenthal reserva 2006 - aconcagua - carmenere:

medium intensity aromas of forest fruits - rasberries, blueberries, blackberries, vanilla, hints of mint & eucalypteus; medium acidity, low tannins (round), medium body, high alcohol, medium intensity flavours of mint, eucalypteus, black berries, herbaceous character overall. medium lenght, simple finish

 

terrunyo 2007 - casablanca - sauvignon blanc:

medium (-) intensity aromas of grass, grapefruit, green apple, very fresh; medium (-) acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, with medium intensity flavour of lemon, grapefruits, fresh cut crass, unripe green apple, short lenght with a somewhat complex finish

 

veranda gran reserva 2006 - casablanca - chardonnay:

low intensity aromas of citrus, vanilla, hints of cream and yogurt; low acidity, medium body, medium (+) alcohol, medium intensity flavours of oak, vanilla, cream, citrus, short & simple lenght undurraga altazor 2004 - cabernet sauvignon - maipo medium intensity aromas of blackcurrents, black barries, vanilla, spices, coffee, hints of herbaceaousness; medium (-) acidity, medium ripe tannins, medium body, medium (+) alcohol, medium intensity flavours of black berries, coffee, spices, vanilla. medium & complex length.

ge 2003 emliana - bordeaux blend (biodynamic) - colchagua:

high & concentrated intensity aromas of dark fruits - blueberries, black berries, black cherries, spices - cinammon, anis, liquorice, quina, vanilla, minth; medium (-) acidity, medium tannins (unripe), medium (+) intensity flavours of dark berries, eucalypteus, mint, spices, herbaceous. Long and complex but a bitter finish

Published by jc on February 4, 2008

véda - a great restaurant in delhi

on our last night in delhi, maria and i decided to try véda. 

it's on driving around with enrico that i saw their sign from the road and from it's name, i thought it was from the same owners as veda in hong kong which we particularily like.

so we went on the 1st of january and drove there in an absolutely crazy traffic. cars. motorcycles, buses were honking at each other in an absolute mad symphony.  plus, our driver kept cursing the ''jam-jam-jam'' in this loud and thick indian accent. at one point, everthing came to an absolute standstill, everything stopped, became completely quiet and there, i think everybody realised that nothing was going to move for a long while.  indeed, it took us 1 1/2 hour to reach the place which normally should have taken us 1/2 hour.  a cultural experience, beleive me...

anyway, when we got there, we were quite happy to have made the trek.  we found out that the owners are not the same as in hong kong and, other than meaning ''knowledge'' in sanskrit, the name is actually an acronym from "very exotic dining ambiance''.

the atmosphere was quite special.  it is dark with a red glow from the lighting.  walls are covered with mirrors with all kind of shape and sizes.  it feels velvety, lush, mysterious.  the music was loungee and the overall warmth of the place made us feel quite at ease.

unfortunately, the service did not start very well when we ask the head waiter what they recommended.  ever the tradesman, he transparently advised on their tasting menu which was the top super most expensive item.  when we asked him questions about it, he seemed bothered and made us feel that he would rather have us leave the place rather than explain his menu.  so i told him to get us our wine.

the other waiters who take over from the guy, more than made up from this lapse. their recommendations and explanantions were very good and we enjoyed our food tremendously.

we shared:

- kararee bhindi - fried okra with red peppers: tasty, salty, lightly spicy but a little bit dry

- kohe awadh - lamb shank with savoury sauce: delicious, smooth, savoury spice, mouthwatering

- achari panneer tikka - cottage cheeze: tasty, perfect texture, savoury spcice, succulent

- basmati rice - plain: aromatic, flowery, not sticky, and perfect with the sauce of the lamb

all were prepared in a ''nouveau genre'' and modern style.  the presentation and taste was excellent and very tasty.  writing about it now makes my mouth water....

for wine, we decided to try indian wines (a choice the headwaiter sneered at).  so we chose the grover vineyards cabernet-shiraz which was quite tasty, very much fruity, but balanced and succulent (read some spice and complexity) enough to want to order another glass.  however, for my 2nd glass, i tried the sula vineyards shiraz which was disappointing in the sense that it was too fruity, was nnot a very good representation of its kind - it felt more like alcoholic grape juice than a shiraz.  maybe it was the storage or the transportation and this is why i brought back a bottle so that i can taste later with other people and get their opinions.

in any case, an altogether a great experience that i recommend and we will certainly go back on our next trip to delhi.

veda - h-27 connaught circus, outer circle, new delhi tel. +91 5151 3535

you can click on each photos to see larger versions

Published by jc on January 5, 2008

authentic german sausage in guangzhou

each year, i visit germany for a trade show and each time i look for a restaurant that will serve good old fashioned nuremberg sausages, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes.  even though friedrichshafen is less than 3 hours drive from nuremberg, i still have not found.

and so it is quite ironic that i must come here in guangzhou to find this delicacie.  indeed, at "1920", the name of the restaurant, you can find an extensive german "octoberfest" food & beer menu that is actually as good if not better than what i had in munich some years ago.

they also have a pretty decent wine list and the food quite varied and tasty.  on the menu are have "wine" platters, one consisting of cheese, grape, and rye bread, the ohter cold cuts, lettuce, cheese, and rye bread.

maria and i arrived late and even though, their small outside terrace was full and we had to wait a while so we had a ‘paulaner weissbier’  and reviewed the day.  the wait was well worth it as when our meal arrived, it was delicious and exactly as expected. Maria had a new item on the menu which was "munich" meatballs on a bed of mashed potatoes which was a bomb of flavour at the bite.  of course i had my nuremberg sausage and sauerkraut and it brought me straight back to my student days when i backpacked across europe and stop in nuremberg on my way somewhere else.

a little bit of germany right here in the heart of guangzhou.

this photo is taken from their website: http://www.1920cn.com/



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1920: 183 yan jiang zhong rd., guangzhou, tel +86 20 8333 6156

Published by jc on October 19, 2007

mcdonald at the canton fair

we started this blog with the view of talking about our passion for food and for wine.  this obviously implied we would focus on what we like best.

but i think it should also be about special experiences as well and so this is why today i report about mcdonald at the canton fair.

this place is absolutely unbeleivable.  

the sheer number of people they serve per hour during lunch time is staggering.  their organisation is super efficiencient and they run it like an small army unit.  what is most amazing is that you wait for a very short time even though 25 people are standing BEFORE you get served.  all this thanks to a system in which an attendant takes your order while you are standing in line, send it wirelessly to her unit back in the kitchen, tells you how much it will cost and gives you an order number, by the time you reach the cashier, the order is already packed and you only have to pay and go.  total waiting time 7 minutes.  now, that is 25 orders processed in 7 minutes.  make that 15 cashier.  that is flabberghasting.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no matter you like or not, this to me is an incredible food experience.  of course, it is processed food and of course it is only fuel.  but the alternative at the fair is actually worst.  and so, fuel is still needed...

the other thing that is amazing about this mcdonald is the variety of nations sitting next to each other in the dining room, you have americans sitting next to pakistanis who are sitting next to israelis who are sitting next to germans who themselves are sitting next to nigerians who are sitting next to japanese....you get the picture...and this is an amazing picture.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the canton fair is the celebration of globalisation for best and for worst.  whether you agree or not, this is human evolution and it is not possible for me to look at this scenery and dismiss it as not being important.

there, mcdonald at the canton fair...

Published by jc on October 19, 2007