Kitschy coffee time
(Belgian style cafe: Shanghai, China)
I am sure my family will recall this place with much fondness, even if it was a complete shocker visually. Do not be fooled by the sumptuously European-esque décor, the menu (although it could be described as fusion) was firmly in the realms of Asian cuisine and all of us enjoyed a Japanese style bento box of exciting dishes. There are further images of the goofball sisters eating with chopsticks, but I don’t feel I need to showcase their efforts, however stoical.* I also took a photograph of an enormous painting that was set on the spiralling staircase up to the restaurant – you can possibly make it out in the far central right. It depicts a white horse, nostrils flaring, rearing up with what appears to be Napolean in the saddle.
The entire restaurant was so detailed and imaginative; it was a magnificent inspiration, even if the visionary involved had misplaced their efforts on a lowly café – this sort of talent should be reserved for something grander. I think the biggest surprise to all of us was the from the outside, this café seemed innocuously to advertise coffee and light meals. Yes, perhaps the curtains were mildly chintzy, but once we ascended the (faux) marble staircase, the full glamour of our lunch was revealed. All the waitresses were turned out in little outfits; part French maid and part Alpine fraulein. If you’re ever near the Jade Buddha temple in Shanghai, turn left and look on the crossroads for coffee. You won’t be disappointed by the food or the décor, unless you’re a diehard modernist.
*I jest! I was proud of their abilities with chopsticks, as well as with their general manner. Asia is a complex place, riddled with contradictions and the ever-present dichotomy between East and West – for a newcomer like myself, it is difficult to gauge situations unless they have been met before.
I think this kind of setting is very peculiar in the restaurants in China,
Singapore or even any other big cities in Asia. However, with some
knowledge of the history of this big city, perhaps, one may understand
better.