Eat Drink Hong Kong

9 Star Street,
Wanchai,
Hong Kong
Tel 2529 2300

G/F 36 Elgin Street
Soho
Hong Kong
Tel 2525 1007
Fax 2770 8020

7 Mo Tat Wan
Lamma Island
New Territories
Tel 2982 8186

I don’t have to many opportunities to go up to the Sai Wan Ho end of town, so when I do I like to stop in and see what’s going on along Tai Hong Street. This is a little strip of restaurants on a small leafy lane that fronts onto the harbour.

It’s an attractive corner of town. The half dozen or so restaurants are geared towards the occupants of nearby residential blocks so while they may be European in style they cater very much towards local preferences. Most of them are also aimed at young family groups.

I decided to give Beira Dos Namorados a try. The decor was bright and cheerful and Ricky Martin was belting out his hits. I took a table at the front by the window. On less humid days the restaurant opens right up but on this particular evening I was grateful for the air con.

The menu is essentially Portuguese but with local characteristics. There is a range of set dinners which include a trip to the salad bar, the soup of the day, a main course, dessert and tea or coffee. For a single person they start at $165 for a pasta with seafood and go up to $250 for steaks and lobster.

Set meals for larger groups are also available. For two - $488; four - $888 and six - $1,388. These include a selection from the other main dishes. The menu also has a range of options for children.

I went for the roast baramundi option. While I waited I went to plunder the salad bar. It was a simple affair; lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, pak choi and cucumber. Sprinkled with dried bacon bits and parmesan cheese, it kept me happy until the soup arrived.

The soup of the day was chicken and it reminded me very much of the ones I have in the cupboard. Perfectly edible, it came with a bread roll and a little plastic tub of butter. I wolfed it down.

Outside a young boy, about 5-years-old, barrelled past on a tricycle. The lights of Kwun Tong twinkled through the trees and a crane barge slipped silently by in the dark. My baramundi arrived.

It was a decent fish too. Succulent and tasty, served on a bed of buttery creamed potato along with broccoli and a spicy, sweet orange sauce for dipping. I was pleasantly surprised to be honest.

Dessert was apple strudel with mango ice cream. Again it was perfectly adequate, the strudel could perhaps have done with a little more apple in it. But drizzled with lashings of chocolate and strawberry sauces it is undoubtedly a hit with the kids

After a salad, three courses and a coffee the overall bill was still well below $200. It’s hard to knock that kind of value.

Boca is a trendy European style bar on Peel Street at the junction with Elgin Street. I’d decided to go along for some early evening tapas and was lucky enough to secure the table at the front by the door. The bustle of Soho as it comes alive for the evening combines well with the Latin-flavoured jazzy grooves that were playing within.

The word tapas comes from the Spanish verb ‘tapar’, which means to cover, and was essentially a free snack that was placed on top of a drink. According to legend the first tapa was a slice of ham that was placed on a sherry glass to keep flies out. Bar owners realised that the saltiness of the ham encouraged customers to drink more and thus a tradition was born. Today the term refers to almost any snack sized dish, traditional or modern, and need only be limited by the chefs imagination.

I’d come in search of the more traditional tapas. These are listed down the left hand side of the menu while the more modern variants are on the right. I decided to order three dishes, the grilled chorizo ($56) is a favourite of mine, so that was easy. The other two choices required a little more thought. The pepper crusted tuna fillet, and the grilled sardines with sea salt and garlic both sounded tempting. Finally, after much consultation with the manageress Emmy, I decided on Gambas al Ajillo ($69) and Albondigas ($56).

Chorizo is spicy pork sausage flavoured with paprika. Sliced and grilled, it is an excellent snack that goes just as easily with a cold beer as it does with wine. Gambas is prawns and these are prepared with artichokes and spinach and sautéed in paprika. Albondigas are another classic tapas dish comprising spicy beef meatballs in rosemary and tomato sauce. Finally, a basket of home-made bread - perfect for dipping.

Had I not been in danger of overdoing it I might have been tempted by some of options on the “not-so-traditional” side of the menu which included dishes such as stir fried wild mushrooms sauteed in Thai spices, or roasted garlic and brie. Ah but there’ll be another time.

As would be expected, Boca also has a wide selection of wines from all over the world which are offered by the bottle or by the glass and, of course, sangria by the carafe or glass.

Desserts are not in much demand in tapas bars, due perhaps to the idea that tapas are a pre-dinner snack, but the Boca menu does offer a chocolate sponge pudding smothered in hot chocolate sauce and served with fresh strawberries, blueberries and Kiwi fruit.

Boca is open everyday from 12.00 till 2am. Reservations are recommended.

2/F Beach Building
Deepwater Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2812 2226

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!).

G/F 5 Wai Fung Street
Ap Lei Chau
Aberdeen
Hong Kong
Tel 2328 2138

The roof garden at Elements doesn’t really feel much like a roof garden. There are palm trees, a fountain and it’s surrounded by tall buildings. There is also a huge TV screen which, I suspect, will make the place hugely popular on big match nights.

But it’s a pleasant place and I would guess it’s existence will help persuade even the most stubborn significant other into a trip to the labyrinth of shops below. Especially if that significant other is allowed to sit in El Pomposo with a few glasses of sangria and a few tapas while the early game is on.

I must admit I’d been giving Elements a wide berth but I kept hearing about new restaurants opening I figured I should at least take a look. So I went on a Wednesday night in the hope that, since it was still very new, it wouldn’t be too crowded yet.

I was lucky. I had a quick whirl around the shops but, to the untrained eye, they look just like all the same shops you see everywhere else.

El Pomposo is an attractive place, modern but still very Spanish. You can sit at the bar or at one of the high-perched tables. I chose a table from where I could watch the whole bar.

The staff were cheerful and friendly. Enthusiastic without being overbearing. I ordered a Sangria Blanco and a plate of Escalivada ($45). This is a dish from the Catalan region in north east Spain and consists of roasted eggplants, bell peppers and sweet onions and seasoned with olive oil and garlic.

It is served cold and it arrived along with my first sangria. The other dishes I’d ordered were hot so I knew they would take a little longer to prepare. The Sangria Blanco is white wine based mixed with lemon, apple and grape.

The next dish to arrive was Pinchios de Vieras con Jamon Serrano ($88). Succulent scallops wrapped in serrano ham and skewered on a sprig of rosemary. Hot on their heels came Patatas Al Azafren ($45), or potatoes cooked in saffron.

The great thing about tapas is that the dishes are quite small and you can just keep on ordering until you’ve had enough. I’d already ordered another sangria and decided I needed something more to nibble while I drank it. Lomo Embuchado ($65) I thought would do the trick.

This is cured pork loin and it is served with tiny dill pickles, pearl onions and mayonnaise. I’ve never been fond of mayonnaise but it is easy to ignore. The pork, seasoned with olive oil, was delicious.

I finished the food and the sangria ran out at about the same time. Which was convenient because, after four dishes I was feeling quite full. I also felt that another sangria might make the MTR harder to find.

Shop 1, 1/F Knutsford Steps
Miramar Plaza
Kimberley Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2377 2666

7/F The Pemberton
22-26 Bonham Strand
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2203 0400

Upper G/F California Tower
30-32 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 9538

Mint tea is so refreshing. As it happened I was just thinking about a nice cuppa when I spotted Marouche on Cochrane Street. Marouche is a new Lebanese restaurant and wine bar that opened about a month ago, and, since it was about seven o’clock anyway I decided it was time for dinner.

There are a couple of tables right by the door but since I’d been walking I rather fancied a spot of air con.

The whole restaurant is open fronted which gives it a relaxed feel. The pump of Lebanese pop music works well with the accordian player outside Ivan the Kozak and the general bustle of people going up and down the steps. It all combines to give a totally unplanned, but rather charming souk-like atmosphere.

The mint tea ($35) was produced and I turned my attention to the menu.

There is, of course a full range of dips including hummus and babaganough, salads with goats cheese and an interesting range of mezze. It would be be quite possible to just order a selection of dips and mezze and not bother with a main course at all. I was already hankering after a lamb shwarma ($150) so choosing the starter was no easy matter.

In the end I settled on the home made Soujok ($75). These are small sausages made with minced beef and served with tomatoes in an olive oil based sauce. And they are delicious. I ordered extra pitta bread to mop up the oil.

The waitress went off to put some fresh boiling water on the tea and returned with both tea and shwarma. The shwarma consisted of a generous serving of sliced lamb with a fresh green salad. It was good, the lamb was lean and tasty, but the soujok was always going to be a hard act to follow.

Baklava is the only dessert available but a serving does include four different types, walnut, pistachio, almond and cashew.

Shop 102 Murray House
Stanley
Hong Kong
Tel 2899 0858

G/F 31 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2899 2286
Fax 2899 2295

12/F Food Forum
Times Square
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2506 3282

1/F Shun Ho Tower
24-30 Ice House Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2523 8624
Fax 2523 3955

Novotel Citygate Hotel
51 Man Tung Road
Tung Chung
Lantau
New Territories
Tel 3602 8888

32 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2521 1608

Shop R008 3/F Elements Mall
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon
Tel 2810 8585

G/F, 5-6 Hau Fook Street
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2722 5100

If you sit looking outwards, your view of Elgin Street is obscured by a cluster of bronze Moroccan lanterns hanging in the window. To compliment them ceramic jars and vases decorate the wall, and the floor is covered with an impressive mosaic. A cool, laid back jazz fused with middle eastern melodies fills the air.

It all added up to a very pleasant atmosphere indeed and had me daydreaming of ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia means the land between two rivers and represents an area sometimes called “the fertile crescent”, a rich food growing area in a region that was otherwise too dry for farming.

I ordered a glass of Chilean merlot and turned my attention to the menu. Olive is one of the more recent restaurants to open its doors in Soho. It specialises in Greek and middle eastern cuisine and offers dishes from the fertile crescent as well as North Africa.

Starters were proving to be a particularly tricky choice, there were numerous dishes I fancied. The ful madamas which is a broad bean salad with sauteed prawns and Bulgarian feta ($102) was most tempting but in the end I settled on the roasted mushroom salad ($88). It was a good choice. A small mountain of plump marinated mushrooms decorated with wonderfully tangy sun-dried tomatoes, sour cream and basil.

To follow I’d ordered the bistayeea Moroccan pigeon pie ($168) but while I was waiting, another diner was served with what I suspected was the grilled wild baramundi with caramelised onion rice ($195) and I promptly felt jealous. My enquiries proved me correct but my jealousy was short lived as the pigeon pie arrived shortly after. The meat was very soft and tender and flavoured with sweet spices and almonds. The light flaky top is dusted with icing sugar.

Not surprisingly the pie was quite rich and a little sweet. It is also rather filling - you may want to consider sharing. Indeed I’d considered pairing it the chermoula roasted king prawns with avocado ($198) but I knew I’d never be able to finish it all. As it was I had to leave a little of the pie in order to save room for dessert.

The dessert section menu is every bit as intriguing as the other sections and once again I was spoiled for choice. The olive oil chocolate mousse and the watermelon and rosewater sorbet (both ($68) were strong contenders but the warm ginger cake with toffeed mangoes, orange blossom caramel and a scoop of cinnamon ice cream sounded just to luxurious to deny. A strong Arabian coffee rounded off the meal.

For a midweek evening the restaurant was busy but not full, but if you are considering going on a weekend I would recommend booking.

Shop 4 1/F The Sanlitum
Causeway Centre
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2877 2872

Guest review by Ken Barrett
Knutsford Terrace is packing them in at the Nathan Road end, but if you walk past these restaurants, enticing though they appear and persuasive though the greeters are for you to go inside, you will reach the end of the terrace that is still partially under development. Although there are a number of outlets nudging up against the Observatory Road wall, it’s a lot quieter here.

There is one narrow building that does a Ginza, in that it stacks a number of small restaurants one on top of the other and you read the signboard to see what style you fancy. Then you hop into the tiny glass-sided lift and go up to your required floor, where the lift doors open on the other side and you pop out directly into your restaurant.

The decor of Rosa Spanish Restaurant and Bar is warm, with red-and-white check tablecloths (yes! - but it works), stained glass panels, a bar, and even a tiny floor area for what must be very intimate dancing. The open windows give you a nice view into the street. The place, which is owned by multi-outlet MHI, originally opened a few months back as an American diner but it quickly shifted gear, changed its name and now serves Spanish cuisine.

Tapas, of course, open the menu. You could probably dine very comfortably off the tapas selection. There are about 20 on offer, and the portions are handsome. We went for the sardines ($32), hot, fresh, boneless, and dusted with paprika, and they went perfectly with the bottles of Sol we had chosen. As did the other two tapas dishes, a stew of sirloin cubes and green tomatoes ($38), and some nicely textured sea snails poached in wine with onion and tomatoes ($36).

We also liked the look of the tomato bread listing, in which country-style bread has been rubbed with tomato and then toasted and had a few drops of cold-pressed olive oil scattered over it. There are a number of toppings, such as sardine, jamon serrano, and blood sausage, ranging from $26 to $42. We opted for fresh anchovies with pimento ($26), and crunched our way happily through an explosion of flavours.

There are a number of paellas available. Now, we know this is a dish with a great tradition behind it, Spanish national dish, every mother and every chef has their own recipe and so on, but for some reason and without wishing to appear ungracious we get bored witless at the very idea of a paella.

Admittedly, there were a couple that really caught the eye: chicken and rabbit paella (regular $168, large $298), and seafood paella with king prawns, sea snails and squid ink ($198, $308), but not enough for us to order one. We also passed on the fajita listing, each of the choices being priced at $138, although we were very tempted by the ox tongue.

Instead, we went to the main courses, which are designed for sharing. We ordered a dish of oxtail ($118, $188), cooked in red wine with carrots, leek and whole garlic, and found the rich, meaty cuts to be very satisfying indeed. So much so that by the time the second main course arrived, again as a shared dish, we had almost eaten ourselves to a standstill. This was roasted suckling pig ($138) marinated in honey and red wine vinegar, and the standard serving was so large it almost overflowed the plate.

Rosa has a small number of Spanish wines available, red and white, all reasonably priced, but we stayed with the Sol beer: it actually matched everything very well.

Service was young and enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic. But our server had an attentive audience, and his advice over the dishes was appreciated. This is a friendly place.

3/F 8 Observatory Court
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2818

1/F 10-12 Staunton Street
Soho
Hong Kong
Tel 2973 6611
Fax 2973 6603

2/F Fortune House
61 Connaught Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 6300

ShopC2 Yeu On Building
146-148 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2866 2563

G/F 10-12 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2973 6611
Fax 2973 6603

G/F West Block
Deepwater Bay Beach
Island Road
Hong Kong
Tel 2328 3138