The strong Jiangnan flavors of The Bund House, a Black Pearl restaurant in Shanghai's Bund

By the Huangpu River with lights reflecting on the water, just across the street lies the Black Pearl restaurant The Bund House. This high-end establishment specializes in river, lake, and seafood delicacies. The corridor space features ingenious design, where industrial-style concrete walls blend with Baroque crystal chandeliers and vintage carved mirror frames, creating a unique atmosphere. Half of the floor is dedicated to private dining rooms with maximum privacy, adorned with exquisite hand-painted wallpaper, meticulously carved door handles, along with dazzling chandeliers and views of the century-old Bund outside the window. Among the cold dishes, I particularly enjoyed: 🐓 The free-range white-cut chicken with its golden, translucent skin - simply dipped in ginger-scallion soy sauce, its natural freshness is utterly captivating The seemingly ordinary 🧈 chicken broth tofu skin rolls are actually the pinnacle of home-style cooking, instantly evoking the authentic old Shanghai vibe The hot dishes were even more impressive: Braised eel 🥘 with sections so tender they stick to your lips, the rich sauce permeating every fiber - this is the soul of Shanghainese cuisine with its signature thick oil and red sauce 🍲 Home-style braised reservoir turtle with giant fried dough sticks - the gelatinous edges soft like agar, with such rich texture they cling to your lips, paired with crispy fried dough sticks soaked in delicious broth, a perfect fusion of crunch and umami The "Crab Supreme" dish won my heart not for its abundance of crab meat, but for the cabbage soaked in incredibly flavorful broth - tender and delightful For carbs lovers, the 🍲 rice crust claypot rice with eel, scallops and shrimp delivers maximum satisfaction. Dessert 🍮 tangerine peel red bean soup paired with 🥧 seaweed and cashew pastry - the red bean paste velvety smooth, the seaweed pastry savory and crisp, a perfect sweet-and-salty ending to the meal.