The Bund, the beautiful...and the Oriental Pearl

Lining the majestic Huangpu River, the life-blood of Shanghai, and the demarkation point between Puxi and Pudong, the Bund signifies everything that the Puxi side is...brash, bold and beautiful.  Known in Shanghai first as the English settlement and then later as the "International settlement" (how thoroughly cosmopolitan), the Bund became the major financial hub of East Asia at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century, reaching its glamourous best in the 30's and 40's.    Much of that Shanghai has disappeared but on the Bund today, you can still enjoy a taste of that elegance, albeit newly reinvented, and partake in world class food, drink and, I must say, company, in authentically  swish deco surrounds.  In fact, I was most fortunate to enjoy the wonderful hospitality of one such culinary establishment, M on Bund, and experience wonderful victuals and the wonderful views across the river to that amazing structure that is the Oriental Pearl.   How could I top an experience such as that... by settling in at a similarly swish cocktail bar of course, right in the middle of Shanghai's Dolce et Gabanna store, a mere hop, step and stagger away on the Bund.  I can't think of a more perfect place to enjoy a jaw-dropping Nicolas Feuillatte Cuvée Palmes d'Or 1996 champagne.  As I have said before...anything is possible in Shanghai.