Eat Drink Hong Kong

We fancied a beer and a burger each so we decided to head inside. We can’t serve you beer I’m afraid said the good lady who greeted us. But do feel free to pop along to 7-11 and get your own.

It turned out that it was a license glitch and she was expecting all to be rectified within a matter of days. A shame, I was rather looking forward to an Egyptian Sakara Gold to go with a Lebanese burger ($48) My companion also had to forsake his Estrella which he would have paired with a Spanish burger ($48).

The trip down to the convenience store for a couple of cans didn’t have much appeal. Instead we made do with soft drinks, I an orange juice and he a cola. To go with the drinks and burgers we also ordered some buffalo chicken wings ($48) and some potato wedges ($18).

The wedges and wings arrived first by a very narrow margin. The wings are actually boneless and cut into bite sized pieces. The are served in a wonderfully tangy and spicy sauce. Along side them are celery strips and a blue cheese dip.

The two burgers arrived almost at the at the same time. They are delivered with their hats off so you can admire the toppings. The Spanish had chunks of chorizo sausage, a slice of cheddar cheese and a huge daub of mayonnaise. A large part of the mayo defected to the plate after the first bite. My friend was unconcerned. Indeed he was of the opinion that there was too much of the stuff anyway.

The Lebanese burger was topped with halloumi cheese and za’atar. Za’atar is a middle eastern herb or blend of herbs which was sprinkled on the cheese. In place of the mayo a Lebanese burger has hummus. Not nearly as much and in my view altogether much better.

The burgers are a decent size though not as big as some other places. There are variations on the menu that include two patties and I suspect if you asked you could have an extra patty added into almost any burger on the menu.

G/F Carfield Commercial Building
77 Wyndham Street
Central
Tel. 2114 0662

5/F The Mira HK
118 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2315 5999

36 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 6151 0820

G/F 135 Sunning Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2504 3333

1881 Heritage
2A Canton Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3988 0104

8 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2536 9068

11/F Times Square
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2577 3444

Hullett House, 2A Canton Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3988 0101

Shop G9-10 G/F Kornhill Plaza
1 Kornhill Road
Taikoo
Hong Kong
Tel 2560 8246

G/F 21 Wing Wo Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2545 6100

43 Gough Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 3303

Royal Plaza Hotel
193 Prince Edward Road West
Mongkok
Kowloon

Shop 20, 1/F Waldorf Garden
1 Tuen Lee Street
Tuen Mun
New Territories

Empire Centre
66-68 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui East
Kowloon
Tel 2311 3310

208 1881 Heritage
2A Canton Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2604 1881

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

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

4/F Carnarvon Plaza
20 Carnarvon Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2368 1263 till they get their own number in Jan ‘10 CHECK

713-715 Grand Century Place
Mongkok
Kowloon
Tel 2628 3711

2/F Plaza 2000, 2-4 Russell Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2368 1263

Let there be no confusion, Ocean Grill is a seafood restaurant. But for those that must the menu does include a chicken option and a steak option. And I had rather fancied the wild mushroom and goat cheese tart for starter but I was rather hungry and couldn’t wait the twenty minutes it would take to prepare.

Instead I opted for the House cured salmon with horseradish ($105). And a glass of chardonnay to go with it. To keep me company until it arrived I was presented with some griddle toasted bread. It was quite a heavy type of bread with the butter already melted into it. It was quite yummy indeed.

Horseradish I more usually associate with roast beef but it does go very well with salmon. Here it was also garnished with arugula leaves. Altogether it was very agreeable and before long I was chasing the last of the horseradish around the plate with the last corner of bread. “Would you like some more bread?” asked the waitress. I nodded enthusiastically.

Although it is a seafood restaurant the interior designers refrained from covering the walls with maritime bric-a-brac. Instead they went for subtle woody shades. The background music was a well thought out selection of pop, soft rock and soul hits from the last fifty years, the Beatles, Pet Shop Boys, and Joni Mitchell were all in evidence alongside current hits.

The menu changes daily according to what is available at the market. Some dishes, the waitress told me, are available almost every day others change. Today they had Whole Roasted Sea Bream Puttanesca ($180) so I ordered that. Puttanesca is a salty, tangy sauce which is emphasised by the olives, capers and cherry tomatoes that the dish is served with. A sprinkling of basil leaves on top finish off what was a very enjoyable fish.

On the side I’d ordered lemon butter potatoes and broccoli ($38 each).

I’ve long maintained that the holy grail of desserts is to find an apple crumble like mum used to make. I don’t suppose I ever will but a worthy alternative is the Peach and Cherry crumble served here with a scoop of ginger ice cream ($58).

I lingered over coffee enjoying a couple of tunes I’d not heard in a while,

The Burger Room is tiny and hugely popular. Every time I’ve passed it has been crowded but this last time I decided to belly up to the counter and and find out what it was all about.

There are a few tables in the middle, some leather looking easy chairs and some high seats down one side. Only the high seats were available when we arrived and we were lucky to get those. Had we arrived 5 minutes later we would have been turned away.

My companion went to inspect the fridge while I studied the menu. They do have a small range of bottled beers including Stella and Hoegaarden but he came back with a couple of Snapples claiming it was too early for beers.

The menu is small but intriguing. Alongside the eight or so burgers made with beef there are chicken and duck options as well as fish, crab and lobster. The lobster is the most expensive thing on the menu but is still a quite accessible $188.

My friend ordered a Bacon Chicken burger ($65), I went for The Club ($108) and to keep us company while we waited we ordered some melted cheese fries ($35) and breaded mozzarella sticks ($38). These were a mistake.

There was nothing at all wrong with them, they were really very tasty and we wolfed them down eagerly but then the burgers arrived and my jaw dropped. The Chicken was a generous fillet of breast topped with enough bacon to make a sandwich in its own right. In with it were lettuce, tomato and onion.

But if that looked big the Club was a masterpiece of engineering. On the lower part of the was a bed of lettuce. This was topped with tomato and onion. Next came the first beef patty topped with bacon, mushrooms and melted cheese. The cheese actually seemed to be serving as an adhesive to hold the second patty in place which itself was topped with melted cheese and a fried egg.

The top half of the bun was propped on the side and the whole lot was pinned together with an extra long flag. The beef was finely ground and with very little added fat.

There was no way to eat it in the accustomed manner of eating burgers. Knife an fork was the only way. I did my best. It’s not often I’m beaten but this time I had to admit defeat. My companion did better but even he left the bun to one side.

There are no desserts on the menu. There is a selection of tea and coffee options but I felt that even they were beyond me.

There are two branches of Dressed Salads. I hadn’t paid either of them much attention but then I found a crumpled take-away menu on a colleagues desk and decided I ought to go and take a look.

I went along to the Queens Road East branch which is opposite the Hopewell Centre. It’s a bright cheerful place with colourful 1960’s retro seating. The first thing you see is an enormous array of ingredients and these, according to the menu, can be mixed in any way you so choose.

The basic salad starts at $58. This includes a choice of greens, four toppings and one dressing. There is plenty to choose from that would enable you to build a jolly nice salad without going over the base price. For the greens alone there is mesclun, baby spinach, arugula iceberg and romaine to choose from.

But it’s the premium toppings that make these salads so special. The premium toppings cost extra but none of them are too expensive. Crumbled blue cheese, for example, costs an extra $4. Italian Salami costs an extra $8, seared tuna $16, up to lobster which adds a princely $26 to the total.

And there are plenty of other choices in between. So many possibilities that both myself and my companion wimped out.

There are also over a dozen salad combinations that have been designed by the companies own chefs. I went for the Shrimp Scampi ($78). This consisted of grilled shrimp, roasted garlic, white beans tomatoes, fried capes and baby spinach in a lemon caper vinaigrette. It appeared in a heavy ceramic bowl, a forest of spinach concealed most of the ingredients but they were plentiful and delicious.

The salad came with two slices of grilled flat-bread but if you prefer this flat-bread can be used to wrap your salad in. This is what my companion has opted to do with her Seared Tuna ($88). Wrapped in there with the tuna was carrot capers, grilled asparagus, mushrooms, tomato and mesclun with chipotle aioli vinaigrette.

Wraps are prone to fall apart halfway through but this one held together very well. How much of this was down to the architecture of the wrap and how much was down to the skill of my companion I couldn’t tell but she did say it was very good.

We both washed our meals down with home made lemonade ($20). This is lemonade as it should be, made with real lemons. Not some fizzy stuff out of a can made with sugar and citric acid.

I suppose Dressed Salads could technically be called fast food but it’s a refreshing alternative to burgers and fried chicken. I hope to see more of them around town before long.

Shop 2016
Level 2,IFC Mall
Central
Tel. 2295 4848

Shop 1
G/F QRE Plaza
202 Queen’s Road East
Wanchai
Tel 2893 4848

Cafe Tornado is a small casual little bistro amongst half a dozen or so restaurants on Caroline Hill Road in Causeway Bay. I spotted it a few weeks ago and decided to go back and give it a try.

Decor is simple, a bookshelf adds a homely feel to it and, because it is a small place, makes it feel quite cosy.

There are a few a la carte options but it is mostly set dinners, of which there are about six to choose from. They include a salad and soup of the day along with a main course. The prices range from $130-200.

For a $50 upgrade you can get a glass of house wine, a starter and a dessert. It all seemed very reasonable to me … but then I set the cat among the pigeons. I didn’t want the ordinary salad I rather fancied the smoked salmon with avocado salad ($80) from the a la carte menu. I assured the waitress I’d be willing to pay the extra.

She didn’t seem to certain but she agreed anyway and went off to deliver my order to the kitchen while I looked over the rest of the menu. It’s a curious mix of pasta dishes, some Japanese options and steak. It offers a good range of herbal teas and a range of coffees.

Presently the salad arrived, it was huge. The waitress said “Yes, this is the salmon and avocado … ” and then waving her finger vaguely around it she continued ” … and your set meal…” at which she beat a hasty retreat. Did she mean she has mixed the two salads together?

I decided not to pursue the matter. In actual fact all it entailed was extra foliage and it was crisp and fresh. I decided I would simply leave what I didn’t want.

That wouldn’t have been much at all had it not been for the arrival of my starter. There had been five or six items, all from the a la carte menu, that I could choose from. I had chosen the bacon and potato. It had a menu price of $53 and consisted of nice chunks of lean back bacon in a creamy sauce, very tasty indeed.

The soup of the day arrived shortly after. It turned out to be French onion soup. I can be quite picky about onion soup, this was served in a glass with a rather humdrum piece of toast on the side. But apart from the glass the soup’s only other crime was not having any cheese on top. The soup itself was rather good.

I’d ordered Roast Duck for the main course and this was a lovely piece. Tender and juicy with a delicious smoky flavour. It arrived on a mound of potatoes and garden vegetables.

I confess I was getting rather full but I had made a mental to order the home made lime yoghurt cheesecake from the menu for my dessert. Even if it did mean upsetting the waitress again. As it turned out they only had two desserts available; creme brulee and an Oreo and Baileys cheesecake. I plumped for the former.

The food here was very good and good value for money too. A little more organisation in the menu wouldn’t hurt and nor would a strategy for accommodating people who like to stray from the set menu.

Shop G7-8 Tsimshatsui Centre
66 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2722 7050

31/F The Hennessy
256 Hennessy Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2893 6960

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

Unit 1, 4/F W Square
314-324 Hennessy Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 3106 0272

Shop UC1, APM Mall
418 Kwun Tong Road
Kwun Tong
New Territories
Tel 3148 9444

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

3/F Coda Plaza
5 Garden Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2525 0552

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

Shop A, 518 Jaffe Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2151 0889

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

8/F Goldmark
502 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2808 1386

Shop 1, QRE Plaza
202 Queen’s Road East
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2295 4848

Lobby, Novotel Citygate
51 Man Tung Road
Tung Chung
Lantau
New Territories
Tel 3602 8828

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

Though I think the toys on the tables may have been more for kawaii cuteness than for the entertainment of little fingers, Mackie Kitchen does target a younger, more family oriented market. It’s a brightly lit restaurant with a series of endearingly wacky cityscape illustrations by AH Tsui along one wall. The other wall is painted bright orange.

A line on the menu encourages patrons to “Enjoy a coffee by the orange wall.” I decided to have dinner by the orange wall though I did have to move the table away from the wall an inch or two to give myself a bit of elbow room.

The menus are line covered, the a la carte menu had teddy bears embroidered on it. Most of the dishes here are also available as set dinner options which come with a soup and starter. Prices for the set dinner start as low as $98. There are about half a dozen choices for main course ranging from spaghetti to steak but even the most expensive items are still jolly reasonable.

I ordered the US pork chop in port wine sauce ($128) and a glass of Australian Chardonnay ($35)

Of the soup options I chose potato and leek which arrived promptly accompanied by a bread roll. It was tasty enough but a little on the thin side. The other choice had been gazpacho which I don’t mind but I couldn’t call it one of my favourites.

Next to arrive was baby octopus marinated in a Japanese sesame sauce served with a small salad. I did enjoy this dish. The octopus was not as chewy as I had been expecting and I had been happily wrapping it in lettuce leaves, Thai style.

The pork, when it arrived, was served with zucchini, aubergine and potato. It was a sizeable chop, nothing fancy in the preparation, just quality home cooking.

For an extra $20 you can add dessert. I went for the blueberry cheesecake and a regular coffee.

The final bill came to a whisker over $200. With that kind of value there is nothing you could complain about. I might not make regular visits myself but for young teens or for mums wanting to get a quick lunch while waiting to pick the kids up from kindergarten its a great place to hang out.

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

Shop 3, B3, Three Pacific Place
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Tel 2918 9892

1081 ifc Mall
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2234 7356

Big Wave Bay Road
Shek O
Hong Kong
Tel 2809 2583

41 Yik Yam Street
Happy Valley
Hong Kong
Tel 2838 2689

1/F AT Tower
180 Electric Road, Fortress Hill. Hong Kong
Tel 2570 3939
fax 2570 0227

I’ve passed this place a few times on the minibus. The other evening I was on foot and it was starting to rain so I decided it would be an ideal time to go in and take a look.

It’s a modern place. The long narrow dining area looks over Electric Road. I took a table by the window. At first in one of the rattan basket style chairs but I soon discovered that these chairs can only be enjoyed by the very slimmest members of society. A demographic to which I certainly do not belong.

Having found more suitable accommodation I ordered a glass of house red and studied the menu. The dishes are predominantly Italian and there is a wide range of pasta available.

But the best options looked to be the set dinners. These include starter, soup of the day and a main course. and the prices range from $168 to $188. There is a choice of six main dishes and as many starters.

What wasn’t included was the assorted cold cuts ($98) upon which I had already set my heart. The waitress took it all in her stride, indeed she even hesitated just a little in case I should continue ordering. “Shall I bring the cold cuts first?” she asked. Yes please I said, and she was gone.

I nibbled at the bread basket and continued reading the menu while I waited. I do like raisin bread but left to my own devices I would have it with afternoon tea rather than at dinner.

The cold cuts weren’t long in coming. Salami, Parma ham and home smoked duck breast served on salad with pickles and olives.

Next up were scallops with salad. I’d chosen this dish for starter because I guessed it would be the lightest. I was right. The salad was just a repeat of what I had already had so it was easy to bypass that and just pick out the scallops which were firm and tasty.

Soup of the day turned out to be cauliflower, served piping hot an creamy. It was pleasant enough but it could have been improved with a nice crusty roll. I did think about asking for one but decided I had quite enough to eat anyway so I let it pass.

The main course was pan-fried sea bass with green beans on a bed of creamed potato and with a lovely buttery sauce.

I rounded off, after a respectable pause, with ginger soufflé and coffee. All in all I thought it was a very pleasant meal. Not exceptional but very good value for money.

This is a pleasant little place in one of the less frenetic pockets of Causeway Bay. It’s an all day place with menus for breakfast, lunch, afternoon teas and dinner.

The dinners are in the form of a set meal; for three courses $168; four courses, $188. The extra course being soup. Each item is also individually priced so you could just order a main course if you wanted to.

There are half a dozen options each for starter and main. These change frequently according to what is available at market. There were two choices for soup but I’d already decided against the four course option.

For my starter I ordered the pan fried-frogs legs. I also ordered a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc while I waited.

The restaurant is divided into two sections. The front has more an afternoon cafe feel to it while the back is lined with linen covered seats and cushions on subtle beige and pale brown. Black and white photos of happy faces adorn the walls while a female singer delivers torch songs old and new in the background.

I’ve never been sure why some people say Frogs legs taste like chicken. I don’t think it does. It looks a little like tiny chicken drumsticks, but the meat is denser and has a slightly stronger, almost nutty flavour. These were basking in a sea of delicious, buttery, parsley sauce and topped with a small forest of salad.

Naturally I wanted more and could have easily dispatched another leg or two but I decided to wait patiently for my main course. For this I’d ordered white cod on polenta and French beans. The fish was firm and flakey as cod is supposed to be. The polenta, which is made from ground corn, was mixed with some whole kernels to add a little more texture.

Dessert was a choice of chocolate mousse and orange cappuccino. I went for the orange and rounded off with a fair trade coffee.

Level 3, Royal Park Hotel
8 Pak Hok Ting Street
Shatin
New Territories
Tel 2694 3886

I don’t often eat steaks at restaurants, its the kind of thing I cook at home along with home made English style chips and a glass of fine beer. But when the pangs hit not even a hike across Tsim Sha Tsui at six-thirty in the evening is enough to deter.

Now when I was a young lad BLT stood for bacon, lettuce and tomato. The three would usually be found between two slices of crusty bread and would be enjoyed with a piping hot mug of tea.

In Ocean Terminal BLT stands for Bistro Laurent Tourondel which is the latest establishment to be opened by celebrity chef Laurent Tourondel. It’s also the first one to be opened outside the US. And it was here that my feet were taking me.

It is a modern cosmopolitan place with stunning views across the harbour if you’re lucky enough to be there when there isn’t a cruise ship in. The staff are friendly and efficient and soon led me to a table with an impressive view of the Silver Whisper cruise ship. Can’t have everything I thought and buried my nose in the menu.

Naturally there’s a full range of steak options with Australian and Wagyu beef. There are also some intriguing seafood possibilities and the Alaskan cod was very tempting. But it was steak that had brought me here and I was steak that I was going to have.

The top end of the menu was a bit beyond my budget but the 10oz Australian filet ($268) looked good but before that I ordered Spicy Rock Prawns with Blue Cheese Dressing ($138)to get things started.

While I was waiting for these the waiter delivered what he called “bread” but according to a little label on the side of the plate it is called a popover. Most British people however would know it as Yorkshire pudding. And a very good one and huge too, with cheese added during the baking.

Before long the prawns arrived. They were succulent and tasty. I wouldn’t have been unhappy had been a little spicier but not everyone would agree with that.

To go with the steak I’d ordered Potato Gratin ($58). “It’s very rich,” confided the waiter, “this one is for cheese lovers”.

The steak was all I could have hoped for. Cooked medium rare, it was lean and juicy. It wasn’t long before I found myself mopping the plate with the last of my popover.

Admittedly I couldn’t cook a steak that well at home and I was really glad that I had stopped by. My only complaint is about the range of beers that that they serve. And it’s not only BLT that are guilty. Given the range of excellent Belgian and British beers that are now available in Hong Kong it’s disappointing that so few restaurants offer them. A quality beer can complement a steak as well as a fine wine.

For dessert I opted for Lemon Meringue Pie with Lemon Sorbet ($80). The lemon meringue itself was fairly ordinary but the sorbet was wonderfully sharp and tangy. I rounded off with a coffee and took the ferry back across the harbour. It is indeed a spectacular view.

72 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2528 0868

G/F 6 Sun Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2865 0388

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.

30-34 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2850 6818

Podium 2, 280 Gloucester Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2894 8844

G/F New Sun House,

6 Sun Street,

Wanchai,

Hong Kong

Tel 2865 0388

Wellington Street

Central

Tel. 2805 9889

Shop 8, 1/F Senses
60 Johnston Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2861 2899

Novotel
348 Nathan Road
Jordan
Kowloon
Tel 3965 8888

2/F Hotel Jen
508 Queen’s Road West
Western
Hong Kong
Tel 2974 1234

G/F Hotel Miramar
118-130 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2315 5111

LG/F Hollywood Commercial House
3-5 Old Bailey Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 1438

Shop 1B, Lippo Centre
89 Queensway
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 1711

G/F 33 Mosque Street
Mid-levels
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2530 4828

10 St Francis Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2866 4466

G/F Shop B, 11 Old Bailey Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2524 1818

Rosedale on the Park
8 Shelter Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2127 8838

Hotel Nikko Hong Kong
72 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui East
Kowloon
Tel 2313 4245

25/F Prince’s Building
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2537 1388

38/F Hotel Panorama
8A Hart Avenue
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3550 0388

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

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

Central Ferry Pier 7
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2167 8153

1/F IFC Mall
8 Finance Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2167 7321

G/F Belle House
98-104 Hing Fat Street
Tin Hau
Hong Kong
Tel 2834 7748

49 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2147 0100

Shop 6, 1/F The Sanlitum
Causeway Centre
28 Harbour Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2598 9887

2/F Courtyard by Marriott
167 Connaught Road West
Sai Ying Pun
Hong Kong
Tel 3717 8989

1/F 46-48 Granville Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2311 3298

Eaton Hotel
380 Nathan Road
Kowloon
Tel 2710 1863

1-5 Elgin Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2559 2777

37-38/F Times Tower
391-407 Jaffe Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 3151 7125

W Hongkong
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon Station
Kowloon
Tel 3717 2848

The Charterhouse Hotel
209-219 Wanchai Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2833 5566

G/F 59-65 Paterson St
Fashion Walk
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2367 2710

7/F JW Marriott
Pacific Place
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Tel 2841 3858

W Hongkong
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon Station
Kowloon
Tel 3717 2848

G/F 16 Arbuthnot Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 0625

135 Des Voeux Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2544 7587

5B, U G/F Cheung Fai Building
45-47 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 2128

Shop 2016, Podium 2
One IFC, 2 Harbour View Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2295 4848

G/F 6 Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2536 9623

23/F, 202 Queen’s Road East
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2572 3228

7/F LKF Tower
33 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2526 2366

2/F The Luxe Manor
39 Kimberley Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3763 8778

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

5P320 Terminal 2
Chek Lap Kok Airport
Lantau
New Territories
Tel 3559 1122

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

62 Bonham Road
Mid Levels
Hong Kong
Tel 2116 8883

Royal View Hotel
353 Castle Peak Road
Tsuen Wan
Kowloon
Tel 3716 2898