Shanghai

This eatery has something fresh for everyone, no matter how diverse the tastes. Yang Yijun explores the delightful offerings of Shanghai's latest food paradise.

It always takes a long time to decide where to go whenever a large group of friends gang up for a group feed. One of the best ways to make everyone happy is to head for The Food Central.

This multi-tiered restaurant has plenty to please most. Located on Anfu Road in the former French Concession, the restaurant is part of Collective Concepts, the owner of the Apartment and the recently opened The Geisha.

The two-story restaurant offers pastries on the first level and more upscale dining on the second floor. The main dining area is decorated like a subway station, complete with arrows, circles and lines.

The menu is designed around fresh ingredients and quickly produced dishes that come straight from the cooking stations as soon as they are ready.

Instead of taking bookings, willing staff members make sure you get a table as soon as you arrive.

The open kitchen in the dining area has seven cooking stations offering both European and Asian cuisine. To test if the restaurant offers authentic dishes of different cuisines, I ordered both Asian and Western dishes.

The company's executive chef Mark Baar, who has worked his way through several restaurants in Hollywood, adds his own creativity into the cooking.

In the wild mushroom and caramelized onion Caesar salad which he strongly recommends, Baar uses Chinese cabbage instead of the traditional lettuce.

With the mushrooms and slightly sweet onion slices, the salad is crisp, refreshing and more aromatic than the traditional version.

The California roll is the definite highlight of the meal. With spicy tuna, pickled cucumber and egg and homemade teppanyaki sauce inside and crispy tempura flakes outside, the sushi roll offers rich flavors and contrasting textures.

The grilled octopus salad is another menu favorite.

The baby octopus, dressed with chopped parsley, Chinese celery and olive oil and placed on a bed of fresh tomato slices, is succulent and crisp.

The sour and sweet Vietnamese fresh spring roll, which wraps shrimp, rice vermicelli and various vegetables like coriander, pickled carrots and cucumbers, also proves authentic.

You can dip it into peanut sauce if you find the flavors too light.

The friendly service, quality food and casual atmosphere really make the dining experience a pleasant interlude.

You may contact the writer at yangyijun@chinadaily.com.cn.