Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10
Mr & Mrs Bund
$$$
FRENCH
Paul Pairet opened this casual eatery in 2008, aiming for a space that's considerably more
playful than your average fine-dining restaurant. The mix-and-match menu has a heavy
French bistro slant, but re-imagined and served up with Pairet's ingenious presentation.
Reserve.
(
6323 9898;
www.mmbund.com
;
6th fl, Bund 18, 18 E Zhongshan No 1 Rd; mains ¥150-600;
lunch & dinner, to 4am Tue-Sat;
E Nanjing Rd)
11
el Willy
$$$
The unstoppable energy of colourful-sock-wearing Barcelona chef Willy fuels this new
South Bund space, which ups its charms with a bold selection of creative tapas and cool
river views through the 5th-floor arched windows. Reserve.
(
SPANISH
5404 5757;
www.el-willy.com
;
5th fl, 22 E Zhongshan No 2 Rd; tapas ¥45-165, rice for 2 ¥195-265;
Mon-Sat; taxi)
12
M on the Bund
$$$
The first to pitch up on the waterfront in the closing years of the last millennium, Michelle
Garnaut's winning M on the Bund restaurant remains as crisp as its white linen. The food
is Continental (crispy suckling pig,
magret de canard
), complemented by a gorgeous art
deco interior and 7th-floor terrace. Reserve.
(
CONTINENTAL
6350 9988;
www.m-onthebund.com
;
7th fl, 20 Guang-
dong Rd; mains ¥188-288;
E Nanjing Rd)
Understand
Opium Trade & the Foreign Concessions
Although Shanghai had served as a port city since the 14th century, the seeds of its future as an international trad-
ing hub were not sown until the late 18th century, when British traders based in Canton (Guangzhou) began im-
porting opium to trade for silver, thus correcting a marked trade imbalance. The highly addictive drug rapidly per-
meated all levels of Chinese society, with
hongs
(trading houses) such as Jardine Matheson built upon its trade.
