The writing’s not on the wall here, but rather on the carpet. David Laris’s newest venture, the lanehouse-housed Purple Onion, is all dark wood, magenta and aubergine, and it’s got some of the trademark Laris swagger to it. In the middle of the restaurant is a thick, plush rug from cutting-edge interior design firm Lime 388 bearing the words: “I don’t care if Eminem is purple as long as he can rap.”

Eminem’s proven himself by now, and with eats like the sublime roasted portobello on grilled Turkish bread with speck, Gruyère and garlic (RMB68), Purple Onion is making a name for itself as well. The bread is baked in-house then grilled, giving it the toasty smoky flavor that melds orgasmically with the imported Austrian speck, a juniper-flavored ham, and Swiss Gruyère.

Manager Hakim Othman attributes the mouthwatering dish to chef Lex Hauser’s desire to make a variation of cheese on toast and the restaurant’s access to some “fantastic portobello mushrooms that are a natural fit with melted cheese.” With dishes like this, we really don’t care if Lex Hauser is purple, because he’s shown that he can really cook.

DETAILS

What: The Purple Onion

Where: Lane 351, No. 16, Huashan Lu

Tel: 6248-8747