Dining out is not only about the food, but also the environment. Some restaurants in Shanghai capture people's attention with innovative themes, while others stand out because of their choice of music. The Global Times visited three restaurants in town that will induce in diners an unmistakable feeling of nostalgia, if sometimes tinged with a touch of fantasy.

School dinners

Xiwang Xiaoxuetang, meaning school of hope, is a newly opened classroom-themed eatery situated on little-known Kunshan Road linking Zhapu Road and Sichuan Road North in Hongkou district. Somewhere for 20- and 30-somethings to reminisce about their school years, it's easy to spot the restaurant with its red scarves (representing Chinese Young Pioneers) hanging up inside. Step into the room and the memories will immediately come flooding back: music tapes of popular songs and original posters of 1990s' pop stars, now faded yellow with the passing of the years. Even the drinks will bring back long-forgotten tastes and sensations.

The inner room of the eatery is decorated exactly like a classroom, with the obligatory blackboard on the wall. The teacher's desk on the raised dais has a small globe of the world on top of it. The opposite wall to the blackboard is pasted with prize certificates, a Chinese tradition honoring outstanding students, and old posters of well-known scientists and Chinese heroes hang on the other two walls.

A television set, which is at least 20 years old, is situated at the back of the eatery, linked to an old-styled video game machine on which you can play Super Mario while waiting for your dishes to arrive; and there are many other cartridge games to choose from.

The dining tables and chairs are real classroom desks and chairs, bought directly from a local primary school, one restaurant co-owner, surnamed Yang, told the Global Times. "A lot of the old items in the restaurant are our own personal belongings," she said. "They were daily commodities and toys that we used, or played with, in childhood."

The menu resembles an exam sheet on which customers are asked to fill in the blanks. The eatery specializes in Shanghainese cuisine and the Russian soup is one of the "reasons customers return," according to Yang.

Add: 214 Kunshan Road 昆山路214号

Tel: 3653-3763