Eat Drink Hong Kong

Shop 36-38 G/F City Garden Shopping Centre
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2508 0862

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

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

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

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.

108 Tsat Tsz Mui Road
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2811 3006

25 Kam Ping Street
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2887 2381

Shop U12, 560 King’s Road
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2155 1066

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.

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

1/F Kiu Fai Mansion
413-421 King’s Road
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2561 8123

1B Sentact Bldg
343-347 Kings Road
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 3104 2215

Shop F-G, 18 Jupiter Street
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2807 1386

2/F Java Road Municipal Building
99 Java Road
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2880 9399

G/F Jupiter Terrace
18 Jupiter Street
North Point
Hong Kong
Tel 2169 3999