Everybody is entitled to MY opinion ;)

As unusual this topic may be for a guy in Shanghai, I must admit that I have had my first enjoyable outing at a Shanghai shopping center this past weekend. One of the reasons why I have continued to buy many of the things I wear and use every trip I am back in the US is the whole experience of fighting the crowds, dealing with visually unappealing merchandising, and those ayi sales ladies that follow me around telling me that EVERYTHING looks good on me when I obviously don’t look good in a hot-pink short sleeve dress shirt!
Yet this weekend, I had an amazing day at the mall. (I can’t believe that came out of my mouth…errr, I mean typed that) It started with a quick trip to the new Moon River Diner at the Brilliance Mall out in West Shanghai. This new diner, the third one that owners/operators Greg and Mike have opened is authentic. Great food and selection with burgers, shakes, fries and pies; a great diner atmosphere with checkerboard floors, red vinyl seating, and juke box running; and fantastic service from a new staff. Opened only 2 weeks ago, this place already looks like it is ready for the crowds. When I arrived Saturday morning, Moon River was almost full. Yet, everyone was smiling; the kids, the families and the staff.

After a fantastic brunch, I decided it was time to explore this beautiful open air mall as it was so NOT SHANGHAI. Designed by a Las Vegas Architect specializing in mall designs, the Brilliance Mall has a feel like no other place I have been in Shanghai. Spacious outdoor-space surrounded by 4 floors of boutique retail stores and restaurants. Great for families as the anchor tenants are Century Mart (SuperMarket), Decathalon (Sports Super Store), Yolo Electronics, and the Friendship Department Store, and downstairs is a home store called HOLA (Home super store) and a Pines SuperMarket. The top floor houses a children’s activity center (read Arcade) and a Kids Golf school and Music school.
But its not any particular store that makes this place, it was the combination of the look and feel of the place as well as the way that the staff at the stores were more relaxed and treated customers like we expect to back at home. The sales staff let me browse around, look at the products, ask questions and try things on without all that extra BS commenting. They provided service with a smile, even when I did NOT buy anything. The population density out in the suburbs probably lent itself well to making it a more comfortable feeling place to be as it never felt crowded in the stores or mall. That is a big big plus in my book.


Shopping in the suburbs, especially in a developed area most certainly is a nice break from fighting the crowds in the city. While I cannot comment on the selection of fashion or products, I can say that given the recent cooler weather, this mall out in Hong Qiao is one fine piece of work and a great place to spend an afternoon either alone or with family.
Brilliance West Mall is located at the intersection of Xian Xia West Rd and Jian He Rd. It is about a 17rmb taxi ride from the Zhong Shan Park Metrostation.