One never has to wait long for a new restaurant to open up in Shanghai, but it’s especially exciting when one pops up in your neighborhood. Such is the case for me with Living Mood & Food, to which I recently made a visit. We entered the warmly lit restaurant, leaving the pouring rain outside, and were soon finding comfort in one of the establishment’s specialties – tea (45RMB/pot) imported from all over the world. The Mate Sweet Orange Tea was light and fresh with a beautiful citrus scent. Contrasting this was the Tiramisu Tea which had a wonderfully smoky, liquorice smell and a nutty taste created by the bits of almond, chocolate and coffee beans that helped make the blend. Dinner began with some creamy Pumpkin (18RMB) and Shrimp (22RMB) soup. The Shrimp and Calamari Rings (85RMB) that followed were dusted with cornmeal and fried, but remained light, not greasy, and were prefect for sharing. We also agreed that there was just the right balance of coconut milk and curry powder to make the Malaysian Curry Rice Noodle Soup with Shrimp, Pork, Tofu and Eggs (48RMB) sweet yet tangy. Living Mood & Food offers a set dinner menu that definitely gives you bang for your buck. 128RMB includes a soup or salad, an entrée, a drink and dessert, and you definitely don’t want to miss dessert! The menu is filled with Italian inspired treats, but after much negotiation we agreed on the Tartufo Classico (38RMB) – a ball of chocolate ice cream with an eggnog centre, lightly coated with cocoa powder. If you can’t make it for diner, there is also a set lunch menu. Tea time (2-5pm) gives you the opportunity to try any tea or Italian coffee (I highly recommend the Café Crème – 38RMB) at regular price and get any dessert half price.

With one of the longest names in the city, Living Mood & Food joins the list of French Concession sipping spots. We were enchanted with the classic design. The black interior is brightened by velvety pewter chairs and windows that look out onto the quiet street. A few well-chosen paintings line the walls and even sparked a lively discussion on postmodern art. The set lunch menu (YY68) offers a starter, a main dish and a choice of any beverage. Choosing a cohesive meal proved challenging. The mains were a somewhat discordant combination of Italian and Asian dishes while the starters were all of the Western variety. We opted for the creamy mushroom soup and Caesar salad. Neither stood out as spectacular, but both were flavorful and nicely presented. We chose the chicken curry and baked lasagna for our entrées. The curry, too, lacked distinct character, though we appreciated the abundance of chicken (sans bones!) and vegetables. The lasagna was better--a hearty slice of cheesy, meaty baked goodness. We finished up our meal with an Irish cream café latte and hot chocolate. The latte looked promising, but did not quite deliver. While it would do for the casual coffee connoisseur, java aficionados will know better. The cocoa was also a little disappointing. Despite being quite creamy, the concoction was light on the chocolate and had a hint of hazelnut, an ingredient nowhere to be found on the menu. We looked longingly at the pots of tea sitting on the tables of our fellow café-goers and realized that these veterans must have known what we discovered the hard way: you can’t go wrong with tea. The food wasn't perfect, the name is certainly inexplicable, still this relaxing venue is a nice stopping place for an uncomplicated lunch or afternoon tea. Georgia Sparling