Eat Drink Hong Kong

Continental cuisine with Mediterranean flair boasted the menu. It sounded good to me so I went inside. It’s a pleasant place, not spectacular but cosy enough.

Paintings on the wall give a hint of Mediterranean feel as does the wine list with a fair selection of French, Italian and Spanish wines. I ordered a glass of fruity Chiaro Primitivo ($58)

There is a good selection of dishes to choose from as well. A range of pizza and pastas are supplemented by a ‘create your own’ option. Ingredients for each are separated into three price categories and you can mix and match to your hearts content.

I wasn’t in the mood for either but grilled teriyaki tuna skewers with a soy and ginger dip ($88) sounded like a good choice for starter. So did the tuna, shrimp, mango and green papaya salad. Both betrayed a hint of Asia but it was the teriyaki tuna that won the day It was a good choice too. Three substantial slices of tuna flash grilled on the outside, inside tender and tasty.

For the main course I’d ordered veal shanks ($175). Cooked for several hours in a rich sauce and served with carrots and creamed potato, claimed the menu. The sauce, carrots and potatoes were fine but the meat hadn’t been cooked for nearly long enough.

Shank comes from the lower leg and it does take a long time to cook through properly. When done the flesh should be soft and fall from the bone with almost no effort at all. In this case it took quite a bit of effort to to prize it away and it was rather tough as well. Another hour in the oven would have improved it immensely.

The half-dozen or so desserts on the menu were all old standbys; Apple crumble, chocolate pudding, cheesecake. I went for the tiramisu ($55).

This is a funky and informal Italian restaurant in the new iSquare. Pasta, Pizza and Vino it says across the top of the door. I skipped both the pasta and pizza but I did treat myself to a glass of vino. A Riesling, in fact, which was delivered along with a large crusty bread roll and some olive oil.

There is quite an impressive list of wines on offer. It is also interesting to note that the wines which are available by the glass can also be ordered by the half glass for those who just like a taste.

The restaurant attracts a young crowd and, being in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, a lot of them. I got in before the crowd and snagged a table near the front. This meant I couldn’t see the larger part of the restaurant but I could watch busy shoppers passing by. The interior wall to my left was decorated with an assortment of pots, enamelled iron pans, and what looked like takeaway pizza boxes. It was a pleasing effect.

There are two set meal options. Both of them are four courses and cost either $298 or $348. I’d decided to bypass those and order from the a la carte. The first dish up was cantaloupe melon with parma ham ($115).

The ingredients are simple enough but this was served in a way that I’ve always thought it should be served, large chunks of ripe melon draped with a generous portion of ham all on a wooden board. Easily enough for two people sharing.

It was just as the waitress delivered this dish that I spotted a dish called Spada. This is swordfish prosciutto garnished with tiny shavings of citrus fruit and served with avocado and lime salsa ($128). I just had to try one.

For my main course I ordered what the menu called Orata ($248). This is one of the most popular fish in Italy and was held sacred by the Greek goddess Aphrodite. It’s English name is gilthead sea bream and while it may sound less poetic it tastes every bit as wonderful. The flesh is firm and fragrant with a slightly buttery taste. It comes stuffed with rosemary and garlic, oven baked with olives and capers and served with potatoes, tomatoes and a forest of crisp fresh salad.

For dessert I opted for the Tortas Di Mele ($68). It sounded good on the menu; Apple tart made with Granny Smith apples and served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Whilst it was perfectly edible it just seemed a little ordinary after the previous dishes.

Shop 307 iSquare
63 Nathan Road
Tel 2328 5202

W Place, 52 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 6768 5252

Hullett House
2A Canton Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3988 0220

G/F 24 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2525 2028

27A Lung Mei Village
Ting Kok Road
Tai Mei Tuk
Tai Po
Lantau Island
Tel 2791 4466 or 2792 4499

11 Luard Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2527 9933

65 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2537 5702

30-32 Robinson Road
Mid Levels
Hong Kong
Tel 2521 7366

Shop 9, G/F Witty Commercial Building
1 Tung Choi Street
Mongkok
Kowloon
Tel 2781 0583

34 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2155 9210

G/F 8 Hart Avenue
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2368 7299

G/F 67 Man Nin Street
Sai Kung
New Territories
TEl 2791 5068

Flat 4B Tak Fat Building
50-52 Russell Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 6438 3363

Shop 1-2 G/F Hopewell Centre
183 Queen’s Road East
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2861 0737

3101 ifc Mall
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2393 3812

16-17/F L’Hart, 487 Lockhart Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2836 6100

Shop 22B Cityplaza
Taikoo Shing
Hong Kong
Tel 2904 8676

Shop 1, G/F Jervois House
1 Jervois Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2517 8484
Fax 2517 8585

G/F 202 Queens Road Central
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2545 1111
Fax 2545 1171

Level 49, The Upper House, Pacific Place
Queensway
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Tel 3968 1106

33 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2520 5303

2/F Grand Progress Building
15-16 Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2147 9000

G/F 79a Wong Nai Chung Road
Happy Valley
Hong Kong
Tel 2577 2202

79 Bonham Strand
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2827 8277

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

By Faye McCarthy

A surprise evening out with my husband led to a new restaurant experience for me. After a pre-dinner drink at a bar in SoHo, we strolled along Elgin Street and he finally directed me to Le Fauchon.

We entered the darkened interior (all low lights, candles, mirrors and grey tiles… modern, but intimate), and were shown to a corner table towards the back of the brasserie. After a little shuffling to make sure I had the best view of the other diners (it was already pretty full at a quarter to 8), we were given menus and a wine list. I was slightly daunted by the ‘tempura snails’, wondering if we were to have a Japanese/French evening and trying to come up with a word to describe this fusion (Frapanese being my favourite) , but as I continued through the menu I decided there were several potentially mouth watering options.

I finally I decided on the goose liver starter, followed by the duck confit (an unoriginal preferred choice for me). My husband – just as predictably – went for the snails and then in a bold move opted for the Wagyu steak (medium). I was allowed to choose the wine. I decided on a bottle of Saint Julien.

The order taken, the wine arrived with usual Hong Kong pomposity. It was lovingly uncorked, the cork placed beside my husband and the taster offered to him too (slightly annoying, since I was the one who did the choosing, but I am not one to make a fuss). I let my husband nod his appreciation and quickly took a sip before the waiter ran away. Of course it was good… as if I’d doubt my man!

Crusty bread and butter arrived. We picked at it whilst we unobtrusively (I hope) commented on the other diners, speculating on their occupations and their choice of food. At the right time the food arrived. Not too soon to interrupt our tete-a-tete, but not too late to allow our stomachs growling time.

It was beautifully arranged. I am not a fan of heaped plates and it certainly wasn’t. The starter was just that – enough to whet our appetites. The fois gras was cooked to perfection, almost melting in the mouth. A drizzle of balsamic around the plate and a small mound of mixed salad made it look and taste fresh. My husband’s snails came enclosed in a baked tomato instead of the usual awkward, and often messy, shells. When he cut the tomato open it oozed garlic sauce. I had to dip my bread in just to make sure I could cope with any hazardous garlic fumes later that night.

The wine was refilled at intervals without any of the usual ceremonial interruptions often adopted by restaurants and again the correct amount of time was left between courses.

My confit de canard was stacked upon some crisp mange tout and a couple of boiled potatoes placed beside it. It looked and tasted good. It was very slightly dry, but so slight that I can’t complain of it ruining my enjoyment. I was extremely happy with my choice.

My husband’s ‘medium’ steak turned out to be quite bloody, which made me giggle and only added to the French experience, because, as we all know, a good French chef would never lower themselves to overcook a decent piece of red meat. If you’re a fan of well-done steaks or are even slightly squeamish at the sight of a little blood, my advice would be to order something completely different.

Unfortunately we were both too full to consider a dessert. All I can say is from what we saw passing our table, they looked delicious. Next time, I promise, if I have to starve myself for a week or end up feeling sick as a dog, I am going to order myself a chocolate soufflé. Brasserie Le Fauchon is perfect for an intimate evening, with unobtrusive, good service and enticing food.

It’s not often I go to Knutsford Terrace but this time it was raining so I didn’t get to have as good a snoop around as I would have liked. I arrived at the Observatory Road end had a quick splosh down to the other end and dived into Munch. ‘Modern European Cuisine’ it said outside, and that sounded good to me.

The interior is quite large. There are window seats that overlook the terrace but these were all booked in advance. I’m not sure what to call the decor. Facing me was a wall-sized mirror with the restaurants logo, a rather spaghetti-like M printed in white and forming geometric patterns. From the ceiling hung numerous chandeliers with pink glass trim. It was all quite attractive.

Letting the side down however ware the dull brown table coverings. Sure, it wipes down easily but crisp white table linen would have looked so much better.

There are a few two-course set dinners to choose from with prices in the region of $180-$220 but I had already spotted a couple of dishes I wanted to try in the a la carte menu.

The first of these was Garlic sea scallop with wild mushroom bread pudding ($79) and I’d already ordered it when I saw, under the heading ‘Snacks’, Organic risotto and cheese dollops ($48). Rather than make difficult decisions on the fly I had them both. And a glass of fruity Pino Grigiot ($58) to go with them.

The cheese dollops arrived first. These are little balls of rice in a sea of creamy cheese sauce. There was also something a little fruity about the sauce. Was there a hint of mango there? I couldn’t be sure. The rice balls themselves had a heart of melted cheese.

I’d barely seen them off before the scallops arrived. This dish stole my heart and it was largely due to the the lovely earthy flavour of the mushrooms that were layered generously into the bread pudding.

For the main course I had ordered Rack of lamb with potato gratin and thyme. It was pleasant enough, and quite a generous serving, but I’m afraid the previous dish had already stolen the show.

After a short break I ordered Mango Napoleon Cannelloni ($68) for dessert. It was huge and really ought to be shared but I did my best. Layers of mango cream alternate with layers of flakey pastry which are wrapped in a glutinous rice sheet and served with a scoop of lemon sorbet. I don’t know how but I managed to wolf the lot without even realising it.

Munch was quite busy even on a wet mid-weekday. If you are planning to go on a Friday I’d suggest you make reservations first

1/F, 1 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel 2317-7887

Every so often I need to get a fish fix. This time saw me trotting up to the Fish Bar at the Marriott Hotel. It’s a pleasant place by the side of the swimming pool. The whole restaurant is al fresco but if you like you can sit out by the pool away from the main dining area. There was a pleasant breeze blowing so I chose the pool option.

The menu is simplicity itself. There is a blackboard stating what kinds of fish are available that day. Most of them cost $250 and are served with a choice of mashed, baked or French fried potato. Baramundi and garoupa were slightly more expensive at $285.

For starters I’d ordered a salad Nicoise with char-grilled tuna ($155). This was a generous serving indeed and could very easily be shared between two. The salad consisted of tomato wedges, new potatoes, olives, green beans, and hard-boiled egg and was served on a bed of lettuce. It was a good dish though on future visits I might ask the chef to go just a little easier on the salt.

For my main course I’d asked for the snapper to be grilled. All the items can be ordered either pan-fried or grilled. Snapper is wonderful when grilled and this didn’t disappoint. It was a generous fillet with a deliciously smokey favour and perfectly cooked. I’d asked for it with baked potato but it also comes with creamed spinach and sweet corn.

All the fish served here is farmed or humanely caught using methods that don’t damage the environment. Maybe it was my imagination but but I thought it tasted better because of that.

The waiter showed me three items available for dessert. The apple crumble was probably not the best choice. There was nothing seriously wrong with it it just seemed a little pedestrian.

4/F Ying Hong Mansion
Yee Wo Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2881 6981

5/F The Broadway
54-62 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2110 1535

5/F 51-52 Haiphong Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2739 3982

58 Tung Lo Wan Road
Tin Hau
Hong Kong
Tel 2881 1901

51 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 6106

16 Gough Street
Noho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 8515

2/F, 1 Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2890 6380

31 Ship Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2866 1868

Harbour Grand Hong Kong
23 Oil Street
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2121 2688

48 Cameron Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2311 4223

2/F Nexxus Building
41 Connaught Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2147 6768

4-6/F 36 Dundas Street
Mongkok
Kowloon
Tel 2771 7775

Shop 1, G/F Jervois House
Jervois Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2517 8484

G/F, Caine Mansion
80-88 Caine Road
Mid-Levels
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2548 0330

2/F 28 Stanley Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3175 2448

G/F 9 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3857 7388

This is an atmospheric little place in Tin Hau. Welsh dressers, stocked with bottles of wine line parts of the wall. There’s also an old euphonium and some 78-rpm records. There are oil lamps, candelabras and proudly on the bar sits a vintage gramophone. Presumably for playing those 78s.

The ceiling is high with small lights hanging. These lights are supplemented by lots of candles which are dotted about, not just on the table, which lend a flickering amber glow. A very pleasant ambience indeed.

The only weakness in the effect was the rather muddled choice of music. It worked best when they were playing 1950s croon tunes such as the Platters and I suspect it would work just as well with any number of classic Jazz singers from the 40s and 50s. What didn’t work were the Kenny G-like tunes and the awful rendition of Stand by Your Man that almost had me reaching for my iPod.

The menu is European leaning heavily towards Italian with some French options as well. I had already decided I was going for the five course tasting menu ($388) but felt I should look over the a la carte menu just in case. Most of the options are tried and trusted favourites as well as pasta and risotto choices.

It didn’t sway me from my original plan. The Five courses included; Beef carpaccio, pan-seared goose liver, soup of the day and Cajun fried black cod. I also ordered a glass of French Chardonnay($75) to go with it.

I was told the soup of the day was pumpkin but mine was generously stocked with seafood. I wondered if I’d misheard, I do recall the other option included seafood. I wasn’t unduly worried so I decided not to mention it, it was still a very a pleasant dish. Indeed all the courses were pretty good. The Black cod was served with a warm potato salad and asparagus.

The dessert was home-made ginger soufflé which was rounded off nicely with a coffee.

It’s good to see these kind of places cropping up outside of the main restaurant zones. It’s even better when I find a new one. I just hope they can find enough customers to keep themselves in business.

Shop A Hon Man Mansion
9-11 Wing Hing Street
Tin Hau
Tel 2503 3222

1081 ifc Mall
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2234 7356

1/F JIA Boutique Hotel
1-5 Irving Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2915 6628

Holiday Inn Golden Mile
50 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2315 1010

54-62 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2527 9111

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.

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

We didn’t think we were coming here to be honest. A friend and myself had been for a couple of beers after work and we had planned to go somewhere else for dinner. Unfortunately that somewhere else was packed to the rafters so we opted for plan b.

“Have you ever been to that Italian place down the little lane by Taco Loco?” I knew all along that there was an Italian place down there but I had to confess, it is so tucked away I never think about.

“Sounds like a good plan b to me”, I said, and off we went.

Even this place was busy but not so busy that a table couldn’t be found. There was live music in the form of a singer/guitarist playing a repertoire old Bob Dylan and other folksy acoustic tunes. I was worried that it might be a bit overwhelming in such a small restaurant but in the end we found ourselves tapping along as one familiar old tune was followed by another.

The menu has a lot of loose pages most of which appeared to be based on what chef had found in the market that day. All of it looked very tempting – though a little expensive.

“When was the last time you went to a good Italian restaurant and simply ordered a pizza?”, enquired my friend. I couldn’t remember. I rarely order pasta either because both these dishes are too filling and I usually want starters and a main course as well.

So we agreed, we’d share a pasta and a pizza and a couple of starters. I reluctantly let go of all the tempting printouts and turned my attention to the main menu.

For starters we had the Misto Salumi ($115) which was a selection of delicious cured hams with shavings of parmesan cheese and green salad. We also ordered the Sole Mediterraneo ($68) which consisted of sun dried tomatoes, eggplant and artichoke with olive oil.

I love olive oil but I was trying to go easy knowing full well that the next two dishes were going to be quite filling.

The pasta came first. This was Roebuck Ragout with red wine and a penne pasta ($135). It was a generous serving and it more than lived up to our expectations. We dug in with enthusiasm but we were soon interrupted by the arrival of the pizza.

Pizza alla Marinara ($138) with calms, mussels and prawns looked impressive. The shells made up an appealing decoration with one extra large mussel taking centre stage and made it look almost as if the pizza could fly.

The base was thin and crispy, as it should be, the sauce delicious and the mussels and clams separated from their shells without a fight. We wolfed it down.

The owner came out to do his rounds and ensure that everything had been alright. We assured him it had more than alright – it had been very good indeed. Then, to make a good meal even better he offered a complimentary digestivo, which is a drink to aid digestion.

My friend went for an amaretto with biscotti. I opted for a lemon grappa and, for good measure, ordered a panettoni for dessert. This is a sweetened cake containing raisins, nuts and candied fruit.

The Piazzetta is not easy to see from Shelley Street – it is a few doors down the lane. Despite that there was a steady stream of customers throughout the time that we were there. And this was a Wednesday. If you are going on a weekend I would strongly suggest you make a reservation.

Upper Basement, Harilela House
79 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 8118

36b Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2899 2244

With a name like the Yorkshire Pudding it’s pretty obvious what kind of cuisine is likely to be served within, but just to make sure there can be no doubt whatsoever, the whole exterior is decorated to look like a huge red British phone box. It may sound a bit silly but it certainly catches the eye as you rumble up the escalator to Staunton Street.

The ground floor bar area has a pleasing pub-like feel. Effective without being too contrived. A bar along the left hand side and a long red leather sofa facing it along the right.

You can dine downstairs if you wish but up the stairs, past several large clock faces, there is another dining area. There’s another red leather sofa and even a huge leather armchair with a union jack on the back. Although that seems to be more for decoration.

There are photos of familiar London scenes on the walls which are reflected on the equally familiar bottles of brown sauce that bear the name HP. The walls are also decorated with music manuscript. I tried humming the tune to myself but I’m not very good at reading music and the Oasis track playing in the background kept putting me off. So I concentrated on the menu instead.

British cuisine often gets a bad rap. I always find this rather surprising because it does seem to be quite popular. Indeed for a restaurant that hasn’t been open long enough to get its alcohol licence it seemed to be doing very well indeed.

There were half-a-dozen starters plus a couple of soup options on the menu. I considered the stilton soup but in the end I opted for the deep fried cheddar with mixed berries piccalilli ($88). The cheese was tasty but it was the piccalilli that made the dish. In hindsight I think a nice crusty roll would have gone well with it. The cheese is very hot when it’s delivered, so do be careful.

There were a number of quintessentially British options for main course including the classic Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding. I was very tempted and I think I’m going to have to sneak back on Sunday for it, but this time I really wanted to try something a little different.

There are of course numerous other Yorkshire pie options including sausages and gravy. I was intrigued by the Cawl. This is a Welsh stew made with lamb and vegetables. Here it is made with leeks and parsnips and served with Yorkshire pudding. It was a good choice. The cubes of lamb were both generous and tasty, and the whole thing was served within the Yorkshire pudding. This does mean that the stew is a little drier than it might be but it is nothing a little gravy on the side wouldn’t fix.

Dessert presents numerous options too and I was torn three ways, between the apple crumble, the bread and butter pudding and the rhubarb pie. Rhubarb won the day based solely on the fact that I could not remember the last time I had rhubarb. I had it with ice cream. Not quite how mum would have made it but a damn good performance nonetheless.

Until the alcohol licence is approved drinks can be ordered from Staunton’s Bar which is just a couple of doors away.

6 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2536 9968

41-43 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3106 2526

G/F 19 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 9123 6049

10 St Francis Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2866 4466

G/F 4-6 St Frances Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2528 1060

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

G/F 14 Shelley Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 9326

44 Hennessy Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2865 0681

62 Johnston Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 3866 3444

6-8 Tin Lok Lane
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2572 3036

G6, Tsim Sha Tsui Centre
66 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2722 7101

1/F California Tower
30-32 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2526 3880

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

23 Whitfield Road
Tin Hau
Hong Kong
Tel 2566 8468

38 Stanley Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 4218

204-205 Chater House
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2805 0028

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

118 Hollywood Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2547 0000

17/F 525 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 3907 0090

1/F (café) & 6/F (wholesale)
California Entertainment Building
34-36 D’Aguilar Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3167 7022

31 Wing Fung Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2528 3454

Shop 237, 2/F The Landmark
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2905 9078

Shop OT G63 Harbour City
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3101 0901

QRE Plaza, 202 Queen’s Road East
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2575 0939

1/F 60 Johnston Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2528 1286

39a Gough Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3669

49-51 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 5411

1 Hoi Ping Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2577 3111

1/F 68 Wing L, ok Street
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 3528 7553

I have to be honest, you need deep pockets to dine at Cepage. It’s the first Hong Kong outlet for Singapore’s Les Amis Group and is located on Wing Fung Street right next to Pacific Place 3.

I don’t have deep pockets I’m afraid but I was keen to give it a try, so I decided to stop by and see how far my budget would go. They are still waiting for their alcohol licence to be approved so that helped me a little. If you are planning a visit you can bring your own wine, you won’t be charged corkage. But I do suggest you call in advance to check.

The dining area is actually on the first floor. The ground is an elegant but discreet lobby where a lift takes you to the restaurant proper. There aren’t many tables and most of them were already booked. That said, there is no such thing as a bad table. Mine was one of a group of three away from the main dining room though there couldn’t have been more than seven or eight even there. Each table has it’s own chandelier, crisp white linen, and allows generous elbow room for a party of four.

Ol’ blue eyes croons away in the background, napkins are positioned and the first of several surprise treats are delivered. This was a delicious canapé of truffle ice cream in a tiny cone decorated with poppy seeds. A little explosion of flavour to get proceedings underway.

Shortly after this the menu and bread basket arrived. Service was friendly and efficient but at no time hurried. I like this, it allows me to enjoy the atmosphere. The only change I would have made would be to tweak Frank Sinatra’s volume up a bit.

I placed my order and was rewarded with a slice of smoked salmon with rosti and julienne cucumber.

The first dish I’d actually ordered was was smoked pigeon with caramelised endive and truffle vinaigrette ($230). It was an inspired choice and I almost wished I had ordered two. The bird was smoked with hickory and was as tender and succulent as I could have hoped for.

The next dish was angel-hair pasta with chilli du Monteporro and lobster oil ($340). According to the menu this is usually made with crab but crab dishes were not available on this particular day. The chef was able to offer the same dish made with shrimp so I agreed to that.

Although it is a chilli dish it is not spicy – the full flavour of the chilli comes through without the heat. The waiter informed me that this dish comes from one very small region in Italy.

Dessert was Grand Marnier parfait in a chocolate cone with orange tuile and citrus fruit salad ($150).

I’d been looking forward to an early night and coffee would have put the kibosh on that idea. However the petit fours and chocolates that would have accompanied the coffee were still delivered.

Cepage has three private dining rooms which can accommodate groups from four up to fifteen persons.

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.

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.

Typhoon Kammuri threw cold water all over my plans for dinner last Wednesday but the day was salvaged. Quite pleasantly too. Like many people, after a day of forced idleness, I was bored silly.

I’d figured that since no markets had been open all day, menus might not be at full strength so I sauntered off to Kennedy Town where I’d heard about a handful of bars.

Davis was on the end of a line of four. It has a nice rustic feel, wooden stools and simulated stone topped tables. They also had a blackboard menu right in the doorway, I needed no other invitation.

There were a few other people there but there was plenty of space. The waitress went off to find another blackboard and lugged it over to the table and explained the dishes. For tapas the dishes are actually quite large, and if you are only looking for a light snack I’d recommend sharing.

For a starter I ordered deep fried camembert with assorted sausages ($78). There were actually three types of sausage in a tomato and pepper sauce. With the cheese and some slices of toast as well I decided that this was two tapas rolled into one. They both went down very well with a cold bottle of Beerlao.

This is the first time I’ve seen Beerlao in Hong Kong. It used to be one of the great beer secrets of Asia. Until quite recently it was only brewed in a small brewery on the outskirts of Vientiane. It is a crisp, delicately-flavoured pilsen style beer that is made with local polished rice, Hallertau hops, German yeast and malted barley from France.

Production has been ramped up recently with investment from Carlsberg. If they can maintain the beers integrity and resist the temptation to pollute it with preservatives Beerlao could become very popular indeed. I ordered another bottle.

For my next dish I had ordered grilled beef salad ($98). A simple but pleasing dish that consisted of slices of beef arranged around a green salad with a spicy sauce in which to dip the beef.

Dessert was deliciously decadent cheesecake with pistachio nuts and flavoured with Black Sambuca liqueur. If you are a lover of cheesecake, then it is worth the journey just for that!

When you walk into Sagrantino the first thing you notice is the arched red brick decorative finish. The tables are set back into little arched alcoves. You might even be reminded of those old photographs of the Beatles playing at the Cavern back in the 60′s.

I’m not sure if that’s the intended effect but it is a little different. Especially as it is on the fifth floor (The Cavern was in a basement I believe) of a modern building in Wellington Street. Nevertheless it does aid and abet a cosy atmosphere

I got there quite early and surprised the waitress. It was only just about 7.00 and I don’t think customers start arriving much before 8.00pm. It’s a long thin restaurant with the kitchen at the far end. Since I had the place to myself I chose a table in an alcove about half way along.

The waitress brought me the menu and a bread basket. For an Italian restaurant it didn’t seem like a particularly varied selection of bread but it did have some delicious croutons which I nibbled into extinction while waiting for the first course.

For starters I’d ordered Carpaccio Manzo ($98). Carpaccio is thin slices of beef in olive oil and lemon. This was garnished with a forest of aragula, pink peppercorns and topped off with shavings of parmesan cheese.

Although Sagrantino is essentially an Italian restaurant it is Japanese owned and though Carpaccio is technically beef, Sagrantino offers options with octopus, tuna, salmon, yellow tail and duck. Which, when you think about it are just logical variations.

I’d stayed with the traditional beef because I had ordered grilled salmon for main ($178). This was two generous salmon steaks swimming in an ocean of parsley cream sauce with some little roast potato cubes on the side. It looked quite striking and tasted wonderful. But it was almost too much. Almost. if you don’t have such a large appetite I would recommend sharing this and maybe a pasta.

The choice of desserts is not spectacular. Dessert of the day was orange sorbet. I was tempted but in the end I opted for tiramisu ($68). Tiramisu is so common in so many restaurants that I usually avoid it and I must confess, halfway through this I was wishing I’d had the sorbet. Not because the tiramisu was particularly bad. It wasn’t, it was perfectly edible. I just get bored with it.

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!).

This quiet little tapas bar is part of the Fleming Hotel. The waitress assured me that it is much busier at lunchtimes and breakfast. On the evening that I went, I was the only customer I saw. The location doesn’t help. The entrance is tucked away on Jaffe Road to the side of the hotel entrance. And there is nothing at all on the outside to betray its existence.

I took a table by the window, sinking deep into the sofa and the cushions. The walls are almost bare but the ceiling is an arrangement of cube shapes, some of which are light fittings. It made me think of the early nineteen seventies but the background music was modern jazzy based wallpaper music.

I decided I would start with a tapas or two … or three. The menu offers a tapas combo for $208. This is a choice of any three tapas on the menu. I knew it was going to be too much because I had already made my mind up that I was going to try the Tagliatelli ala Carbonara ($158)..

One of the tapas I ordered was Lime Bait; This is deep fried white anchovies served with wedges of lime. Arriving with that were meatballs in saffron and almond sauce. Both were enjoyable.

Arriving a short while later was deep fried camembert with cranberry sauce. All of these dished were fairly generous servings and could easily be used as starters in their own right. As tapas they are perhaps a little too big for one person but perfect for sharing. Since I knew I had over ordered anyway, I tried to restrain myself.

Carbonara is rather a routine dish but I’d had a hankering for one. This one lived up to my expectations well enough. The sumptuous sofa did become a bit of a problem. It’s fine when you are leisurely stabbing at tapas items but it puts you at a distinct disadvantage when dealing with something as recalcitrant as tagliatelli.

To finish off I ordered a small portion of banana cake and a coffee.

The menu at cubix isn’t large and it doesn’t contain any surprises. But the food is agreeable enough. I think the restaurants main advantage is that you can probably always get a table. If you must have pasta, remember to avoid the sofa seats.

I wanted crispy pork. I’d been wanting it all day – I think I probably woke up wanting it but by lunch time I still hadn’t decided where I was going to go to get it. Then a friend called and asked if I’d been to Sergio’s in Causeway Bay and what did I think?

Well I had to confess I hadn’t heard of Sergio’s but since it sounded Italian I figured there would be a fairly decent chance that crispy roast pork would be on the menu. “I’ll tell you tomorrow” I said.

It’s an unusual place for restaurant, out on Causeway Road opposite Victoria Park. There are a couple of al fresco tables but it is mostly inside though it does maintain a garden like feel. Windows along two sides make it seem a little more spacious while strategically placed plants hide most of the buses rumbling by outside.

I was happy to note that crispy roast was indeed on the menu; Il Porcellino Croccante al Forno ($168). According to the English, “crispy baby pig ‘mother’ style”. Which I presume means just how Sergios mum cooked it.

Sounded good to me but first I decided to order the Affettato misto All’ Italiana ($138), a selection of salami and prosciutto. This was really my second choice. I’d wanted the Salmone Afumicato con Crostini Caldi. The waitress was very sorry but explained that the markets had failed to yield salmon of a standard that Sergio was happy with that morning.

Since a good prosciutto needs to hang for a considerable length of time I felt confident that it would be available. It was served very simple with just the wine and the bread basket to accompany it.

The crispy roast pig was a delight and well worth waiting for. It was also a very generous serving delivered by a waitress whose smile seemed to know that that I’d been looking forward to it all day. She refilled my glass.

Again the dish was served very simply with roast potatoes and garnished with rosemary. I tucked in. The meat was tender and succulent and satisfied my craving quite admirably.

I rarely order Tiramisu, I don’t know why. I think perhaps because it is just such a common dessert and I usually like to look for the unusual. The tiramisu at Sergios is ‘grandmother style’ and it wasn’t to be denied.

Recreating an Edwardian conservatory in Tin Hau was always going to be a bit tricky but I must admit the interior designers of Poppy have done a reasonable job. When you step inside there is a welcome sense of peace, the traffic rattling along Electric Road recedes into the distance and one can almost hear birds chirping.

Almost. What one actually does hear is the distant warble of boy bands, the only blot on an otherwise pleasing ambience. Though I have a sneaking suspicion I was the only one who cared.

Glancing around I couldn’t help thinking of the book “The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady” and it wasn’t lost on me that all of the other customers were indeed ladies. The ochre and cream striped walls behind wooden topped tables, lace curtains, mirrors, ceramic picture frames and abundance of plants do lend the place a very feminine touch.

There is an a la carte menu but they also offer half a dozen set dinner options which include the soup of the day, a main and a dessert.

The soup of the day was seafood. I had to think about this for a while because I had set my heart on the pan-fried talbot with wasabi sauce ($148) and wasn’t sure if I wanted two seafood dishes. In the end I decided to go for it but I would punctuate them with a portion of baked potato skins ($39).

The soup was predictable, but it had a generous amount of seafood swimming about in it, which I approve of. The potato skins were served simply, which I also approve of. All too often potato skins get over dressed but these just had melted cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of bacon bits.

The talbot was served on a bed of creamed potato with asparagus tips. I was just a tad disappointed with the wasabi sauce. To me it seemed a little too ‘mayonnaisey’. Wasabi has a very distinctive flavour and whilst obviously I wouldn’t have wanted it sushi-style I would have liked it to have a little more bite.

Dessert was pancake with ice cream and I believe the correct adjective is wicked. The pancake was wrapped around a deceptively large scoop of ice cream with a dollop of whipped cream at either end. Four slices of banana add shape to the corners and the whole thing is drizzled with chocolate sauce. Mmmmm – wicked indeed.

There is a group of four delightful old shophouses on Johnston Road just opposite the Southorn Playground. I must admit I thought there were due to meet the wreckers ball along with Wedding Card Street so I was pleasantly surprised, when I passed by a couple of months ago, to see that they were being renovated.

I didn’t give them much more thought until I passed by again the other evening. Renovations were obviously complete and there were lights and people moving about on the first floor. I had no idea what was there. I knew what I thought should be in a building like that and something in the way those people were moving made me think of waiters.

The ground floor shops were still vacant and there was nothing outside to give the game away so I located the narrow staircase and up I went. To my left at the top was an old foosball table and beyond that was an impressively stocked bar.

The floor is divided into sections and joined by arches. Modern light fittings are augmented by solo bulbs dangling from wires. Furnishing is simple but comfortable and there is a balcony that overlooks Johnston Road. It is a very pleasing atmosphere.

The building itself dates back to 1888 and was formerly occupied by the Woo Cheong Pawn Shop.

The staff made me feel very welcome and found me a table on the balcony. They are not fully operational yet. So far only the bar on the first floor is functional. By mid-April a restaurant occupying the second floor and the rooftop will be open.

But the bar menu does include a selection of pub grub items and a good range of beers. On draught there is Spitfire and Master Brew from England’s Shepherd Neame Brewery, Marsden’s Pedigree and Budejovicky Budvar from the Czech Republic as well as some more familiar names. There are also bottled beers from UK, US, Australia and Belgium.

I ordered myself a pint of Marsden’s ($60) and a plate of sausage and mash with peas and onion gravy ($88). The sausages were thick and tasty with herbs, the potato was smooth and creamy. I wolfed it all down in no time and then leaned back in my chair to enjoy the beer.

The new occupants have done a good job. They have preserved the buildings dignity whilst putting it to a new use. There are old-style pubs all over Asia, many of them are very nice indeed. But no matter how talented an interior designer is, they can never create the the atmosphere of a building that really is old.

Watch this space, I shall be back when the restaurant opens.

Weinstube has one of theose mirrors that are designed to make the place look bigger than it really is. It works very well. “Can I sit over there?” I said. The waitress gave me a very puzzled look. I looked back towards where I wanted to go but the perspectives were shifting. Then I saw a familiar face; it was me.

“Oh it’s a mirror!” I said, involuntarily as the penny dropped, and much to the amusement of a group of gents sitting at the bar. I plonked myself down in front of it and hid behind the menu.

There are some Interesting dishes, the spit roast pork knuckle and spit roast spring chicken ($160) both looked great. They do, however, require 50 minutes to prepare. The waitress delivered a glass of Erdinger dunkel bier (dark beer) and I made a quick mental calculation to work out how many dunkel biers I would drink before the food was delivered. I decided against it.

There are plenty of other things to choose from, including a range of german sausages, veal and a mushroom goulash for vegetarians.

I ordered the sausage platter. I was just about to order a main course to follow it but I was told “You may want to see the sausage platter before you order anything else, the small is a hearty meal for one person, the large will feed two.”

I was a little disappointed at first but when it was delivered I understood. There were three large sausages, a Vienna, a ham with cheese and a grilled pork. There was also a generous portion of French fries. I did order a side of saurkraut. Sausages and beer just wouldn’t be right without it

There were no desserts on the menu which was probably a good thing. “Would you like another beer?” enquired the waitress. I thought about it but in the end I declined. The sausages really were filling.

Fridays were special days when I was a kid. We used to get off school fifteen minutes earlier so we’d go and play footy in the park for a while. There were no mobile phones back then, some of us didn’t even have land lines yet, but so long as we were home before dad, nobody minded.

On Fridays being home before dad was not a problem. On Fridays dad used to stop off at the chippy on the way home. I can never forget the blast of cold air accompanied by the warm smell of well wrapped fish and chips as he opened the front door. Mum already had the plates warming in the kitchen.

This was where the weekend began, dad was home, there was no school tomorrow and there was a plate of fish and chips warming my knees as we watched the telly. We were only allowed to have dinner in front of the telly on Fridays.

A few years later the chippy would be the last place I stopped at after a Friday night out. On a student budget a piece of cod was just a bit too expensive so I would often have a saveloy with chips.

I had my first saveloy in over twenty years the other evening. After college I moved to London. Saveloys were rare in London chippies so they slipped from my diet altogether.

This most recent saveloy I discovered, appropriately, in The Chippy. But whereas in England ‘the chippy’ is a generic term for a place that sells fish and chips, in Hong Kong it is at 51 Wellington Street. Though the entrance is around the corner on Pottinger behind all the fancy dress stalls.

It does a good job of looking like an authentic chippy. Plain white walls with just a touch of blue here and there. The menu is chalked up on a blackboard at one end and there are some tables squeezed into a narrow space between the counter and the outside wall.

I ordered the classic cod and chips ($95) to accompany my saveloy ($35 as a side order) and a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale ($45). There are plenty of other things on the menu; pies, pasties, Cumberland sausage, battered sausage or chicken. They can all be served with either chips or mash and with a choice of mushy peas, beans or salad. The fish options include cod, haddock and sole.

My piece of fish was firm, flaky and fresh, and cooked in a light, crispy batter. The chips were hand cut and actually tasted of potatoes rather than the oil they were cooked in.

Apart from a few places that sold banana fritters I don’t recall much else in the line of dessert from the chippies of my youth. The Chippy have addressed this by offering the iconic Scottish delicacy, the deep fried Mars Bar ($45). Here it is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The Mars bar itself is sweet and gooey but you knew that anyway. The sweetness tends to overwhelm the taste of the batter. The batters main job, it seems, is merely to seal it in long enough to melt but not leak. Although mine was still a little firm in the middle.

The problem with Mars bars generally is that they are fine for the first few bites then I get bored with them. The same can be said for the deep fried variety, they need to be shared.

This is a small restaurant just off Star Street at the Admiralty end of Wanchai that specialises in French/European styles. It is a very simple unpretentious place with just a few tables. It is spacious, clean and friendly.

There is a set menu for $195 which includes starter, main course and dessert, but it still offers a reasonable selection of dishes to choose from. But for a restaurant of this size I was rather surprised at the number of wines that it has to offer. I’m no wine expert but it did seem that some of the other guests were there for the wine rather than the food.

I ordered a glass of house red. The waitress did show me the bottle but I was so absorbed in the menu that, I confess, I wasn’t paying attention. It was a pleasant fruity wine and I was quite happy with it.

For starters I ordered smoked Herring with boiled potato. It was a decent piece of herring thought the potato could perhaps have done with another minute or two cooking. It didn’t stop me eating it though.

For main course I ordered the lamb stew in white wine sauce. This was served simply with plain boiled rice. It was pleasant enough but apart from some carrot in the stew Itself there were no vegetables. It needed some.

Dessert was chocolate mousse washed down with a good hot coffee.

Olala is a no-frills restaurant, the food was perfectly edible and at the price point there really isn’t much to complain about. But I do feel that a a little more attention to detail would turn a decent little eatery into a little gem.

That said if you are looking for a quick, no-fuss, hot dinner that is not burger related than Olala is just the ticket

This is a cosy little French restaurant on Whitfield Road in North Point. I’m sure it does a roaring trade at lunch times but in the evenings, when all the office staff have left the area, there doesn’t seem to be many customers around. That, of course, makes it a perfect spot for a quiet and romantic interlude. Alas, I was on my own.

But I wasn’t about to let that spoil my enjoyment. Even empty the restaurant has a lot of atmosphere. A variety of oil paintings line the walls while screens and a lamp help break up the rectangular shape of the room. A flagstone floor and art deco light fittings create the impression of a small bistro somewhere in Paris in the 1950s.

An intelligent selection of background music, that included selections by Edith Piaf and Django Reinhardt/Stéphane Grappelli’s Hot Five’s amongst others, completed the illusion.

It is a set menu but there are a range of options. The prices are $298 or $328 depending on you choice of entrée. I ordered glass of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon ($65) and thought about it.

The first course was soup. There was a choice between Clam Chowder and Seafood. I had opted for the latter which I found to be very agreeable.

This was followed by a rather delicious pan-seared foie gras. The outside was thin and crisp, the inside creamy and rich and absolutely bursting with flavour. There were several other options on the menu but when I make a return visit I know I’m going to find it hard to pass this one up in favour of something else.

The main course was Roast Suckling Pig. Served with asparagus and potato the flavour of the meat was wonderfully balanced with rosemary and thyme. Succulent and tender and with a beautifully golden and crisp outer skin.

Bringing up the rear was coffee and creme caramel. I did think about asking if there was a cheese board, I didn’t remember seeing it on the menu. But in the end I decided I was already feeling well satisfied so I let it pass.

I paid my bill, which I must say was very reasonable for the quality of the meal, said au revoir and stepped out of the Paris of fifty years ago and back into the Hong Kong of today