By Namrita Chow (Shanghai Star )
Updated: 2006-04-24 11:10

So you have a couple of friends visiting Shanghai on business and they need a night out. You've been working hard and need a relaxing evening. The problem is-it's Tuesday.

We decided to start at theGlamour Bar. Its soft cosy corners allowed us to chat amidst super drinks and service. The glittery crystal curtains and the bar adorned with crystal created a glamorous ambience with which to begin our night of revelry. Champagne all round, it is going to be a good night. Even if it was still only Tuesday. Rumours abound of the new bar which is due to open... we are waiting. Ellen, the lovely, soft spoken new recruit from Melbourne is here to set the stage for what promises to be a classy new venue with a definite base in glamour from decadent times. Chandeliers and champagne. With the Bund lights glimmering through. Was I getting carried away?

We nibbled on olives and dabble between intellectual and trivial conversation. We had done the talk, now we needed a walk.

Off we went toFace. The gorgeous old villa in what used to be the Morriss Estate: home of the Western newspaper giant-the largest English language daily-The North China Daily. Built in 1926 there was not a finer example of luxury which commoners like us could sit in 80 years later and still felt the aura of grandeur envelop us.

The building is divided into three floors. (Chinese style; count the ground as the first). The top floor is one of the coolest places to book for a private dinner party. There are dining rooms and a cosy living room plus a lovely terrace; perfect for a drink at twilight with your exclusive dinner guests. But the service could be much better.

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