Does this sound familiar? You sit down to enjoy a nice slice of pizza and that little voice in your head says with a sigh: "Augh, matey, what would make this meal really great is some Depeche Mode". With a nod to that little voice in all of us, Barbanera has docked in Shanghai. Now, for all you cooler-than-thou hipsters who sneer at pirate-themed, new wave discos with fantastic pizza and a respectable wine selection, we invite you to let your pretensions walk the plank and give in to the guilty pleasure that is Barbanera.

What makes this place-against all odds-work? First, the bar's decor deftly navigates through the stormy seas of kitsch.

Instead of Disneyesque 'yo ho ho' pirate ambiance, imagine Captain Ahab and Morrissey as morose star-crossed soul mates, moving to Chelsea and opening a neighborhood bar together. A warm, rich palette of reds and mahoganies brings the design together, and plush velvet seating will satisfy even the most discriminating swashbuckler.

Our favorable first impressions were justified with overly-generous wine pours; after two glasses of a delightful Montepulciano (RMB 50), our party was Safety Dancing in our booth. That said, the cocktails were disappointing, defying the common-sense notion that pirates make good Mojitos (RMB 40).

And with the gallant Captain Luciano at the helm, the service is genuine, if at times a bit overbearing. But that small fault is easily offset by the Captain's sea tales: we overheard him telling a customer that the inspiration for the bar's decor came from a friend in the Tuscan town of Acquaviva who owned a successful pirate-themed disco. So why not bring the idea to Shanghai, along with Italy's more renowned exports-pizza and wine? Why not, indeed? If your idea of a pleasure cruise is to have a good time away from the city's snootier privateers, then this is one ship worth boarding.