La Cascina

The bold and funky colors of this Jianguo Lu restaurant will lift any dreary mood. The front room is bedecked with mesmerizing colorful tiles from ceiling to floor, while the back room has bright olive-green Victorian chairs and velvet maroon curtains – life-size versions of the kind you’d expect find in a child’s dollhouse. The mix-and-match lightwood flooring and ceiling is almost a little too silly, but succeeds in complimenting the playful decor. The menu offers such items as grilled pink salmon, seductively accessorized with roasted bell peppers and balsamic sauce (RMB 138); penne pasta cooked al dente, with a creamy and savory Alfredo sauce topped with slices of parma ham and mushrooms; and an assortment of pizzas, appetizers, soups, pastas, risottos, main courses and desserts. Lunch specials (RMB 58 or 78, depending on number of courses) are served until 5pm daily.