Here are 4 tips for staying cool and hip in Shanghai when the heat is on. Thanks to Sam Braybon of Bespoke Shanghai for sharing these with us:
RACE UP THE SHANGHAI TOWER!
We’ve been making a splash with our exclusive preview tours of the
Shanghai Tower. This slinky new skyscraper is the second tallest in the
world but – take this, Dubai – its 118th floor observation deck is in fact
the highest on earth. The building has yet to officially open to the public
but Bespoke has been given a set of keys (not literally folks, there is some
serious high-tech jiggery pokery involved here) in order to whisk our
clients up in the super speedy elevators before the tour groups descend
later this year. (Bespoke’s private Shanghai Tower tours require advance
application so please give us 24 hours’ notice should you want to get a
group together to go up).
SCOFF THE CHICEST ICE CREAM IN TOWN
It’s getting hot in here! Shanghai’s sweaty summers are brutal but leave
it to Frenchman Franck Provost to come up with a way to keep us cool in
both senses of the word. Located slap bang in the middle of what we’d
argue is the French Concession’s hippest street, Wukang Lu, WIYF has
been a bit of a sensation since it opened a couple of months back. With
just three flavours on offer, the sensible thing is clearly to order all of them
– but if pushed we’d say the salted caramel is the pick of the bunch. The
perfect end to a walk around Shanghai’s prettiest neighborhood. (WIYF
is at 202 Wukang Lu)
HIT THE DECK AT LE BARON FOR A COOL COCKTAIL
Forget the Bund, the real home of Shanghai’s nightlife is very much the
former French Concession. Le Baron has served as HQ to Shanghai’s
beautiful people for some time now with no sign of slowing down. Generally,
things don’t get moving there until midnight or later but they’ve
now opened up their leafy terrace for early evening cocktails, making it a
perfect spot for that post-meeting aperitif. Insider tip: Le Baron has three
super cool secret karaoke rooms each with its own theme (such as ‘the
bathroom’ with its pillow-lined hot tub!) so if that sundowner turns into a
rager, you don’t need to move an inch. (Le Baron is at 20 Donghu Lu, 7F)
ENJOY AFTERNOON TEA WITH A TWIST AT EL WILLY
Sure, there are a bazillion options for afternoon tea in town, most of them
playing off the city’s 1930s colonial heritage. El Willy, on the other hand,
has ditched the nostalgia in favor of a more contemporary approach:
their delicious selection of appetizers and sweets are served balancing on
a miniature electricity pylon. Why? Who knows, but with the restaurant’s
flair for creative flavors very much in evidence and a fab Bund view to
boot, we won’t begrudge them their quirks! (El Willy is at 22 Zhongshan
Dong Lu, 5F)