[Radar]: Lapis Thai

 

Area: Lapis Thai is in the belly of the French Concession beast. It sits squarely in the middle of a triangle bounded to the north by Fuxing Xi Lu (and Marrakech, JZ, Tara 57, et al.), to the south by Huaihai Xi Lu (the Normandie apartments, Shanghai Studio, Boona Three), and to the west by Huashan Lu. Ferguson Lane is the most noteworthy dining-and-wine-shopping neighbor; Lost Heaven and Yongfoo Elite, whose romantic, escapist vibe Lapis Thai also trades in, are fairly close, as is the Radisson Xingguo, and recently opened Japanese-run French restaurant Mardi Gras. The restaurant sits in front of, and shares some garden space, with a new Chinese boutique hotel, B'LaVii House.

What it is: This Lapis Thai is the third in a series of sultry, romantic Thai restaurants. They share a partner, and a sensibility, with Lapis Lazuli, a sultry, romantic homewares-and-okay-Western-food restaurant on Dongping Lu, between Sasha's and Simply Thai. This foray into the world of spicy salads, curries, and a wine list, slides somewhere between the casual Simply Thai and the more decadent Coconut Paradise.

Atmosphere: These kind of places always take over a house or a villa. Lapis is now the proud tenant of a renovated three-story house, with an outdoor terrace and one of those rectangular sunken pools that interior decorators use to signal Southeast Asia. They've stripped the house back to its grey brick, exposed the ceiling beams, shown off their wine selection in a rack that creeps up the bare walls, and inset knick-knacks -- CDs, lamps, the ashes of Rama XI -- into the rest. There's a lot of drapery and hefty carved wood chairs. It's moody and romantic and tucked up underneath the peak of the ceiling is a dining loft with pillows and low-lying tables and a secluded vibe. There's also a second-floor outdoor terrace overlooking the pool. Aim for a seat out there, or in the loft.

The food is fairly standard Thai-in-Shanghai stuff, and seems secondary to the decor. Not that it's bad -- even an average papaya salad, grilled pork neck, and red curry duck make for a satisfying meal -- but it is toned down and sweetened for local tastes. There's a fairly extensive cocktail list, too, and more than a couple choices on the wine list.

Damage: If you're coming on a date and eating modestly, say four or five dishes (they're not huge), figure on 400rmb for the whole thing. A surprising number of the dishes, mains and salads and curries alike, are around 55rmb, but it's easy enough to inflate your bill with a 200rmb curried crab or steamed fish, a 350rmb bottle of wine, or a couple of 38rmb fruit juices.

Who's Going: Tentative couples, permament couples, old couples, bunches of friends doing the group thing. But mostly, people who want a little intimacy with their Thai food. If Coconut Paradise and Lost Heaven are on your circuit, you'd probably enjoy Lapis Thai. They're also pushing an afternoon tea, from about 2pm onwards, in their downstairs bar and terrace area, for people looking for a quiet midday escape.