With only 4 other customers you would expect the staff to be pretty attentative. Unfortunately it required some effort on our part to even get a menu, the following service was not much better.
According to the Russians I was dining with, the food wasn't particuarly authentic (authentic by name but not by taste), but one could forgive them as it must be difficult to get the correct ingredients in Shanghai. But while one can forgive the lack of complete authenticity, one cannot forgive the price. While the price is not majorly high, the portions are quite small, so it's really not great value for money. I am not a rich expat and I dislike spending over 100 yuan on a meal unless I am getting something special.

This is where the problem lies. If the ingredients are not authentic, but are infact every day Chinese goods, how can a higher price be justified?

Now, concerning the vodka.
While I was disappointed by the lack of 'Russian Standard' Vodka (which is available in SH) the selection was pretty good.
The fact that I have forgotten the brand I bought can be seen as a good sign of it's potency.

So, an fairly enjoyable night once the vodka started to flow, but the food is nothing to write home about. I feel that with this being the only Russian Restaraunt in Shanghai the Flying Elephant doesn't feel the need to really try. Perhaps I was unlucky with the service, so give it a shot and you may enjoy it.