Where to find fine wine and finger foods

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai's traffic, past a Cantonese restaurant on Changle Lu - formerly part of the French Concession - is an eatery that has a Cantonese-sounding name but an English name that does not correspond to the Chinese at all.

"Wine & Tapas is European in style," the restaurant's manager Jack Xu says.

"But we aim to have something unique, a style of our own that incorporates many different styles."

A mural that fills up one side of the wall is a reminder of Gauguin. It depicts, in strong primary colors, two physically large couples dancing next to their tables. The background is orange, which is prominently mirrored in the tablecloth off the wall.

The 60 seats are arranged in a corridor-shape bungalow with a couple of trees bursting through the roof, punctuating the monotony.

Outside one wall is a 330- square-meter lawn, beyond which are visible the high-rises of modern Shanghai.

Parties on the lawn can be prearranged.

But for those who frequent the place, most of whom are from the metropolis' expatriate community, including those from Hong Kong and the occasional tourist, it is already like sitting in a tent. As a matter of fact, if you look at the restaurant from the lawn, it resembles an elongated tent or, at most, a makeshift structure in a park.

Wine is available in abundant varieties. There is a special room that displays dozens of brands.

You can sample a lot of daintily presented finger food. The whole atmosphere is reminiscent of a cocktail party, where people segue from a day's work into some social function.

Of course there is much more variety on the menu. The seafood is reminiscent of a Cantonese tavern, even though the presentation is quite Western.

According to Xu, some of the most popular seafood dishes include pan-fried shrimp with garlic, baked bacon with oysters and tuna mixed with cherry tomatoes.

The restaurant's owner studied hotel management in Switzerland and lived in Europe before coming back to China to work in upscale hotels.

He is a food connoisseur with a passion for European cuisines. Xu hired the chefs working at Wine & Tapas from other cities.

In a sense, Wine & Tapas has a whiff of the hotel cafeteria but with more choices and a more natural environment - and probably more competitive prices as well.

You can certainly eat to your heart's content, but most customers seem to stop over for a snack. The average cost for a meal here is 250 yuan ($38.67) per person.

It seems a natural extension for Wine & Tapas to offer catering. Yet, this and many other services, such as birthday parties, are not yet available due to a lack of employees, Xu explains.

The restaurant was opened early in 2011 and is managing to establish itself before it can branch into more services. But it does offer delivery to nearby neighborhoods.