I have been lucky enough to visit Shanghai a couple of times during the urban transformation that had been going on at a frantic pace for the past 10 years in China. With an influx of foreign capital flowing into the city, economy has taken off and along with its upcoming Shanghai-Expo event; the city is quickly becoming the centre of attention.

  Best representing Shanghai's emergence as an international city is the establishment of ‘Xintiandi', a luxury entertainment district aiming at overseas visitors. Through restoring historical stone houses (shikumen), it has kept the romantic atmosphere associated with the ‘Old Shanghai', and then it was merged with western concepts, contents and interior design to offer its visitors a sense of modern international lifestyle.

  As with all the entertainment districts in the world, food is an important element and Xintiandi offers a variety of cuisine ranging from traditional Shanghai dinning to German gastro pub. I have not tried every single restaurant in this area as that would require a vast sum of money, but out of those I have tried, I would recommend a Japanese tea house named simply as ‘Afternoon Tea'.

  Many of you might know that the Japanese are fond of the British style and culture, traces of which can be found in their mainstream fashion and interior decorations. However, the innovative Japanese never settles for direct copies, they always look to fuse all foreign influences with their own appreciation of style, and as a result, generate a unique form of mix-cultural aesthetic. The general theme of ‘Afternoon Tea' has taken on this idea of fusion, with the entire concept based upon a Victorian tea room but has toned down on the glamour and royalty, instead combined it with a relaxed feel of the Japanese country style. 

  The Japanese are renowned for their dedication to fine detailing and this is again on show within ‘Afternoon Tea'. From their product packaging to food presentation, everything has been designed and arranged to be perfectly in tune with the restaurant's general theme. Once you are in there, you have subconsciously become part of the setting and will follow its guide without realising it. Even in this Shanghai branch, everyone, from the waitress through to the local customers, are without any of the rush and noise frequently associated with the Chinese. To further enhance the sense of relaxation, they offer a variety of fresh, colourful, seasonal cakes and drinks that not only looks lovely, they taste absolutely delicious! And don't let its name fool you, ‘Afternoon Tea' does main meals too and offers a range of lovely salads, pastas and rice dishes. One thing I would definitely recommend is its Japanese chicken curry with rice.

  As stated previously, ‘Xintiandi' offers a lot to its visitors but for me personally, ‘Afternoon Tea' is quietly leading the pack through its mix-cultural mentality, extremely comfortable setting and dedication to achieve perfection down to the smallest of detail. If you ever have the chance to visit Shanghai, make sure you go and enjoy everything ‘Afternoon Tea' has to offer.

Afternoon Tea

3/F, Xintiandi South Plaza, Bldg 6-7, 123 Xingye Lu, Xintiandi
near Huangpi Nan Lu, Metro Line 1 Huangpi Nan Lu Station