Meli Melo

This French fusion restaurant tends towards the whimsical in its eclectic décor of peach-coloured sofas, gilded screens and red chandelier covers made of an Issey Miyake inspired fabric.

This French fusion restaurant tends towards the whimsical in its eclectic décor of peach-coloured sofas, gilded screens and red chandelier covers made of an Issey Miyake inspired fabric. Yet when it comes to food, Meli Melo gets serious.

Unlike most fusion fare where gimmickry prevails over flavours to result in a confused mess, Meli Melo's chefs skilfully combine ingredients and cooking methods in a cohesive and scrumptious whole. A starter of seared foie gras (128RMB) melts in your mouth as does the thin slice of duck breast and bounty of tiny figs underneath the liver, while a ginger sauce gives the dish an Asian spin. Disks of Ahi tuna (75RMB), seared on the outside and raw inside, arrive in a black sesame seed crust atop a mildly curried potato salad alongside a thick cream exuding a hint of horseradish.

Mains are equally creative and well crafted. Mandarin fish rarely appears outside Chinese restaurants, yet Meli Melo serves nut-encrusted fillets of it on a medley of mushrooms bound together with a drizzle of cream and accompanied by a small round of truffle risotto (105RMB) - however it's a shame the pea-green coriander sauce lacks the herb's cleansing flavour.

Also rewarding are the gigantic seared scallops (128RMB) sprinkled with salmon roe pearls and carefully placed around a bed of squid-ink pasta tossed with segments of sun-dried tomatoes. A nearly translucent lemongrass cream adds a further complementary flavour.

Despite the large portion sizes at Meli Melo, the dessert menu is still tempting. A classic pear tarte Tatin (45RMB) is deconstructed and re-engineered in a deep glass with a wedge of a cinnamon-poached pear underneath thin layers of crispy pastry and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately the result is disappointing.

Meli Melo belongs to the three-storey Les Millésimes development, which includes a wine bar, cigar bar, private club and the French seafood restaurant La Maree, located on the same floor as Meli Melo. The two restaurants share a kitchen and a wine list. That the wines are currently available only by the bottle is unfortunate since it is nearly impossible to match one wine with the many flavours that Meli Melo combines on one plate. Staff are polite and professional yet unlike many new restaurants around town, Meli Melo does not add an extra service charge. Pam Shookman

Meli Melo Second Floor, Les Millésimes, 16 Yonganli (next to Building 15 Jianwai SOHO), Chaoyang district (tel 8521 9988). Open 11am-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm daily. Meal for two 500RMB.