European "art of life" draws on the beauty of nature, integrates it into the enjoyment of life, and pays tribute to nature and art. At this moment, Les Bulles, Shanghai's first champagne restaurant, is creating a "living room" that demonstrates the art of European life with its luxurious and elegant space, comfortable and fresh meals, and fine wines with small bubbles.

Modern Paris "Little Paradise"

"There is no doubt that I love champagne. It's a celebration drink." Vladimir Mirabeau, an architect born in northern France, moved to Shanghai and founded VM Architectural Design, creating many spaces in Shanghai that are eye-catching and exude a modern French aesthetic.

In his view, although people have traditionally used champagne to celebrate special moments, or at unforgettable parties such as birthdays or New Year's, in his view,"to be honest, there will actually be a chance to open the bottle on any occasion." As long as you raise your glass, you don't need a special reason to drink champagne, such as eating a large plate of oysters and drinking champagne on a summer vacation by the seaside."It's an amazing 'sinful' pleasure."

Les Bulles has created such a French space in the center of Shanghai City where you can have fun without special reasons. Photography: Zhu Hai Studio

For VM, Champagne is an iconic French drink-only high-end sparkling wines from the Champagne province of northeastern France can be called Champagne-"a symbol of French luxury and the art of life." Therefore, he also tried his best to create a strong French atmosphere in the design of Les Bulles.

When you walk into Les Bulles, you are most easily moved by color. White marble with natural veins fills the space, and the space is divided by green, such as velvet chairs and sofa seats. Natural green plants serve as partition decorations, and embellished with brass elements. With various decorations, a modern champagne restaurant came into being, elegant and comfortable.

Vladimir Mirabeau re-demonstrates the traditional codes of Champagne eateries in modern ways, such as the mirror he used in Les Bulles."You can always find a mirror in a Parisian eatery. You can use the reflection of the mirror and use a little eye contact to flirt with your neighbor." French romance is contained in these details.

Les Bulles is also infused with many elements of champagne. Natural marble highlights the elegance and charm of champagne. The round pattern reminds people of the fine bubbles of champagne, which also echoes the name of Les Bulles."les bulles" in French means bubbles. Green comes from the color of the champagne bottle. When paired with the brass and metal color, it can easily remind people of the champagne itself.

The elements between the green plants, brass base and marble floor in the C-position of Les Bulles Champagne Restaurant collide, surrounded by green and light and shadow, like a French courtyard entering midsummer. Photography: Zhu Hai Studio

Green plants are a distinctive feature of VM's architectural design."I like to incorporate plants into my projects," Vladimir Mirabeau said."It can take customers to a new place, escape from the city, and go to a fresh atmosphere., a little paradise."

This kind of Paris little paradise time is not just during lunch and dinner. The afternoon tea provided by Les Bulles is also worth spending the afternoon, echoing the romantic atmosphere of afternoon tea in the Champagne restaurant. The tableware for afternoon tea specially selects Coralla Maiuri, a brand from Milan and Rome, Italy. It is both noble and elegant, and exudes art., complementing the feelings that Les Bulles brings to guests.

Les Bulles is also keen to bring more artistic products into your field of vision. The teapot used for afternoon tea comes from the same name brand of artist Coralla Maiuri. She applies her experience from more than 20 years in galleries between cups and plates, combining sculpture, painting and porcelain to express the small universe in her heart, and the pattern surfaces and colors she designed are fascinating. Photography: Zhu Hai Studio

Used in Les Bulles are Caravaggio plates, whose design is inspired by the Roman Renaissance and 17th century European Baroque art styles, and named after the six rooms of the Villa Borghese gallery in Rome, in a tribute to Rome. The Caravaggio plate is hand-drawn by craftsmen. The irregular golden pattern of twigs is surrounded by golden circles, and the outer ring is randomly dotted with small golden water drops, echoing the elegance and nobility of Les Bulles as a champagne restaurant, while the irregular middle of the plate The blue, red and orange mottled shapes are like the artist's casual oil paint, with a bit of playfulness and ease. The fairytale dreamy feeling suddenly fills up, echoing the dense bubbles in the champagne glass, making people think.

Coralla Maiuri's Celestial teapot and Caravaggio plate are each hand-painted by craftsmen, with subtle changes in color and decoration making each piece seem like a work of art. Photography: Zhu Hai Studio

Coralla Maiuri's various porcelain products come from Justluxe, a department store on the same floor that is dedicated to searching for exquisite domestic products from around the world. In fact, Justluxe was also designed by Vladimir Mirabeau, which is also adjacent to and echoing Les Bulles. "Both are committed to luxurious products, both in a casual but elegant way," Vladimir Mirabeau hopes,"After a pleasant shopping experience, you can enjoy a glass of champagne with your friends."

Have a day of champagne joy

"Exquisite and approachable, fancy and comfortable, suitable for all occasions throughout the day, offering amazing food and wine." This is the concept that Les Bulles chef Sanna Stefano came to mind when he conceived it. He hopes Les Bulles will not only be a simple Champagne restaurant, but will bring a true European experience to Shanghai guests.

Sanna Stefano once built a La Scala restaurant in Shanghai. In just one year, it was included in the 2020 Michelin Guide Shanghai Plate Restaurants. The chef is the founder of Shanghai's world-renowned food city. He serves as the chef of Les Bulles. Sanna Stefano hopes to break the rules and think about meals, making the Champagne Restaurant a food destination with Michelin restaurant experience and service standards, while maintaining the Champagne Restaurant has a more relaxed and comfortable dining atmosphere that is different from Michelin restaurant.

Chef Sanna Stefano of Les Bulles and his afternoon tea set

When Sanna Stefano conceived the menu, she fully took into account the cultural environment of the restaurant's location and the all-day meeting needs of high-end business people. She not only gave her creativity on the lunch and dinner menu, but also carefully developed and created fancy afternoon tea, and It is equipped with a complete menu and drinks with delicious food served throughout the day.

Sanna Stefano is from Italy. As a chef, he will also inject some "mother's flavor" into the menu, which is undoubtedly a tradition of Italian chefs. "Most chefs are inspired by their mother's dishes, especially in Italy," according to Sanna Stefano."Wherever I go, the best way to bring this love and memory with me is to bring her taste." As a result, in the menu, you can see handmade pasta such as Spaghetti alla chitarra, and pappardelle.

There is no need to be confined to food borders. In the context of globalization, food has long broken national borders, and delicacies from all over the world converge to convey beautiful tastes. Therefore, as a champagne restaurant, Les Bulles is only part of the food. What is more important is the happy atmosphere created by the collision of food and champagne. To this end, Les Bulles not only has a team of professional sommeliers, but also designs the menu to match the dishes according to the acidity and flavor of various wines and Champagne.

Before you can marvel at the delicious food on the plate, the waiter injects a cold golden liquid into your cup, and bubbles rise. Suddenly, a dreamy atmosphere fills in, isolating you from the real world. The scorching sun, high temperatures, noisy noises, etc. have nothing to do with you. At this moment, you just need to enjoy the wonderful afternoon tea time, which belongs only to you and your friends. Photography: Justluxe

The wine list is mainly champagne, with both famous wineries and some flavor small-scale peasant champagne wineries, forming a balance. For example, Egly-Ouriet, the most famous Grower Champagne in the Champagne region. People often say that if you have not tasted Egly-Ouriet Champagne, you have not fully understood the essence of Champagne. Billecart Salmon is an ancient winery with a long history in the Champagne District. The Billecart family moved here since the 15th century to engage in agricultural planting, business and wine making. Two centuries later, the Salmon family also came here, and the two joint ventures were born. Billecart Salmon Champagne, which is now regarded as the top grade by many truly "knowledgeable" champagne lovers. There are also some "young" brands, such as Bruno Paillard. Although "young", it is popular around the world for its quality and appears on the wine lists of more than 400 Michelin restaurants around the world.

What exactly is the European "art of living"? It is difficult to define or describe it in some words or a sentence or two. It is luxurious, elegant, noble, romantic... These words are difficult to exhaust. At this time, you hold up a glass of champagne and sip it. This bubbly liquid seems to have magical effects.