Tucked away in a little corner of a quiet residential district, Convivia brings a touch of class to its plebeian location. Its beige tiles and split-level dining hall are complemented by the wood-fired oven in one corner ¨C too bad their food still needs a lot of work.

Pizza fresh from the oven had a crisp smoky base, but the Margherita pizza (RMB 12, 12 inches) was bland. Thank goodness for the complementary pesto sauce (a la flying angel's), which we generously laid on. The ravioli with mushroom sauce (RMB 32) was made of tough rubbery pasta and a sauce reminiscent of mushroom soup from a can. But the garden salad (RMB 18) provided respite with its quality greens and bright capsicum, while the refreshing bottle of white Gato Negro 2006 (RMB 140) kept the conversation going. So don't write them off just yet, a little warm-up time might be all they need.

Convivia Italian Restaurant
Location: 41 Xinfucun Lu, Chaoyang District
Opening hours: Daily 10am-10.30pm.
Tel: 010-64160600