Lady Bund — Shanghai, China

Housed in a handsome turn-of-the-century building on the Huangpu riverfront, Lady Bund cuts a mesmerising figure. Like the city she calls home, this restaurant is a compelling hybrid of east meets west; chef Fukui Susumu serves up a menu of Chinese, Japanese and Singaporean dishes, while the cocktails show distinct Cuban influences. Designer Thomas Dariel punctuated a playful assortment of chairs with locally-sourced objets d’art, and partitioned the dining areas with a distinctively Chinese rattan screen. An interlacing web of copper pipes hover above the herringbone-panelled reception desk, rolls of wall coverings unfurl above the main dining room, and strips of rice paper artfully dangle atop the brass bar. By day a mural of a man’s elaborately tattooed back catches the eye, but the true stars at night are the arched floor-to-ceiling windows, which let in unparalleled views of Shanghai’s glittering skyscrapers.