Bordeaux A-listers dine under chandeliers at Philippe Chez Dubern (42-44 Allée de Tourny, 05 56 79 07 70). The centre of town has plenty of traditional old-style restaurants, but the livelier dining scene is by the waterside. Quai Armand Lalande, a former submarine harbour, is home to La Dame de Shanghai (Bassin à Flot No.1, Quai Armand Lalande, 05 57 10 20 50), a floating nightclub, bar and fusion French/Chinese restaurant. Alongside is the Café Maritime (Bassin à Flot No.1, Quai Armand Lalande, 05 57 10 20 40), a converted warehouse packed with fashionable folk feeding among exotic eastern artefacts. Should the weather turn foul, take shelter in the Musée Arts Decoratifs’s tea room (39 rue Bouffard, 05 56 52 60 49, closed Sun), hidden in the lodge walls of an elegant townhouse.

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