Shanghai

Mesa
Mix and match

748 Julu Lu (near Fumin Lu)
021 6289 9108

Mesa, which sits on the most gastronomically interesting section of Julu Lu in the French Concession, has offered what owner and executive chef Steve Baker calls ¡°modern Australian cuisine¡± for the last three years. Already a popular night spot, with its spacious wooden patio upstairs and its attached bar, Manifesto, offering scores of speciality martinis, the restaurant has introduced a new lunch menu for the area¡¯s busy office types. Rather than ordering ¨¤ la carte, you can choose between two (RMB98), three (RMB128) or four (RMB158) courses, mixed any way you like (as long as you only choose one of the meaty main courses). Highlights include a delicious cauliflower soup and a tender braised lamb shank that slips right off the bone as you cut into it. The idea was for a quick, in-and-out meal for busy people ¨C and the swift service meets that end ¨C but on a sunny day along the quiet, tree-lined street, you may find yourself wanting to linger a while.

Beijing

Saveurs de Cor¨¦e
Seoul savoured

Nanluogu Xiang Dongcheng
Tel: 010 64016083

When the scaffolding came down and the hammers were all cleared away recently, Nanluogu Xiang emerged as the most chic street in Beijing¡¯s old heart. Refurbished with taste and tact for the locals who pedal around this old citadel (it¡¯s only a 10-minute stroll from the imposing Drum Tower), Nanluogu Xiang¡¯s quaint charm has also drawn a recent wave of caf¨¦s and restaurants. Korean cooking with a French name, design right out of Wallpaper magazine and wireless internet to boot, Saveurs de Cor¨¦e is, despite its many guises, still the most coherent dining option on the narrow old street. The menu, which scales from RMB38 for four courses to RMB80 for six courses, is old-school Korean, but the dishes are delicate and modestly proportioned, lending themselves to exploration. Such as the pancake- like haemul, shrimp and squid fried with egg, grated turnip and green onions. And the deep-fried tofu with onion sauce drizzled on top. One of the strengths of the menu is the extensive list of teas. Cold peppermint tea helped to tone the kimchi, which came stir-fried and accompanied by a sweet pumpkin sauce.