ON the ground floor of Central Plaza,there is a cafe restaurant named Delifrance. It faces hustling Huaihai Zhonglu but, despite its large window, all the noise is trapped outside, leaving customers with a quiet and cozy place for a cup of afternoon coffee or a quick meal.

The decoration is totally French. Chairs and small tables are set up in a relaxed style which leaves everyone plenty of space, in total contrast to typical teahouses and cafes.

For over 25 years, Delifrance has dedicated itself to French bakery products. Delifrance says on its website that it draws on expertise based on nearly 100 years of tradition, so that 100 per cent of the flour used in Delifrance's products is authentically produced.

Their Butter Croissant (8 yuan, or US$1) is based on a light, buttery pastry of long French tradition. It melts in the mouth in a delicious way, making it my favourite among all the pastries available.

People have a wide choice of other pastries, including chouquettes, apple turnovers, chocolate croissants and curry chicken puffs. All the pastries and vennoiseries range from 8 to 19 yuan (US$1-2.30).

As to tartlets, the mixed fruit tart (4 yuan, or 50 US cents) and peach tart (4 yuan) are especially tasty. It may just be a matter of my personal preference, but the peach tart seemed a little too sweet to me.

Also French cakes such as the Madeleine (4 yuan) and Le Financier (4 yuan) make good accompaniments to a cup of coffee on casual afternoon or morning.

Last but not least, Delifrance is proud of its "Bake Off" concept, which enables retail professionals to sell fresh bread and vennoiseries that are baked right there on the premises.

As the store is located in the business district, it is a good place for a quick lunch. Due to "French style" quick service concepts, we waited for less than 5 minutes for a three-person lunch.

Delifrance provides sandwiches such as egg salad (22 yuan, or US$2.7), tuna onion salad (23 yuan), cheese (26 yuan, or US$3) and Mango Chicken (27 yuan, or US$3). The sandwiches taste very fresh.

A sandwich deluxe or gourmet club, composed of smoked chicken, honey baked ham and egg salad, makes a good choice for a rich and nutritious meal, along with salad, soup and coffee.

Linguine carbonara, though Italian rather than French in style, is delicious, with a distinctively creamy taste. Served with a fresh potato salad and with the nice window view, it makes for a happy experience.

Delifrance

1F, Central Plaza, 381 Huaihai Zhonglu

Tel: 5382-5171