September 7, 2010 | Shanghai
Mind Office

H CAFé

Opened: Jan 30.

What: A healthy – but not too healthy – café and restaurant with a heavy dose of vegetarian options and wi-fi access.

Look: Smart and modern dining room with beautiful stone flooring. In addition to its main room, H has a small private room and a side, skylighted dining area.

Food: An interesting mix of vegetarian and not. Instead of opting for banal interpretations, H looks to add some verve to traditional dishes. French Toast is topped with a Bailey’s Chocolate Sauce (¥38), while lunchtime finds a T-bone steak hot pressed sandwich with arugula, cream cheese, mangoes, and olive pesto (¥48) or a Portobello sandwich (¥32). For dinner, options include Nero Spaghetti Vongole (¥68) and braised oxtail with Champagne (¥68). Their large selection of martinis all run ¥60, and bottled beers (including Guiness, Corona, and Qingdao) run between ¥30 and ¥45.

People: While not much activity when we were there, H Café would appeal to those interested in eating healthy, eating ethically, and eating well.

Bill: ¥300 dinner for two, with drinks. Lunch prices come in around ¥40, so H Café is an inexpensive alternative for vegetarians.