Morning breakfast at Shanghai Starbucks Roastry

The Shanghai Starbucks Roastery is huge. Spanning 30,000 square feet it is made up of 2 levels. 

Coffee and food were served on the first floor. The stations on level one are Main Bar, Pairing Bar and Princi (Bakery) 

Tea and spirits and food are served on the second floor. The stations on level two are Teavana and Long Bar and  of course the newly created station Mixato.

The place is packed on a weekday late morning but seats can still to be found relatively easily.

Starbucks inhouse tea brand Teavana

The journey of the bean - the roasting journey. And its one of the rare places you can buy freshly roasted coffee beans for own consumption.

The food from Princi. The pizza is served warmed but not so for the bread. I requested to for the bread to be heated up but was refused? stating that it has to be served cold. It was only when i insisted that they obliged.

Unusual latte art on my Latte.
And this must be really difficult to make. The more complex and intricate the pattern, the more skills required. So yes, i am impressed.

Checking out the bar Mixato before we go. I was recommended the special blended cocktail named Lemon velvet. In chinese the drink is named 冰川之光 which after translation is Glacier Glow which is a more apt description of the drink. 

Ingredients of the drink is vodka, lemon sorbert, fresh lemon juice, cold brew coffee, hazelnut syrup, topped with sze chuan pepper and served with a a small sparking sidecar.  

Champagne and cocktails do go well together.

Service is impeccable except for the time when i am requested for a hot meal. The person that helped your order is assigned to certain tables so you can't call just any one to order your meal. The process will be so much more seamless if you are paying cashless. You only need to wait for the food to be serve after ordering at your table. 

But we are paying cash, so we need to head to the stations to make payment instead. 

Overall, it is a interesting experience in a cafe where you observed coffee being roasted and dizzying array of displays all the while enjoying a good hearty breakfast. 

Shanghai Bund - A transition from day to night

The iconic Shanghai bund 外滩 is a must see in Shanghai. 

It is a representation of bygone heydays of the past as a powerful center of foreign influence in Shanghai. 




The buildings fronting the Huangpu river are clearly distinct opposites.
With art-deco and western style buildings lining one side of river while on the opposite are modern high rise buildings with the most distinct being the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower (the tallest building in Shanghai at present moment).






The night and day scenes of the Shanghai bund is also dramatically different. 
If time permits it will be good to enjoy the views of the day and night. But of course, the night views offers the spectacular light show along the waterfront from 7 pm till late. 

Round up the night with live jazz music at the Peace Hotel Old Jazz Bar. Reservations must be made in advance. This place is highly popular and reservations are difficult. We are lucky to make some last minute reservation for 10 pm when we are walking around Shanghai Bund. 

Music was great with a lady belting out old time favourite songs from Teresa Deng or performing solo saxophone pieces. A really great way to end the night.