Monday: Had dinner with lawyer friend who has worked in China for twenty years. I saw the long distance codes flash up on his iPhone. Everyone calls China now. It no longer waits to woo the outside world. EXPO will ram home this reality. Whilst my friend was taking his call I surveyed the Shangri-la, Pudong Shanghai, buffet. Having lived out of a case for seven years in Asia I have seen some of the best buffets in the world, but this hotel has to win hands down.
Malaysian crab, Indian barjees, British beef and Japanese sushi tempt Texans in ten gallon hats, Irish with eyes wide and British businessmen bamboozled by the sheer variety. The attention to detail is impeccable. I wander around and glance in the kitchens. Pristine surfaces; regularly wiped splashes from the sides of pots; immaculately dressed chefs.
In the back of my mind I recall a meeting in Shandong last week. The young dynamic head of investment whom we met for dinner informed us that Shangri-la hotels were soon to open in his home town two hours outside Beijing. Other Chinese devotees of the Malaysian Chinese owned chain had recently informed me that the hotel empire would soon spread its tentacles to Paris and London (by 2012). Shangri-la is a brand with ambition. The clientele are predominately wealthy Chinese with taste; they prefer Paris to London but will make an exception for the Olympics in 2012. But what about the Brits? Will the Savoy grill crowd succumb to the subtleties of Shangri-la? Will they be seduced by the impeccable buffet, the wall-tanks of blue fish and the cascading water walls? Will they be sensitive to the feng-shui’ed rooms, the bathroom as main room, the breathtaking views and the bookmarks bearing quotations from Lost Horizon on the pillow? I asked my lawyer friend who is a fan of both the Savoy and Shangri-la; his bet is that the Brits will be converted by the sheer professionalism of the service at Shangri-la. As I watched the multinational diners dig in, I had to agree. Western appetite for Chinese style is far from sated. Our taste buds have only been whetted. Soon Chinese will be watching their London lawyer taking calls in Shangri-la, W1.
