I want to share a recent find I've made. Shh, it's a secret. Le Jardin Secret to be exact.

Incongruously located in a modern 'creative hub', this cafe-cum restaurant is one of the most beautifully designed eateries I've visited in Shanghai. It was opened a little over five months ago and is run by husband and wife team Sam Sun and Ling Yan. Ling is an interior designer and has spent a year working on Le Jardin - a labour of love which shows in every delicate detail. The pair have trawled Europe sourcing beautiful and interesting antiques. A century-old piano from Budapest welcomes you in, a 1920s typewriter sits atop an art deco glass cabinet and dainty fresh flowers adorn every available surface. The space is warren-like, with tiny rooms here and there separated by lush red velvet drapes. It's both cosy and decadently elegant - like a cross between a post-war living room and the Moulin Rouge.

Sam and Ling fell into the world of restauranteering rather by chance. Their initial venture, Le Petit Jardin on Kangping Lu started life as an antique store, but when Ling realised she couldn't bear to part with the antiques on sale they started serving coffee instead.

The food at Le Jardin Secret won't set your world on fire, but it won't burn a hole in your pocket either- a three course meal for two with wine will set you back about RMB400. The menu is largely Italian, but imaginative enough to pique interest. But what you'll come here for is the atmosphere. I have sat for hours during the day, supping a coffee and using the calming environment as an encouragement to work. In the evening, with the candles lit and music crooning, it's about as romantic a place as you can get. If you are taking a date, be sure to request the table at the back of the restaurant.

Highly recommended. Check it out here.