From Italian pizza, Spanish tapas and Western steaks to seafood and Japanese cuisine, together with a choice from more than 100 wines to wash it all down, not to mention cool-looking sommeliers standing by, the newly opened Sommelier 598 is an ideal city center for a fun meal with friends.

Tucked away on Chengdu Road S. by the busy Huaihai Road, the restaurant is located in a three-story villa.

The first level offering simple meals and snacks looks a good choice for nearby office workers to have a quick lunch, while the second floor with vintage posters and bare brick walls is ideal for a romantic date or a friend get-together.

The exclusive third floor features three private rooms — though they can be connected into one big room — and is ideal for small parties.

“We have professional sommeliers to give our diners suggestions as what wine to go best with their dishes,” says Luffy Zhu, the restaurant’s chief cooperating officer and also a sommelier.

Find yourself a cozy window seat and get ready to satisfy your taste buds from a wide range of fusion food. It might be better to start with some light tapas.

A must-eat dish is yellow croaker salad, which might be the city’s first restaurant to combine Chinese yellow croaker with fresh lettuce and Western sauces.

The croakers are freshly caught in the East China Sea.

After being slightly fried until the skin is crisp and golden, the fish is sliced and left to cool, then mixed with vegetables and sauces. It is best accompanied by a glass of white wine.

Pan-fired razor shell is another hot dish. Bigger than usual razor shells are delivered fresh every day and cooked with butter and tomato salsa lemon.

Tomato and lemon add a juiciness and light sour taste to the tender meat. One of the biggest plus points of Sommelier 598 is it rejects all the chemical seasonings such as MSG, Zhu says.

“Our soup stocks take hours to create naturally,” he says.

“Diners would know immediately if we used chemical seasonings.”

Spanish sausage with olives is also a must-try. The sausage is cut into thick pieces, which let enough oil come out naturally when being cooked.

The chef doesn’t add salt as the salty olives themselves add the flavor to this exquisite dish.

Meanwhile, deep-fried shrimp balls feature whole fresh shrimps without flour, and are handmade.

The Four-Season pizza, featuring four flavors — salami, Pam ham, mushroom and vegetable — can satisfy those “greedy diners” who want a bite of everything.

Its secret weapon is the fruit-wood fired oven brought from Italy.

“I can assure you that our pizzas have the same flavor you taste in Italy,” Zhu says.

Sommelier 598

Tel: 6387-0598

Address: 105 Chengdu Road S.

Average per person: 135 yuan

Opening hours: 10am-12:30am, daily