After my harrowing experience with the air conditioner – I was pretty rattled. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I had a client dinner scheduled that evening and so leaving the final details to Li, I headed to the Bund to meet my contact.
I had decided to book a restaurant which I had not gone to before – El Willy on the Bund. The cuisine is Spanish fusion which made me curious, given that I had lived in Spain nearly 15 years ago now. The location is central, a little farther south than where I had taken my mother last year and it is inside a beautiful building.
As soon as I stepped in past the doorman, I could feel my nerves start to calm. The building had an interior courtyard with the fall wall painted with foliage and the lights slowly changed to bathe the multiple layers. It intrigued me so much that I snapped a couple of photos.
Right as I arrived, I got a call from my client who was running a little late which was a good thing because it gave me the chance to sip some tea, relax- and look at the beautiful view outside the windows. Our table was situated perfectly, giving me access to the view.
The night was clear and crisp and the buildings on the Pudong side of the Bund sparkled. Multiple buildings had moving patterns dancing across the front celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday.

The Bund – though I’ve seen it so many times, it still thrills – you can just see the darkness of the new tallest building against the night sky
Because it was a client dinner – I didn’t take any photos of the food, but I would go back there gladly at any time. We sampled the tapas style plates – the smoked salmon croquettes were amazing, the traditional tortilla almost up to my Spain standards, fresh sardines and coddled eggs with chorizo and walked out with silly smiles on our faces.
El Willy delivered – the food, atmosphere and beautiful views reminded me again why I love Shanghai.
Where do you go when you need to be re-inspired? What rejuvenates you during the darkness of winter?