Eat Drink Hong Kong

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62-64b Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3521 1291

49-51 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 5411

At first I thought a restaurant called Babylon would probably serve middle eastern cuisine but when I got there I discovered that it was really a European/international menu.

It’s a small restaurant right at the very end of Gough Street. A cosy little nook, as evidenced by several young couples making sheeps eyes at each other over the candle light. I felt a bit of a gooseberry but I never let things like that spoil my appetite.

The decor is fairly straightforward, simple but functional with seating for about eighteen. The menu does have an a la carte section but the set dinner menu offers a wide variety of choices.

I started with crab meat cream soup. It was a delicious soup with large chunks of crab sculling around, but it was crying out for some nice crusty bread to go with it. Sadly all that was offered were some rather uninspiring soft rolls. Still the soup itself was good and I wolfed it down while Whitney sang something about the greatest love and a dozen watery eyes gazed devotedly at their opposite numbers.

For entree I had ordered braised lamb shank in herb and red wine sauce. This arrived on a bed of creamed potato and, rather surprisingly, with a side of arugula leaves. I have nothing against aragula but I would have thought carrots or string beans might have been more appropriate.

Or maybe I was just being an old fuddy duddy. The lamb itself was excellent. Lean and tender, it slipped away from the bone with ease.

Dessert was a fairly standard creme brulee. Perfectly edible but nothing to make it stand out above any other creme brulee. Tea or coffee is also included

The set was $268. I added a glass of wine to that which took the bill to a litle over $300. I thought that was pretty decent value for money. A little more thought on the details and it would be a terrific place to sneak off to. Especially if you are young and in love.

It’s always nice to stumble upon somewhere new, especially when it is in a area that you thought you knew pretty well.

Bali house is a small Indonesian/Chinese place that I’m sure I must have walked past a hundred times and never noticed. Perhaps this is because, unlike most of the restaurants shoe-horned into this area, Bali House is aimed squarely at the local residents and has nothing much to catch the eye. It is also just across the road from Chez Patrick and I’m probably looking in the other direction when I pass.

But there are two gatekeepers stationed either side of the door. On the left a ginger and white cat, and on the right a bilingual mynah bird that greets patrons in both English and Cantonese. I said “good evening” as I walked in. It cocked it’s head to one side and looked at me in the way that birds do when they think you are talking rubbish.

The decor is basic but the welcome was warm enough. I was ushered to a table and a glass of weak tea was promptly produced. I took a moment or two to find a menu, during which time I cast an eye around the room. The staff seemed to know all the customers and some of those seemed to know each other as well.

A large pile of freshly loaded satay sticks stood on the table at the very back. The menu duly arrived. It was a rather confusing affair, several dishes seemed to be listed twice and nasi goreng was conspicuous by it’s absence. Or maybe I just didn’t notice it.

No matter - I had already decided on half a dozen chicken satay. Which were delivered piping hot and with a nice cold bottle of Tsing Tao. The peanut sauce wasn’t too spicy but there was some chilli in shrimp sauce on the table so I could mix to taste.

I also pointed out a dished called Ikan Assam Pedas - the picture looked good. Ikan is fish and there appeared to be chillies as well. The man shook his head and offered sambal ikan, so I thought, why not? Sambal is essentially a sauce, it consists of fresh chillies, shrimp paste, lime juice, sugar, and salt. That said, every Indonesian home cook has their own variation. This had pineapple in.

Normally I would draw the line at pineapple in a savoury dish but I didn’t mind this at all. There was something in the sauce that prevented it from becoming overwhelmingly sweet.

Dessert was the Thai classic, mango with black sticky rice and coconut cream. A generous serving it was too.

For the princely sum of $127 I decided it was good value indeed. You wouldn’t bring a first date here and it wouldn’t impress any clients either. But when you’re feeling a little peckish and you can’t make up your mind what you want, remember the little Indonesian place on Peel Street.

I whistled at the mynah on the way out and headed towards the Pickled Pelican for a beer.

Every so often we get the urge to wander along one of those tiny little roads between Hollywood Road and Queens Road, just to make sure we’re not missing anything. Occasionally we are rewarded.

The other evening took us along Peel Street, down the hill from Hollywood Road. On the left just after crossing Gage Street, buried behind the street markets, we found an Indian restaurant that we’d never seen before. It is called Balle Balle and has been open for about three months. There had been something there before but after racking our brains for a while, and watching one of a group of chefs roll out parathas outside, we still couldn’t remember what. We went in.

It is a small cosy restaurant with just a few tables. A TV in the corner plays Indian pop videos but it was neither loud or intrusive, rather it lends the place a comfortable homely feel. We settled into our table and ordered beers.

The menu contains all our old favourites. In the appetizers section there are samosas, pakoras and onion bhajis but there were also a few that were a little more intriguing. The waiter recommended the chilli chicken ($31) - deep fried chicken with tomato, capsicum and chilli sauce. He told us that it had become one of their most popular dishes.

To go along with it we ordered my old favourite, mutton rogan josh ($40), vegetable kebab ($38) and a mixed raita ($17) where the yoghurt is mixed with diced tomatoes, cucumber and onions. And to mop it all up we added a lacha paratha ($11) and a plain nan ($10).

There was only one chef outside now to making the parathas, the others no doubt had adjourned to the kitchen to get busy with our order. To keep us going while the food was being prepared the waiter brought us complementary masala poppadoms.

The food when it arrived made us gasp. The servings were very generous indeed and we wondered how we were going to eat it all, but not being the kind of folks that shrink in the face of adversity we tucked in. I aimed for the rogan josh, my companion, the chilli chicken. The mutton was lean and tender, the sauce was thick and rich and not too oily as it sometimes can be. I could tell by the look on my companions face that the chicken was living up to its promise.

The vegetable kebabs had arrived on a sizzling plate but were now cool enough eat. Made from soya they had a meat like texture, a little chewy but definitely had a vegetarian flavour. I mopped a corner of my plate clean with a wonderfully light and fluffy piece of nan and asked my companion to pass me the chilli chicken. She did so but only after I had bartered the largest piece of mutton in the rogan josh AND the fifth piece of the vegetable kebab (I didn’t tell her that there was a sixth piece hiding under the lemon).

It was obvious why she was being possessive about the chicken, it was quite wonderful. The waiter told us the dish originated in southern India. It isn’t as fiery as it’s name might suggest, the sauce is a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet, the chicken lean and soft.

Eventually we both sat back with contented, smug looks on our faces. “I’m full”, I said. “Couldn’t eat another thing”, she replied. “Gulab jamun?” I said … We shared it.

Balle Balle is open for dinner from 6-10.30pm when we were there it wasn’t too busy but the waiter did warn that anyone wanting to go for lunch (11.00-4.30 should either go early or plan a late lunch as they get very busy.

B/F 28 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2854 0010

39a Gough Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3669

5/F 37 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2858 6555

G/F 62 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2542 1991
Fax 2542 1922

39 Gough Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 1887

Brrr it’s been so cold this week I didn’t want to go out anywhere preferring to find a slightly warm corner somewhere and huddle down with a good book. But one can’t eat books so I did take myself out briefly to find some comfort food.

The food in question turned out to be burger and chips and these were found in Burger republic on Gough Street. This is one of the many little burger joints that have sprung up over the past couple of years. A lot of them vanish again without trace but Burger Republic has been there for quite a while now so they must be doing something right.

It’s a small place, twenty customers would be a full house, or very nearly. But It was not busy on the day I went. Decor is simple and bright and the tables are set with knives and forks for those who prefer not to eat with their hands.

The menu boasts about 16 burger options; half a dozen with chicken, one with fish and a veggie burger. It was tempting to go for the Colossus ($76) which includes beef and chicken along with cheese and all the usual fillings. But this time I managed to exercise a little self-restraint.

Instead I went for the chicken with cranberry and brie ($59), and to go with it some mozzarella gravy chips ($37). I don’t normally like chicken in burgers, I think it was the brie and cranberry sauce that won me over. But it’s promise was better than the reality.

It’s probably unfair to say it was bad, I did eat it after all. It was just a bit ordinary. I’m blaming the chicken mostly though the brie was less substantial that it first appeared. The whole thing fell apart at first bite so the cutlery came in handy after all. I suspect that, had I gone for beef, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

The chips did live up to expectation and I was glad I had ordered those rather than settle for the $23 regular chips and soft drink upgrade.

Dessert was three large scoops of ice cream with banana and crumbled digestive biscuits which, at $30, seemed pretty good value for money. I’d suggest you share with a friend though.

39 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong

22-26 Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2541 1401

Gage Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

Chuk Yuen has been on Gage Street for ages but I’d never been in before. I’d always quietly hoped it was going to be one of those little, great-value-terrific-food, gems that one finds from time to time.

I went along the other evening with a heart full of hope but alas, it was not to be. It was not a bad restaurant by any means just rather ordinary and, at that price point, one really shouldn’t complain.

The decor is predominantly bamboo and rattan with green paint. The tables are a rather dark green and make the restaurant rather gloomy. At least when there are not too many diners to cheer things up.

There were other people there and they appeared to have ordered quite a lot of food so I was heartened. All the usual suspects were on the menu, spring rolls, prawns on sugarcane skewers, noodles. I ordered pork and shrimp rolls ($24).

These are the typically Vietnamese dry white noodle variety. They were quite big, being generously stuffed with prawn, pork, noodles and bean sprouts.

To go with them I ordered a beef curry in a clay pot with French bread ($60). This was piping hot when it arrived and I had to wait a few minutes for it to cool before I could eat it. The curry, like the rolls, was a really generous serving and the sauce was really quite tasty. The beef however, was rather more fatty than I like.

There are, of course, plenty of people who would say that this was a good thing and that the fat is what makes it taste so good. I wouldn’t argue with that but I would have liked to see a little more lean meat because what there was also tasted good.

For dessert I had red beans with coconut milk ($5).

It would be wrong to criticise a restaurant for being too low cost. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but the Chuk Yuen has been around for quite a few years. That must mean that enough people do appreciate its style, and as far as they are concerned, that is what counts.

B/F 67 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2858 7071

G/F, 9 Gage Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2526 2621
Fax 2900 0346

44, Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 1338
Fax 2581 1333

118 Hollywood Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2547 0000

A couple of weeks ago, we noticed a new place opening just next door to the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road, so when the chance came for a ‘ladies who lunch’ meeting, four of us booked into Duo.

It’s a sleek-looking place, with high ceiling, wooden floor, stylish but comfy seating, and enough space to give you some privacy. Ceiling high shelves hold some shiny knick-knacks and books which relax the look a little. At 1.30pm on a Wednesday, it was fairly busy, though not full. Strangely, for an Italian restaurant, the music playing softly was vaguely middle-eastern.

The friendly staff directed us to a centre table, and after we sadly rejected the extensive wine menu (it WAS lunchtime!) bustled off to fetch some sparkling water.

We were a little disappointed to discover there were no lunch specials, but I expect the restaurant is still a little bit new for that yet, so we turned to the main menu. A fairly diverse affair, with everything from open salad bar ($140, and it looked tempting), to a couple of burgers, to veal (at $320 a little deep for our pockets), and variety of pastas in the $100-150 range.

While pulling apart some crusty bread to dip into pesto, I decided you should always check out the spaghetti bolognese at a new Italian. My companions chose Quattro-formagio conchiglie, Penne arrabbiata, and a vegetarian risotto. All arrived together - in medium sized portions on enormous plates.

My bolognese at first bite was tasty. Of course its hard to get wrong, but the meat seemed high quality, and the sauce had just the right amount of oil to not smother it. Not as good as Mothers, though.

As for what I was allowed to taste of the other dishes, the four cheeses were almost overwhelming, but I noticed the plate got polished off even so. I’ve come to expect arrabbiata to be excessively spicy, and am not fond of getting my tongue burned, but this one was toned down a little, probably to cater for local tastes - which suited me fine. The risotto was pronounced ‘a little stiff’, but otherwise adequate.

As can happen with pasta, we were all full, but had managed to save enough room for a couple of bites of dessert. Almost everything on the dessert menu was chocolaty, except some sorbets, so we decided to share the ‘tiramisu boccata’ (which means a mouthful). Luckily it wasnt quite as small as billed, and we all managed a couple of little spoonfuls, and it really was delicious. I didn’t want to alarm my friends by then ordering another for myself, so we went ahead with a couple of coffees to wrap up the meal.

All in all it was a pleasant, relaxing lunch, and at $763 for 4 people, not overly priced. I imagine the restaurant’s main business however, will be the evening crowd. With its location under a glamorous new apartment block, and away from the bustle of Soho, it should attract a low key crowd with money to spend (I will go back for that veal one day!).

39A Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3303

44 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2545 1200

Gingko House is run by a social welfare group called Everbright Concerned Action and is staffed by entirely by retirement-aged workers. The idea behind it is to help alleviate the financial problems and loneliness encountered by the elderly.

It was a chilly evening when I arrived but the warm smiles of the staff made me feel instantly welcome. I was promptly shown to a table and given a menu.

The decor is simple but attractive. The tables are well laid out and the staff wear black waistcoats and bow ties. Tony Bennett crooning in the background completes an atmosphere of old fashioned charm.

The menu is predominantly French and Italian and offers some very tempting dishes such as Fried herbs sole fillet with truffle cream sauce or Pan-fried silver cod fillet with mango & angel hair pasta.

I ordered a glass of house red and an artichoke and avocado salad ($58). It was a generous salad, fresh and crisp, and could easily have been shared between two.

To follow I went for the roast rack of lamb ($208) which was served on a bed of mashed roast chestnut.

The Gingko dessert, as named on the menu, turned out to be a soufflé. Again it is a very generous portion and could easily be shared between two people. I did the best I could and it wasn’t long before I was looking at an empty plate. I finished off with a coffee.

It was a fine meal delivered by an enthusiastic staff who clearly enjoy their job. In 2007 Gingko House won the top award in a scheme organised by HSBC to recognise corporate commitment to social responsibility.

G/F 40 Gough Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 8498

G/F 33 Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2544 0389

I stumbled onto The Green Mouse quite by accident. I’d turned into Peel Street with the intention of heading downhill from Hollywood Road back to Central and there it was.

Since it was almost dinner time anyway I didn’t need much convincing but being told that it was owned and operated by two former Chez Patrick staff was certainly encouraging.

The decor is simple but elegant, white walls punctuated with miniature paintings with crisp cheerful green table linen and napkins. A small chandelier tinkles gently in the breeze from the air conditioning unit. There were no other customers but it was still very early. I took a seat near the window. Net curtains hide Peel Street and, on my side of the door, reflect the restaurants logo; a green mouse.

It’s not a large menu, it doesn’t need to be. Quality rather than quantity seems to be the order of the day. There is a set dinner menu on the right which offers 3-course meals for $378 or 4-courses for $458.

There is a choice of three starters and three mains. The choices are changed every week except desserts which vary from day to day and are not listed. The 4th course, if I made it that far, was a cheese board.

For starters I went for the pan-fried fois gras with caramel sauce. While I was waiting for that I was served a, fresh from the oven, bread roll. It may not have been as enthusiastic a display as an Italian bread basket but it was luxurious in its simplicity. I was about to ask for another when I was presented with a small portion of quiche lorraine which took my mind off it.

I was just looking around for more quiche when the fois gras arrived. Two rather generous pieces, crisp and delicate on the outside deliciously creamy on the inside. It went pleasingly well with the house red wine.

I have to admit I’m a bit of a slacker when it comes to wine and I’d neglected to write the name down. It was quite a fruity tang and was comparably light for a red wine.

Timing of the dishes was near perfect with just the right space between them. But it was here that the background music came forward. For the most part it had been a selection of middle of the road 1960s and 70s pop. Fairly easy to ignore for the most part but there was the odd, annoyingly gimmicky, dance tune.

Fortunately it was over before the main course, pan-fried beef flank steak in port wine sauce, arrived. And a lovely piece of steak it was too. Cooked medium rare, it was lean, juicy and served with a selection of garden vegetables, mushrooms, cauliflower cheese and caramelised onions.

I think it was Oscar Wilde, or someone of that ilk, that once said that listening to music while eating is an insult to both chef and composer. I think that is a load of old rot. Good music complements a meal just a surely as a good wine and I thought this was worthy of a Thelonious Monk or Stephane Grappelli.

There were a number of desserts available including chocolate pudding and crepes but I plumped for the apple tart with cinnamon ice cream. Along with coffee it was an excellent way to round off a very pleasing meal. The cheese board, I’m afraid, will have to wait till next time.

I’d been meaning to go along to Habibi for quite some time so when a good friend of mine returned from a holiday in Egypt it provided just the memory jolt I needed.

We arrived at seven-thirty. There were a few other diners but it was not too crowded at that time. The decor caught our attention immediately. Tall arches, a large bevelled mirror along one wall and ceiling fans and light fittings shipped in from Egypt combine to create a feeling of 1930s Cairo. But it is very tasteful and not at all overstated.

The menu does offer set dinner options but we decided on a la carte for maximum flexibility. It all looked delicious and we would have been happy to try any of it. In the end we decided to start with one cold mezze, Babaganough which is roasted eggplant with tahina and lemon juice ($50) and two hot mezze; Halloumi, which is goat cheese lightly fried in olive oil and served on a bed of fresh greens ($65) and Dawud Basha, Egyptian style meatballs a in dill flavored tomato sauce ($55).

For drinks my guest ordered a refreshing lemonade with rose-water ($30) and I had a Sakara Egyptian beer ($48).

Babaganough is a time honoured classic dip, ours was wonderfully fresh and slightly smoky. The halloumi was also very tasty, I enjoyed the slightly chewy, almost squeaky, texture but my friend was less enthusiastic. She did agree though, that it tasted good. The secret of the dawud basha is in the aromatic sauce where the tomato and the dill were perfectly balanced, “… even better than the ones we had in Egypt”, enthused my friend.

For main course we selected the Mashwiaat ($200) which is an Egyptian style mixed grill. It consists of chicken, marinated lamb chop, beef kebab, lamb kofta served on skewers with rice kaalta. For vegetables we went with Kidar Bel Firik ($120), grilled vegetables served on a bed of seasoned wheat berry pilaf. Both lived up to expectation, the meats were succulent and tender, the vegetables fresh and crisp.

Middle eastern desserts are notoriously sweet and whilst they are very nice, I usually can’t eat too much. I suggested that we should share the Hellue Al Sham ($45), an assorted plate of mixed Egyptian homemade sweets. My friend insisted that, while she was willing to play a supporting role, I was going to eat most of it.

In the end I think I did rather well getting through more than my fair share of a plate that included both Balawa Bil Ishta (filo with fresh cream and mixed nuts) and the ever popular baklava.

My friend finished with fresh mint tea and I a hot and strong Egyptian coffee.

Habibi also has a special room called the cabin where guests can smoke traditional shisha pipes. The tobacco is mixed with apple to give a unique fruity flavour but since neither of us smoke we missed out on that.

On Saturdays they hold belly dance performances at 8.30 and 9.30. Reservations are strongly recommended.

G/F 36 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3107 1623

3-4/F Soho Square
21 Lynchurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2543 0505

G/F 21 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 0123

G/F 13 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2877 1772
Fax 2877 1803

Guest Review
It was once right in the middle of Staunton Street by the escalator, but is now hidden in a corner along Gough Street in Noho because of the skyrocketing rentals. So now, it is overshadowed by the long queues outside a beef noodle restaurant and an open-air traditional Hong Kong ‘Daipaidong’. However, Kiyotaki’s very own reputation of fresh sashimi and tasty yakitori has made its own mark in this increasingly hip and trendy area.

As you step in, the staff is always ready to greet you with a loud ‘Irashaiimase’. The lighting is fairly dim but bright enough to see your food, and the restaurant is cosy enough for talks, or even secluded enough to let you fight with your partner. Big groups are welcome too, and the owner has even added a LCD TV for ‘dining-alone’ clients who want to catch up on their soaps. If you are lucky, you will see local celebrities here.

The restaurant seems to be aiming to maintain a homey feel despite the higher prices.

Yes, the food is expensive, but which good Japanese restaurant isn’t? The sashimi platter is always worth the HKD160 or HKD220 because there is a wide variety of seafood and fish, plus its always fresh. And the chef will always recommend the fresh sashimi of the day. There is a long list of barbecued skewers to choose from, with prices starting from HKD20. There are also the traditional nimono (Japanese home-cooked and boiled food), rice dishes including sushi, onigiri, ochazuke and Japanese noodles like udon and soba. The food is authentic and fit for anyone who feels like a real Japanese feast.

Besides the normal Sake (cold or hot or masu sake), the restaurant has Ichiiko Sochu and clients can choose to order by glass or by bottle (which you can keep for your next visit). A glass of Sochu mix costs about HKD70 and a bottle costs HKD300. Ordering a bottle will, of course, make more sense.

We always start off with a sashimi platter, followed by a skewer platter, and a grilled cod fish, salmon head, beef with baby mushrooms, or fried vegetables. Our favourite skewers include beef tongue which is barbecued with Japanese spices, ginkyo nuts which go well with drinks, and sea prawns which cost HKD40 (a bargain compared to other expensive Japanese restaurants) and nicely done of course.

It is not so much about cost, it is more about what type of Japanese food you want to find. If you are desperate for real authentic Japanese food, then this is the place. The best thing is the place can only accommodate about 20 or so patrons, so it would never be too crowded and rowdy. Just be prepared to spend at least HKD500 for food and drinks (not including bottle orders) for two persons.

7/F, Cheung Hing Commercial Bldg
37-43 Cochrane St
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2854 0916

43 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3303

41 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2512 1111

108 Hollywood Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2980 3535

G/F 3 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2546 2584

G/F 2 Shin Hing Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3485 1850

24 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2813 2572

34 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2155 9210

Restaurant owners don’t like wet evenings, it means fewer customers, but that is precisely why I like them. I get the restaurant to myself. So the other damp and windy evening I took myself along to Gough Street in Noho.

There are still some old print shops along here and the first thing that hit me as I turned the corner was the smell of printers ink and the clattering of a small machine. This may be an unpleasant thing for some but I’ve worked in publishing since I was knee-high to a pancake and it filled me with a warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling … which in turn sharpened the appetite.

It was still early and most of the restaurants were quite empty. I decided to stop at On Lot 10. On pleasant evenings this restaurant is packed to the gills and spilling onto the street but on this evening I had it to myself. It is a small restaurant with a very agreeable, rustic charm.

I squeezed in to a table by the window where I could see the occasional umbrella and the glint of taxi lights as they moved along the street. It reminded me a little of a small English seaside town. Quite an achievement in the middle of Hong Kong but I think the rain helped.

The staff were very friendly and I really felt quite at home. The house white was a Chardonnay. They poured me a generous glassful and I turned my attention to the menu.

For starter I ordered the roast duck breast with mango and papaya salsa ($95). This is a fairly straightforward dish but I was intrigued by the salsa. It was very pleasant though I have to say the papaya was rather dwarfed but the mango was fine. I might even go as far as to add a dash of tamarind and just a hint of chili.

For the main course I decided to complement the English seaside feel by ordering the cod ($170). But any idea that this would be typically English seaside cod were quickly dispelled. This cod was crusted with poppy seeds and served with asparagus, green peas and baby potatoes, in an ocean of strawberry.

It is quite a striking dish. The green of the vegetables is a stark contrast to the red of the strawberry. It looked great. The veggies were crisp and fresh, the cod was succulent. The strawberry was an interesting contrast, it worked but again i think it could have worked even better with just a hint of tamarind or lime added to give it a little extra tanginess.

Dessert was hot chocolate sponge with ice cream ($55). It’s difficult to go wrong with that though I had been momentarily tempted by the sweet potato and ice cream. I rounded off with fresh coffee.

It had stopped raining now and there were people about. The manager told me that they had a reservation for six people who would be arriving soon so I said farewell to my little seaside fantasy and followed the narrowest little lanes I could find down to Sheung Wan.

24 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 8003
Fax 2815 8002

The little NoHo area along Gough Street continues to evolve and it is always interesting to take a walk down there to see what has changed. There is always something different whether it is something closed or something new. This time I was pleased to find something new.

Paul’s Kitchen has only been open a few weeks and executive chef Paul was there himself to greet me as I pushed open the door. The decor is plain white, no pictures on the walls or any other kind of decoration. But the tables are crisp and elegantly laid out and the lack of ornamentation around the room highlights this.

It’s a small restaurant and even though it was still early many of the tables were already occupied. And although there were staff available Paul himself came over to explain the menu to me.

The format is that of the set dinner, three courses all for HK$250. There is a choice of three starters, three mains and three desserts. Though these do change every week.

This week the options for starter were a pumpkin soup, mango and salsa salad, and peach with Mozzarella and prosciutto salad. I plumped for the latter which came with fresh crisp lettuce and aragula leaves.

For the main course I’d already vetoed the steak. That left a choice between pan fried sea-bass, “a little crispy on the outside, tender and succulent inside” said Paul. “Yes, I’ll have that please”, I said. “Or whole roasted spring chicken with roast potatoes and carrots, a very popular dish indeed”, continued Paul. “I’ll have that too”, I said.

Usually I would have gone for the fish. Not because I dislike chicken in any way, I’m just a bit lazy when it comes to picking the bones. But this time I let myself be persuaded and went for the chicken. I wasn’t disappointed, in fact I became so engrossed in scavenging for last morsels of chicken that I let the potatoes go cold. But they were still good, even cold.

Dessert was bread and butter pudding. Mum used to make this when we were kids so for me there really wasn’t any other choice. These are baked in individual dishes rather than a huge pot like the one mum used to use so the bread is cut in to rather more elegant triangles. It tasted pretty good though. The only thing lacking, in my opinion, was a spot of custard.

By now the restaurant was full and all the staff were very busy. I ordered a coffee and then called for the bill. Despite being obviously busy Paul still found time to come out, thank me for coming and hope he’d see me again soon. I assured him he would. I still had some unfinished business with a sea-bass.

16 Gough Street
Noho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 8515

G/F Soho Square
21 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2850 7898

9/F & roof, Cheung Hing Commercial Bldg
37 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 2848
Fax 2581 3848

255 Queen’s Road Central
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 1558

3 Mee Lun Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 6739

29 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 6986

G/F 14 Kau U Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 2933

G/F 17 Aberdeen Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2559 0737
Fax 2559 7329

35-37 Gough Street
Noho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2850 7788

Chinese menus can be a bit intimidating for the lone diner. Most dishes are designed for sharing and I inevitably end up with way too much food on the table. However, I was sauntering along Gough Street the other evening and a little place called Shanghai Lane caught my eye.

Big windows and white walls make it feel bright and airy. On one wall there is a large painting of The Bund as it looked in it’s former glory. Facing it are about 8 or ten old framed photographs. I assume these too were Shanghai but I didn’t get a close look as people were having dinner beneath them.

Not being an expert I don’t really know how many of the dishes on the menu were actually from Shanghai. But the descriptions were all written in English as well as Chinese and there was plenty there that looked interesting.

I got the ball rolling with with some pan-fried pork dumplings ($25) and a glass of fresh soy milk.

The dish that had caught my eye when I’d browsed the menu outside was Fish with wine lees ($88). Wine lees is the residual yeast left over after fermentation of the wine. The Fish was served on a bed of black fungus. It was rather plain to look at but it tasted delicious. The wine imparted a rich flavour to what were otherwise a fairly ordinary pieces of sole.

For the last dish I’d ordered rice cake with chicken, shrimp and ham ($68). This really is a dish for sharing. The rice cake is quite glutinous and heavy. It was a pleasant dish but I knew immediately that I wasn’t going to be able to eat it all. Instead of trying I concentrated on finding all the chicken, shrimp and ham pieces along with a generous scattering of crisp bamboo shoots and pak choy.

I finished off with longan and date in soup ($25).

There are also branches of Shanghai Lane in Happy Valley and Tin Hau

G/F 18 Gough Street
Noho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2127 7533
Fax 2127 7603

img src=”http://www.eatdrinkhongkong.com/images/sheungwan/sup1_140×157.jpg” class=”borderwhite” alt=”sup 1 at gough street hong kong” width=”140″ height=”157″ align=”right”>The Gough street area continues to develop apace. There are some cute little lifestyle type shops opening up between the restaurants and the print-shops. And of course there is usually a new restaurant or two to visit.

I thought Sup 1 was new but I was assured they had been there for quite some time and wondered if I had a reservation. I didn’t but they were able to squeeze me in.

I didn’t really have too squeeze to much anyway since I was the first customer. I took a seat by the window. I had my back to the bulk of the dining area but glancing around I could see that the decor was clean and modern, but with paintings of European domestic scenes to add warmth and colour.

Setting it all off to a ‘T’ was an impeccable choice of cool jazz vibes, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Chet Baker and some crisp bossa nova only some of which was punctuated by the unmistakable saxophone of Stan Getz. I was feeling relaxed and comfortable even before I had the menu in my hand.

The house white was a Chilean Chardonnay. I hadn’t been planning to drink but then I thought I could have just one to compliment the music as much as the food.

The menu itself has a Japanese half and a European half. I’d already had sashimi for lunch so I didn’t pay much attention to the Japanese side.

My attention was caught by the the Stir Fried Mushrooms in Cream Sauce served with toast triangles ($68). This was in the snacks section of the menu but I ordered it as a starter. Very nice it was too. I also thought it would work well with some white fish.

For the main I had the French Style Roast Suckling Pig ($148). Though obviously not the whole pig. This had been wrapped around some finely minced chicken and mushrooms and then sliced. The pork was crisp and juicy on the outside, the chicken firm on the inside and altogether very enjoyable indeed. It was elegantly presented with roast potatoes, green beans and carrots.

The desserts are one area where the menu could use a tad more inspiration. Chocolate sponge pudding and tiramisu are all very nice but they are on almost every menu. A testament to their popularity no doubt, but I do get bored with them and always look for the item that is a little different.

There wasn’t one here so I settled for the chocolate cheesecake and a coffee.

The restaurant had filled up by now. There is space for about 25-30 guests and there wasn’t a spare seat in the house. Since this was on a Wednesday night I would definitely recommend making reservations.

11 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 5002

14 On Wo Lane
Kau U Fong
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2152 2121

G/F 46 Gage Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2542 3802/2542 3803

G/F 30 Graham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2542 2760

8 Wo On Lane (Kau U Fong)
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 5766