THE way waiters and waitresses at the Tasty Steak restaurant greet guests is quite impressive - they stand in a line and bent slightly to one side, wave their hands while smiling sweetly. The waitresses are dressed in bright-coloured mini-skirts and the waiters wear checked scarfs and green aprons.

However, the warm greeting -unlike that of any other eatery in town - made me feel a little uncomfortable at first.

The Tasty Steak is yet another restaurant opened by a Taiwanese owner. Taiwanese restaurateurs, as well as those from Hong Kong, have made a great contribution to diversifying the city's gastronomic trade, introducing many new concepts and culinary styles. Many of the styles they have initiated in the city are a fusion of Chinese and Western or Japanese cuisine. Such restaurants have already proved successful in Taiwan, so they are welcomed by thousands of Taiwanese living in Shanghai and soon gain the acceptence of locals as well.

After opening the Wangpin Taisu Steak in Shanghai for high-end customers, the Wang Group opened the Tasty Steak for younger diners.

Designers have surrounded some of the tables with connected sofas, rather than chairs on each side of the table, so young couples who want to be close to each other without interruption can sit side by side.

The restaurant offers only a set menu, costing 98 yuan (US$12) per person, which includes four courses and a beverage. Diners can choose one course under each category.

A key specialty of the food at the Tasty Steak is that all the courses are elaborately presented.

Some of the chefs' innovations seem to belong to none of the culinary style we know. Maybe we could call it "Tasty Steak cuisine." For example, the orange and fruit salad (a variation of fruits and orange slices with a touch of cream, which has no taste of dressing at all) and the bacon and potato salad (poached potato pieces contained in a scooped tomato with bacon bits, also rather bland).

The soups are more enticing than the salads, especially the French-style snail soup. Chewy snail slices are mixed with rich creamy stock, which warms the stomach quickly yet gently. But it was unnecessary to add two pieces of dried fish that merely detracted from the taste of the soup.

The main place on the menu belongs to the Tasty fillet steak - an "S" fillet, of which each cow has only about 3.6 kilograms. The fillet is slightly fried at first and then grilled at 250 degrees centigrade so the luscious juice is sealed in the meat. Served with black pepper sauce and a shallot sauce that the chef recommends, the fillet is luscious and tender, with a more intense flavour than those you find in Western restaurants. The second time I visited the restaurant, the shallot sauce has been removed and a waiter said that was because few diners liked its taste.

Most of the desserts are too sweet. When I ordered the Black Forest gateau, the waiter had to tell me that it was "very, very" sweet, in case it was too extreme for my taste. So I chose the Orange jelly, which was made of a refreshing layer of orange jelly and a layer of smashed red bean. The crisp taste of the jelly neutralized the richness of the red bean paste. The chefs may have to think of ways to improve the desserts.

Tasty Steak

4F, 311 Tianyaoqiao Lu

Tel: 5426-6727

5F, 70 Nanjing Xilu

Tel: 6359-4506

Average cost: 98 yuan (US$12) per person