Restaurant guide to Shanghai - Western-style food

Eating out is one of the highlights of the day, especially if you happen to be in Shanghai. However, noodles, rice and tofu can get boring in the long run, so in order to bring some variety to the menu, Radio86 checked out three restaurants serving Western-style food.

A Future Perfect – Western fusion

If you are tired of always eating Chinese noodles and long for some Western food in your life, then Future Perfect is the best place to go. The futuristic interior scheme of this restaurant caused a lot of ’hype’ when the place opened almost two years ago. Today, it no longer receives as much ecstatic praise as it did in the beginning, but the talent of its chefs and its pulsating atmosphere still continue to draw crowds. The location of the restaurant in a small alley in Huashan Lu makes it somewhat hard to find, but it also allows you to enjoy your food without being disturbed by the constant sound of traffic. On warm summer nights we recommend eating in the restaurant's "garden," which is in fact a glass terrace (which is heated in the winter and used year round, although it can be quite cold in wintertime) but given the restaurant's beautiful and innovative interior, many often prefer to sit inside.

The menu offers everything from burgers to pasta, steaks, salads, lamb and fish. The more experimental dishes include, for example, pumpkin pancakes with smoked salmon or chicken sesame salad. A bread basket before the main course is almost a must, because all the breads are baked in the restaurant's own oven. A long wine list and good service make many customers want to prolong their stay in the diner after eating and enjoy a cocktail or a coffee. The selection of desserts is also very enticing, and Future Perfect's chocolate cake in particular is a chocolate lover's dream come true! Prices of main courses range from 8.50 to 21 euros. The restaurant is also open for breakfast and lunch.

Address: A Future Perfect, 16, Lane 351 Huashan Lu, near Changshu Lu. +86 (0)21 6248 8020.
Closest metro station: Line two, Jing’an Temple.

Black Café – Dinner in the dark

Black Café. (Image: Jonna Wibelius)Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be blind and live in constant darkness? Shanghai's Black Cafe offers you the chance to step into the shoes of a blind person. Here meals are served in complete darkness and the blind service personnel are the ones who can navigate the place the best.

The concept for eating in the dark comes from a restaurant offering a similar dining experience called Dans Le Noir in Paris. According to Black Café's owner Ken, the darkness gives guests the possibility to enjoy food with their sense of taste rather than with their eyes. The concept is also designed to promote understanding of blind people in today's society.

Black Café is divided into two areas of which one is lit and the other one is dark. In the lighted area guests can enjoy cocktails and snacks before their meal (people who have a fear of the dark may also eat their entire meals here). The dark zone cannot be described by any other words than by saying that it is pitch black.

Restaurant customers are asked to leave their bags and other belongings in a small locker before venturing into the dark zone because cell phones and other electronic devises that give off light are not suited for a place designed to be completely dark. Once seated, guests have the choice of three menus (chicken, steak or fish), which are all served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The choices of appetizers include a soup and a salad and a dessert is also included in the price of the dinner. Prices of different menus fall between 18 and 26.50 euros.

Black Café. (Image: Jonna Wibelius)When the dishes arrive, guests need to feel their way about and try to find the best method for eating. Most guests quickly give up on the idea of eating with chopsticks and decide to use their bare hands. It is a good idea to not wear one's best attire to the restaurant as the experience can be quite a messy one.

This new concept has been well received in Shanghai and those keen to try it out should reserve a table several weeks in advance. Due to the special circumstances in the dark room and the blind staff, the restaurant only receives small parties.

Address: 65 Maoming Bei Lu, near Yan'an Lu, +86 (0)21 5228 6575.
Closest metro station: Line one, Shanxi Nan Lu.

La Crêperie – More than pancakes

La Crêperie. (Image: Jonna Wibelius)Something wonderful happened in Shanghai in June of this year: three French creperies opened their doors at the same time, and in no time at all, the thin French pancakes they were selling had become the hottest thing around. Several months later, after the initial crepe hysteria subsided, this delicacy remains very popular among fans of French cuisine.

La Crêperie, one of Shanghai's most popular creperies, is all about letting your fantasies take flight. The food on the menu falls into two main categories, namely savory and sweet crepes. Savory crepes are made from buckwheat flour and sweet crepes from regular wheat flour. Savory crepes are filled with either seafood or meat fillings. After the customer has decided whether he or she wants a crepe with ham, spinach, chicken, egg, cheese, bacon or crustaceans, it only takes a moment for the dish to be prepared. The rolled up crepes may at first seem small, but are in fact quite huge once you start eating. It is important not to eat too much, so as to save some room for the sweet crepes as well, after all, who would like to miss out on some crispy pancakes filled with ice cream, whipped cream, lemon, syrup, apricots or other fruit? Whether a fan of pancakes or not, the delicious savory crepes are likely to tempt most everyone's palate. One the the most popular dishes is buckwheat crepes with smoked ham and goat cheese, with a side of salad and apple sauce.

Address: The place: La Crêperie, 1 Taojiang Lu, near Dongping Lu, +86 (0) 21 5465 9055.
Closest metro station: Line one, Hengshan Lu.