Mercato offers great bites of Italy

Meatball rigatoni served at the restaurant. [Photo provided to China Daily]

There is always the dilemma at Italian restaurants between pastas and pizzas, or essentially, weight versus diet. At Mercato, you may want to just go on a binge of both and go for a whole lot of exercise afterwards.

The pizzas, coming hot out of the gigantic oven standing in the center of the restaurant and a dish seen on almost every table, may explain why there are people willing to choose seats by the oven over those overlooking the Bund view: to snatch a mouthful of the pizzas seconds earlier.

Thin as the crust is, the chewiness is perfectly preserved. The pizza is puffed to a moist, yeasty fullness, while the topping, spicy salami and broccoli is spread over the house-made ricotta.

The homemade pasta is less impressive than the pizzas, but still among the best in its class. The shrimp and lobster ravioli, for example, excites the palate with a lemon-and-herb seasoning that keeps you automatically forking one bite after another until you finish the whole plate without feeling heavy.

Like the other dishes, desserts are presented in large, family-style portions, so you'll only have room for one. The palm-sized tiramisu is a safe choice but makes little impression. The chocolate souffle tart, moistened with cherry jam and ice cream, all fresh-made from the restaurant's own kitchen, justifies the reputation of Jean Georges, especially his playful, bold takes on desserts.

If you go

Mercato

6F,3 Zhongshan Road E1(near Guangdong Road), Huangpu district, Shanghai

021-6321-9922

Daily from 17:30 pm - 1am

Average cost per head: 500 yuan ($82)

Recommended: Kingfish Carpaccio, Crushed Olives and Dill, Warm Seafood Salad with Avocado, Spicy Pork Sausage Pizza, Lobster and Shrimp Ravioli