Eat Drink Hong Kong

I don’t often have dinner out in the sticks but since I had to go up to Tai Po anyway I felt I should at least make the effort. So, after the afternoon’s chores were done I climbed into a green taxi and told the driver to take me to Lung Mei Village.

I had no idea where Lung Mei Village was. I was under the impression it was near Tai Po but the meter read $60 when we arrived. On a little side road running parallel to the main Ting Kok Road there was a whole row of little restaurants. Maybe half a dozen in total; Thai Chinese and western cuisines are all represented.

Potofino was the only one I knew of, the name that urged me to go up there in the first place. So, since my taste buds were already expecting Mediterranean flavours I decided to stick with the plan.

It was early on a mid-week evening and the restaurant was very quiet. I took a seat near the front though the restaurant is fairly open anyway. Mosquito coils were promptly delivered. In the nick of time too for a huge specimen landed speculatively on my wrist.

I’d missed lunch so I was feeling pretty hungry, this mozzy was so substantial that it was almost a race to see who could get the first bite. Alas it escaped and that was the last I saw of it.

I contented myself instead with a plate of Potato Caps ($55) and a glass of Chardonnay ($38). Potato caps are slices of baked potato topped with avocado and melted cheese. They are served with a gently spicy salsa.

I tried to eat slowly, as my mother always recommended, but the country air had sharpened my already keen appetite and they were gone in no time. But no sooner had I despatched them than a plate of plump and succulent grilled sardines arrived ($58). The initial pangs of hunger were satisfied so I was able to take these more slowly. They were served on a bed of arugula and olive oil with tomatoes and cucumber.

The choice of background music was diverse and generally excellent. Clearly compiled by someone who shares the same tastes as I. Louis Armstrong, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell and Elvis Costello were all represented with interesting selections from each instead of just their most famous songs.

I’m a firm believer that good music complements a a good meal. And for my main course I was going to need all the help I could get. The serving was simply enormous. I’d ordered boneless pork ribs in a red wine sauce ($128).

They were very good too and I made a serious dent in them but I knew before I started I’d never be able to eat it all. They were served with fresh vegetables and mushroom a risotto that would have been a hearty snack on its own.

Portions here are designed for sharing and the was also true of the home made blueberry cheesecake.

The combination of the wine, the blinking fairy lights swaying in the gentle breeze and Miles Davis playing in the background mad me feel like I was on holiday. I slumped happily in my chair and could have stayed there all night. Unfortunately the phone rang and reminded me I had to get back to Hong Kong island. But I shall be back, very soon I suspect.

Portofino
G/F 27A Lung Mei Village
Ting Kok Road
Tai Po