(That's Shanghai)
Updated: 2006-04-13 09:22

Outside Viva, a sign tempts passersby with an offer of "Freshly Prepared!" goods, as do the glass display cases stocked with plump sandwiches.

Inside, the proprietors have attempted to create an intimate, Mediterranean-style atmosphere with strategically-placed bottles of olive oil and a few wooden tables. It doesn't quite work. Nor does the menu with its selection of donuts, pastries and toasted sandwiches, most of which (at RMB 8) lack both taste and imagination.

There are a few exceptions: the generously-proportioned pizza toast and gooey chocolate Danish are quite good. But the drinks menu offers little more than a small selection of coffee and soft drinks. By limiting its options in a neighborhood already home to a number of popular and well-established cafes, it's not likely that Viva will be living the jovial life its name implies for long.

Location: B1, New World Tower, No. 300, Huaihai Zhonglu.
Opening time: Daily 7:30am-8pm. No cards.
Cost for two (excluding drinks): RMB 28
Tel: 021-63353301