I don’t often make it to the Chinese restaurant scene in our Strip hotels because of my preference for Italian or all American taste-treats. I’ll go for sushi and sake if Asian makes the mood but typically Chinese is not in my fortune cookie. However I’m now of a different mind after being put under the spell of Shanghai Lilly at Mandalay Bay.

A wonderful legend is attached to the striking restaurant- and with the Olympics being set for Beijing next summer we may as well all get into the traditions in advance. Back in the 20’s and 30’s Shanghai was the renowned cultural center of China and all of Asia. By day she was the anonymous benefactor of the city’s leading art museum and other charitable endeavors. The source of her wealth was unknown but she was a strong presence in leading philanthropic circles. The rare few who dealt with her spoke of her beauty and charm. She appeared only in closed door meetings and her picture was never seen – even in the society pages. Rich or poor, young or old, almost all of Shanghai’s citizens knew of her and revered her. By night she became creator and owner of the city’s finest dining establishments. She was Shanghai’s most dazzling hostess in both its famous and infamous entertainment districts. She was beautiful, rich, alluring and notorious. Her name: Shanghai Lilly! The gorgeous stunning slit-sarong staff at the restaurant are keeping her legend intact and the fabulous food served up by chefs from both mainland China and Taiwan is exquisite! Add it to your list of ‘must-eat-there’!

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 27th, 2007 at 10:41 am and is filed under Misc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.