CHEF Alfred Spieler at Raphael's restaurant has created a new spring menu of light Italian and Mediterranean food based on seafood and vegetables.

The tiny yet popular restaurant has few guests on weekends because people living in the area tend to go downtown, but on workdays it is hard to get a seat without a reservation.

Lobster, foie gras and balsamic reduction seem to be favourites of the chef, and are found in many dishes. The food is cooked very lightly, with less cream than traditional cooking.

The poached baby lobster tail and grilled foie gras with balsamic reduction and port wine poached pear makes a good choice for an entree. Although the foie gras was slightly overcooked, with a slight smoky smell, the dish was still well prepared - the cold, sweet meat of the lobster neutralized the grease in the goose liver and the intense flavour of balsamic reduction tantalized the tastebuds.

The shy Austrian chef is especially talented at cooking seafood. His masterpieces include: grilled langoustine on herb skewer with asparagus salad, roasted tomato and mascarpone; crustacean bisque with saffron seafood timbale and grilled prawn; and pan-fried halibut in a parmesan cheese and bread crumb crust, grilled langoustine, sugar pea and potato gnocchi served with beurre blanc sauce.

To make the spring menu more complete, Pastry Chef Anson Zhang has prepared a large selection of desserts, most of which include his favourite ingredient - Valrhona chocolate. Zhang's desserts are simple but excellent. Dedicated to the study of chocolate, he is particularly interested in mixing different kinds of chocolate to bring about diverse flavours.

Raphael's

Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel

2099 Yan'an Xilu

Tel: 6275-0000

Average cost: 300 yuan per person (US$36)