Sometimes, it seems like almost everyone in Shanghai is here for one thing.  Some fly here on company-paid business class tickets from overseas, some arrive on hard seat train tickets from the fields of Anhui, and some come from the longtan down the street in crisply pressed dress shirts handwashed by their mothers.  What’s the common denominator?  Money.  It makes the world go round, and it brings people from around the world to Shanghai.

In this city of haves and have-nots, the haves flaunt their fortunes with Louis Vuitton handbags, and the have-nots flaunt their aspirations with shanzhai versions (or, in an act of naked striving, painstakingly save for months for the real thing).  Historically known as the Whore of the Orient, Shanghai has always been a place to indulge in luxury and excess.  Who doesn’t want to live la dolce vita?

But what if you reach into your pockets, and find that they aren’t so deep?  Maybe you’re a student, an artist, an English teacher, or you’re just trying to save your Maos for a fabulous holiday.  Never fear - there are ways to capture the decadent essence of Shanghai without going broke.  I tested out seven posh-sounding experiences, all for 200 RMB or less, and deliver the results of this grueling work to you here.

Beautiful and luxe, the semi-hidden (it's on the 2nd floor after stepping through a nondescript entrance and tiny steep staircase - watch your head!), El Coctel is owned by the famous Willy of El Willy restaurant. It's actually relatively empty early in the evening, until about 10 or 11PM when it really fills up (remember to make a reservation or the bouncer at the door will simply refuse you entry).The staff are absolutely top-notch. Fluent in English, polite, extremely attentive, and prompt. One of the best service experiences I've had in Shanghai. I love the eclectic mix of plush couches and ottomans though it was curious they had some sort of Buddhist(?) offering in the middle of the room against the wall.

We were delighted that they served us complimentary filtered water, not boiled tap water, upon us being seated. We were also treated to a little bowl of fluffy popped corn that was slightly salted and slightly sweet. Very tasty and lovely to nibble on with our cocktails.

I've been to Cristal only once before, and clearly they have massively improved this time round in terms of service and quality of food. It's more of a "nice-dining" restaurant. As in, it's not as exorbitantly priced as fine-dining, but certainly not a cheap cafe. It sits nicely in between and is actually really close to where we live, but we hadn't yet found an occasion to go again. Located on the 4th floor of a shopping mall at Nanjing West station, it's easy to miss and relatively unknown unless you've heard about the restaurant and are specifically going there for a meal. What a hidden treasure :) Last weekend 8 of us decided to try out Cristal's Brunch set menu, which at 178 RMB (3-course) or 198 RMB (4-course) turned out to be ONE AMAZING DEAL that had all of us surprised and delighted. The quality of the ingredients was superb, the presentation was fine-dining style, the service was polite and attentive, and the menu actually underplayed the variety and quantity of food that we would be served. It was flat-out impressive and all of us were raving about the value of the brunch. I am most definitely going back and recommending visitors to go there for a relaxed, sunlit weekend brunch.