Located just a block away from the more illustrious Nanjing Road W., the street is currently home to numerous shabby auto parts shops that spill out onto the sidewalk. The road, which runs from Yan'an Road W. to the People's Square, becomes markedly more impressive once past Shimen No. 1 Road.

Just across the road from Shanghai Television is a beautiful villa that was built in the 1930s. Originally commissioned by the Spanish government as a residence, the building enjoyed life as a school for 55 years. Currently, it is now home to Hugo - a high-end French restaurant, brasserie, bar and lounge.

Recently soft-opened, the restaurant is scheduled for its grand opening in mid October. The timing would appear to be appropriate with a number of posh residences in the immediate vicinity currently in the final stages of their development.

Hugo is nothing short of impressive. The front lobby has been done magnificently to welcome diners and set the tone for the splendor within. Designed by a team of Chinese, Dutch and German interior designers, diners can enjoy four levels of French dining within Hugo's extravagant premises.

The ground floor operates as a classic brasserie. With simple, elegant furniture and cutlery, about 100 diners (including 35 in the garden) can enjoy a superb daily business set lunch at 180 yuan (US$22.50) for two courses and 220 yuan for three.

The a la carte menu features such treats as marinated veal with tuna mayonnaise, pickles, preserved fennel and capers for 72 yuan. There is also a take on fusion with grilled tuna in soy sauce and coriander, accompanied by chopped red onions, bean sprouts and bacon (118 yuan).

Things get even more interesting on the second-floor where there is a dining area and two bars. The first bar is a bright, open space with couches and tables for light meals and drinks; the second a red, black and gold colored business bar aimed at serving stiff drinks to the business crowd.

The first bar, the more casual of the two, as well as the brasserie, also serves breakfast. This is priced at 138 yuan for a proper English breakfast or just 78 yuan for a pastrami sandwich. The conveniently-placed bar also allows for breakfast cocktails to administer the hair of the dog on weekends.

The 80-seat, strictly non-smoking fine-dining area on the third floor, piques the interest even further. Here, a separate kitchen prepares dishes such as beef tenderloin with foie gras, truffles and arugula (158 yuan), and sauteed sole (258 yuan). The set lunch here costs 228 yuan for three courses, while a daily eight-course tasting menu is also available for 888 yuan.

Hugo is clearly going for the upper range with its fine dining offerings, and no such menu would be complete without wines to match. Food and beverage manager Rik Slatius shows his 16 years of experience in putting together a wine list that offers the extraordinary, such as a scintillating 1993 Dom Perignon, or an interesting Californian Beringer Gewurztraminer. "We're trying to offer something guests can't normally get anywhere else," the Dutchman said.

The same can also be said of the French fare on offer. Executive Chef Niels van Halen is in charge of the kitchen, right from the layout to the Dutch touches applied to the food.

When asked what lured him to Shanghai following successful stints at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and Alain Ducasse's Louis XV in Monaco, among others, the Utrecht native said it was the challenge and the direction of where the local dining scene was heading.

"You could never open something like this in Europe, at least not now," van Halen said, referring to the grand concept that Hugo brings to the table. Both Dutchmen have previously worked in Michelin-star restaurants, and this experience will definitely enhance the dining experience.

With Weihai Road scheduled to be transformed into a mix of residential and commercial, banishing the auto parts shops to the hinterlands, the Weihai Road stretch will eventually be a great deal more majestic than at present. With the addition of Hugo, local residents are already getting a taste of things to come.

Address: No. 4, Lane 289 Weihai Road
Tel: 021-63278828