This is a beautiful restaurant overlooking what would appear to be an artificial lake and the exquisite skyscrapers of the Pudong area of Shanghai. From a historical perspective, it is located in what is known as Xian Tian Di, the French concession area of Shanghai, which is a beautiful, tree-lined section with very upscale shopping. Across the street is one of the most historic buildings in all of China, the building where Mao Tse-Tung formed the Communist Party, which is retained as an historical monument.

This gorgeous restaurant has equally superb food. We had some of their specialities, which were terrific. The “drunken chicken” is actually served cold and is very flavorful, but even better, in my opinion, was the absolutely exquisite beancurd noodle soup, another house specialty. The braised pork belly was superb, as was the best fried rice of my entire trip, the specialty fried rice at Villa du Lac.

The service was impeccable and the wines simple, from a straightforward, waxy, honeysuckle-infused 2006 Caymus Conundrum, to Jadot’s pleasant cherry-scented and -flavored 20005 Beaujolais from the appellation of Brouilly. This is another restaurant that I would highly recommend for visitors to Shanghai.