Since A Future Perfect has opened its doors to Shanghai's designer cafe crowd, a lot of attention (and patronage) has fled from Frank Steffen's first Shanghai venture, Arch. So if you are looking for a stylish place with good food where you will actually find a seat, read on.

Arch is definitely not one of Shanghai's secrets.

The bar/cafe at 439 Wukang Road has been operating for nearly two years and has been doing very well, especially on the publicity side of things. As a Shanghai restaurant, Arch has the rare honor of being written about in Time Magazine.

Time Magazine labeled Arch as a "Focal point for the city's most discerning style aficionados," and, when one considers the cafe/bars history, it is no real wonder why.

Arch was originally established as an interior design showroom (hence the name) and started off serving a very small selection of food and coffee.

The original owner was Yale University educated Leslie Chen, a Taiwanese architect who is responsible for the tasteful interior.

However, a designer cafe for designers didn't turn out to be what Shanghai needed, and accordingly Arch changed hands.

The new owners knew that the venue already had a cutting edge, original lay out and tasteful decoration that made good use of space.

All that was required was to import some good food and impressive drink.

Within weeks, Arch had taken off and months after that, it was receiving critical acclaim from every direction.

Yet now, as Arch's regulars storm off to A Future Perfect, the atmosphere, reasonable prices and good food of Arch have been moved off of the radar screen.

This has left Arch wide open and getting in and getting served is now easier than ever.

Arch's food has definitely kept up to scratch.

As a firm believer in the fact that any restaurant can be judged by either its bruschetta or mash, I opted for the former and was very impressed.

The small pieces were completed by dabs of pesto and sprays of balsamic vinegar.

Next was asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. While this wasn't as good as the bruschetta, the mint dressing and side salad were nice and presented very well.

The mains at Arch are also fairly special. The pan fried salmon with spicy tomato salsa and sauteed vegetables was definitely the pick of the night, the salmon was cooked perfectly and was beautifully fresh.

Arch's sirloin was, on the other hand, nothing to rave about but the paprika potatoes and bearnaise sauce that accompanied it made up for the undercooked steak.

Arch's prices are also a major draw, the entrees are priced around 30 yuan (US$3.70), the mains cost from 50 to 85 yuan, burgers are 30 to 50 yuan and pastas are around 50 yuan.

It has been said by a number of people and publications that Arch has some of the best cocktails in Shanghai. And there is nothing worse than high expectations.

Arch's cocktails are strong without tasting too potent. However, they are a far cry from the city's best. Their Mojito uses a mouth puckering amount of lime cordial and others, such as the dizzyingly strong SCSUATW were too fruity to handle.

While these cocktails are miles ahead of many other bars' attempts, they are surely not the best the city has to offer.

However, that shouldn't spoil ones impression of Arch.

Arch remains a stylish, comfortable and laid back place for dinner or lunch with good, reasonably priced food. Angelo G Guese, the manager of Arch, said of the bar/cafe "I think people like it because it is a casual, friendly atmosphere. The layout of the tables and a bar running down the middle of the restaurant make it easy to talk to other people and network a little."

The comfort and class of Arch does contribute to its overall appeal. However, the best part remains being able to go to a quality restaurant such as this and no longer having to wait for a seat. The crowds will return once A Future Perfect has been thoroughly checked out, but for now this well-known restaurant has the comfort and service of a well kept secret.

Tel: 6466 0807