Refresh has brought the urban deli concept to China, offering a series of tasty gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads at reasonable prices. What makes me happiest, however, is the small eatery's repertoire of sweets that are arguably the best in the city. Beijing finally has a place where one can sit and enjoy decent coffee and desserts.

Canadian-Spanish food cognoscenti David Prano is the culinary force behind Refresh. The international lunch fare is laid out in a neatly organized menu and includes wraps, sandwiches, paninis, soups, salads, teas, coffees, smoothies and a wide variety of bakery items, such as croissants, muffins, baguettes, as well as plenty of scrumptious desserts for addicts of sweets.

In Prano's chicken sandwich (28 yuan), the spread of Cajun-style mayo gives the sandwich a little kick of chili, but the thinly sliced avocado, chicken breast and roasted vegetables keep the heat down. The excellent

3 Colors Panini (30 yuan) is a combination of bacon, apple and cheddar cheese. Equally impressive is the Iberic sandwich (35 yuan), which consists of Spanish ham, arugula, tomato and parmesan cheese seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and garlic sauce. Refresh may also be the only place in Beijing offering a crab salad sandwich with thin slices of avocado. There's also a shrimp-mango version of this sandwich.

Refresh is the sort of place where people won't go broke choosing a simple salad. An organic salad costs 25 yuan and is packed with mixed salad leaves, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and raisins. It is served in a decent sized wooden bowl and the balsamic salad dressing is brought to the table for you to mix on your own. You can also add salt and pepper.

We were thrilled to have Refresh an after-dinner spot because of its fantastic selection of desserts. Up till now Beijing has suffered from a lack of decent dessert places. Go for the nutty-chocolatey Nanaimo Bar, where coconut shavings lend a nice tropical flavor to the cake. Other great desserts include lime cheesecake, walnut tarts and brownies with vanilla mousse. The tiramisu is incredibly light and delicious. Refresh has great coffee too. It's strong and served with heated milk and a mini cookie on the side.

It's pure delight to have cafes such as Refresh that focus on quality and taste rather than gimmicks, such as using caviar, truffles and foie gras, which sound fancy but can be pretentious.

"Our food is light, refreshing, and wok-free," said Wang Yinghong, one of the investors.

Refresh will soon be introducing bagels and homemade ice cream. Prano said he is now hard at work perfecting the bagel recipe.

The cafe's interior is simple with a clean look in light green and white colors. Diners are surrounded by windows that bring in a lot of sunlight. Breads and muffins sit on wooden shelves, while pre-packaged ready-to-go sandwiches are kept in a glass counter. The second floor is a cute, cozy and irresistible little nook with a view of the street below, a perfect sanctuary for a quieter moment. With free Wi-Fi, this is a perfect place to spend an afternoon.