By Written by Kristi Lanier
Updated: 2006-08-11 11:04

Venchi

Put those M&Ms away, Venchi has set up on the first floor. This gourmet chocolatier hails from Italy’s Piedmont region – the place that first tipped the Swiss off about cocoa. Venchi’s first Shanghai store features its all-natural truffles, nougats, pralines, and of course, bars of pure chocolate. To ensure top quality, some chocolates are made in China from Venchi recipes while the sturdier, packaged ones are imported from Italy. The salesclerks, probably in high spirits from all the chocolate fumes, will be thrilled to guide you through the many products on offer. Prices are steep but you really do get what you pay for.

Old Fashioned Stereo

This hole-in-the-wall fourth floor shop sells stereos with retro-style designs. The newly manufactured units feature combinations of CD and cassette players, AM/FM radios, and turntables cleverly disguised in vintage reproductions circa 1930. You’ll pay RMB 560 for a simple AM/FM radio and up to RMB 4,980 for a unit that includes the lot – plus a phonograph horn-style speaker for that extra-antique look. Choose from 11 different models, some with a specially designed stand.

Lucky Greens

Shanghai’s first mini-golf course isn’t the amusement park type with waterfalls, windmills, and ball-gobbling animatronics. Rather, the jungle-themed 18-hole course decorated with dangling vines and broad-leafed plants challenges putt-putters with small hills, banked shots and bridges. In a sixth-floor space that runs the length of several storefronts, they’ve artfully packed the course with driving ranges, and a snack and lounge area. A round of golf costs RMB 35 for adults, RMB 25 for children, and university students with ID.

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