SHANGHAI BARS:

1. Blarney Stone - typical Irish bar. Good place to go.
2. Sasha's - large bar set in a old house. Great place to go, with lots of outdoor seating. Also has a pool table inside. 11 Dongping Lu 6474-6628.
3. Cotton's - great bar set in an old house with a large outdoor garden, complete with four poster bed. 132 Anting Lu 6433-7995.
4. O'Malley's Irish Pub - Irish pub obviously. Lots of seating inside and out and usually a good place to hang out. 42 Taojiang Lu 6474-4533.
5. Paulaneer Brauhaus - German brewhouse and restaurant. A few locations, the one in Xintiandi is big with lots of outdoor seating, good for people watching while having a beer.
6. Upstairs at Park 97 - big club with a few different bars downstairs. Busy, loud, live band, pool table. #2 Gao Lan Road, Fuxing Park (corner of Si Nan Road) www.lankwaifong.com.

SHANGHAI FOOD:

1. JW Marriott - great Sunday brunch with or without alcohol included. Make a reservation 5359-4969. Chinese restaurant is very good too.
2. Simply Thai - our favourite Thai restaurant. Very good food, especially the green chicken curry. Moderately priced for Shanghai, with a few locations. www.simplythai-sh.com/simplythai/.
3. Coconut Paradise - Thai food, nice setting. Good prices and food. 6248-1998.
4. Element Fresh - various sandwiches, salads, fresh juices and smoothies and more. Really good spot and very busy during peak times, but fast turnover. Various locations, great for lunch. www.elementfresh.com.
5. Jean-Georges Restaurant - French fine dining at a fine dining price. Good food and good views of The Bund (located at 3 on The Bund) 6321-7733.
6. Laris - International fine dining, with good views of The Bund (3 on The Bund) and good food 6321-9922.
7. M on The Bund - International menu, good food and views of the Bund. Good spot for lunch (usually has specials) with an outdoor patio to take pictures from. 6350-9988.
8. New Heights - another favourite with good views and ambiance. Varied menu at moderate prices, with good desserts. Make a reservation because it's quite popular, located at 3 on The Bund 6321-0909.
9. VaBene - Italian restaurant in Xintiandi. Overall it was okay, but you can find better at a similar price. Setting was fairly nice. Best to make a reservation for most dinner spots in this popular area 6311-2211.
10. 1001 Nights - Middle-Eastern food, with a belly dancer show. Food was okay and priced accordingly. I personally would not return, but others like it. 6473-1178.
11. California Pizza Kitchen - pizza, pasta, salads, etc. Moderate pricing and fairly good food. Located in Shanghai Centre, 6279-8032.
12. South Beauty - Sichuan food, very good. Made a reservation, but was brought to a dirty table. Difficult to order a cocktail as English was limited, and then waiter got it wrong and we were made to feel extremely uncomfortable while they decided whose fault it was, ours or his. They gave us the benefit of the doubt after quite some time and when the waiter returned he was limping!?! This was a bit concerning. Overall the service was not good, but the food was. Would probably not return due to the poor service, dirty table, no napkins, etc. Make a reservation if you decide to go, various locations.
13. Shanghai Uncle - Shanghainese food. Like many Chinese restaurants the location we went to was very large. The food was good, but not as good as we expected from what we read in the guide books. I think it is something you could miss in your visit to Shanghai. If you go though, make a reservation as it seems to be popular.
14. Luna - located in Xintiandi. It is usually quite busy and the food is fairly good at moderate prices. Has indoor and outdoor seating. 6336-1717.
15. Slice - one located in Shanghai Times Square mall 93 Huaihai Zhong Lu. Pretty good place for lunch and can buy cheeses, olives and other things to take home.
16. A Future Perfect - Really good restaurant in a nice house with outdoor seating too. Serves meats, fish, pasta, and more. Old House Inn, lane 351, house 16 Huashan Lu near Changshou Lu intersection (you need to walk down a lane to get to it) 6248-8020.
17. Casanova - Italian Restaurant, pretty good, need a reservation. No. 913 Ju Lu Road 5403-4528. www.casanova.com.cn.
18. Yin par le garcon chinois - good Chinese restaurant, need a reservation. Old Jinjiang Hotel gate no. 2, no. 59 Maoming Nan Lu 5466-5070 or 5466-5078.