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A Garden in The Night Sky Articles / Nightlife Posted by angelmae701 on Nov 06, 2009 - 04:31 PM |
A Garden in The Night SkyKevin Smith We ate at the end of the walkways, in the Cantonese restaurant’s main dining room. Majestically seated on the white table clothes are our place mats, two jade tablets, each marked with the Paradise Garden trademark. The crowd is a mix of Shanghai elite, the all-expected business dinner with Chinese characteristics, drinking and dining, with a side course of business, a spattering of romantic couples, and others. Unfortunately, the gods did not see it fit to make this an auspicious evening for dining outside. Their outdoor balcony, offering grand views of The Pearl Tower and many of Lujiazui’s other big names, which would have been both elegant and airy. But, tonight they were especially wet and windy-blasted. Waving my angry fist at the gods, I straightened my shirt and made myself proper before re-entering Cantonese sophistication, I ventured back in to the dragons and traditional colors. With a mildly dark, slightly bitter cut of Pu’er Tea contrasting nicely with a chilly Luxemburg pilsner, the Bofferding, I was ready to begin. Similar to a western restaurant’s complimentary bread baskets, each table was provided with a small dish offering two treats: green beans, minced pork and chilies and a lima bean and tofu, each with their own sauce, a soy for the spicy, and a spicy for the tofu. The Sweet and Sour Short Ribs, cut into bite sized pieces, the bones minimal, a thick sweetness leaving the sour a friendly afterthought was delicious. While I’m not a big fan of bean curd, the Shredded Tofu with powdered shrimp roe, a cold dish, was enjoyed by my partner. The Sea Cucumber was generous, the steamed Broccoli kept warm and the Gu Lao Rou, a sweet and sour pork, was similar in taste to the short ribs. To show balance as Chinese favor the yin and the yang of all things, a proud northern dish, Lightly fried, perfectly crispy Beijing chicken, its meat thick and white, with both lemon and salt for dipping was an excellent end to the Cantonese meal. For an evening that leaves you desiring an upscale surroundings, where prices aren’t a concern, make your way to Jin Mao’s Paradise Garden and allow yourself the royal touch. Paradise Garden
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This story comes from Shanghai Expat http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1104333 |
Strolling along one of the twin walkways that flank the Cantonese restaurant’s sides, my eyes followed a singular tunnel of lights snaking above the entirety of the restaurant, a reflection of the dragon and how tied in Paradise Garden is with Chinese Traditionalism. Decorated throughout in rich crimson reds and glittering gold, to my right were private rooms beyond glass walls and shimmering screens to one side. And to my left, a large opening that let you look onto the six floors below. I began to feel a bit like royalty as I moved ahead.