The buzz: Yet another offering from Shanghai’s most prolific restaurant man, Mr David Laris. The Purple Onion, according to the man himself, is “funky and quirky Mediterranean restaurant” located down a lane off Huashan Lu where a Future Perfect used to be. Laris decided it was time that Shanghai got a dose of southern European fare, and this is it.

The décor: Interesting. In a good way. Purple walls (of course), Renaissancepaintings on the wall, and a terrace shaded by tall trees. It’s one of those red brick town houses that are always described as being “tucked away”.

The food: There’s a grazing menu of tapas, a pizza list, salads, starters, and some very decent mains. We had the beetroot and goat cheese salad and the bean soup, which were packed with flavor and carried off that finesse that many restaurants just miss. For mains we shared the rib eye steak with purple onion jam and a selection of confits. As requested, the steak came out rare, and the quality of the meat shone through. Mains run 100 to 228 RMB, the unusually shaped pizzas go for 70 on average, and tapas plates are 30 to 40 RMB.

The drinks: You flip the food menu over to get to the drink list, which is a nice touch. The wine list holds some unexpected treats along with classic pours, and there are cocktails, beers and digestifs to boot.

Why you’ll be back: It’s a solid choice for a French Concession mid-range dinner. The terrace is gorgeous, and the inside area looks like it will be cozy come winter, with its wood floors and deep mauve walls. All in all, another success for Laris.

More restaurants in French Concession Shanghai