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cityweekend

Beautiful by night The entrance to La Bella is a bit like that of a nightclub: Head up the stairs to a bright loft-style room, which is whitewashed brilliantly and furnished with turquoise and red quilted silk bar stools and banquettes. We ordered a mediocre grilled chicken sandwich set (¥45). The chicken, served in a sesame bun, was tasty, but tough; thankfully the rosemary sautéed p o t a t o e s w e r e delicious and the coffee was excellent. The menu is small and includes shared platters, all day breakfast, pasta and salads. Expect to see a mix of locals and Westerners from nearby consulates and estate agents. La Bella is only open until 7p.m., with plans to extend hours after the Chinese New Year. Though we might visit again if we're in the area, we'd probably go at night when the decor can really shine – it's a bit harsh for an afternoon lunch. - Shelley Epstone

 

smk_

Great music, relaxed crowd. Space to move around. A nice change from nearby JZ.

 

7 months, 3 weeks ago

itwontstop

LaBella is definitely open til later than 7 pm (as mentioned above), but when we had dinner there on a Friday about a month ago it was a complete letdown. There was an iPod playing with WAY too loud (think: almost impossible to have normal conversation across your table), with a mix of the most inappropriate music you ever heard in a restaurant, ranging from the freakiest experimental electronica meets Björk having a panic attack to very explicit pseudo hip-hop (..) A couple of customers were looking at each other in a mix of disbelief, amusement and annoyance over this surreal scene. The many staff present didn't blink an eye, seemingly oblivious to the noise. This lasted for at least 25 minutes. Then the two-man band began soundchecking to add to the mayhem (note to the keyboard player: using the tinny electronic piano sound made popular on Whitney Houston ballads and 1980's smooth jazz in 2008 is not a good sound).

The food and service was just plain poor; overcooked salmon, a dish that was just cold (and was taken back without any apologies, to be brought back later after having been tossed in a microwave to reheat), rosemary potatoes that were served 10 minutes late, having to ask repeatedly for some sugar with the coffee etc etc. It was so bad it was funny.

Anyway. I know that during the daytime it's a very relaxed place and their BLT sandwich is actually very good (different cook perhaps?) Also, for drinks it's probably fine. Just skip dinner on a Friday night..

I hope management will fix this soon. The staff has clearly not been properly trained in how to serve customers in a way that fits a place charging the prices LaBella does ("promotion: just 60 RMB" for a glass of wine).

 

3 months, 2 weeks ago