Eat Drink Hong Kong

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

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

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

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

G/F 8 Hart Avenue
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2368 7299

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

128 Connaught Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 2851 1220

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

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

G/F 66 Johnston Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2527 0688

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

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

1/F JIA Boutique Hotel
1-5  Irving Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 3196 9100

1 Hoi Ping Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2577 3111

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

If you keep going up the escalator beyond Caine Road there are a few more small restaurants just below Mosque Junction. One of these is The Orange Tree, a small Dutch restaurant that I’d heard good things about. It is, as far as I know, the only Dutch restaurant in Hong Kong so when an old friend of mine arrived in town I decided it was time to give it a try

It’s a small restaurant that opens on to the pathway by the escalator. If you sit by the entrance you would probably be able to watch heads drifting diagonally by as they make their way home. It was a fairly humid evening so we decided to make full use of the air-con inside.

Polished floorboards and wood paneling create a relaxing atmosphere. Dutch themed posters decorate the walls whilst nice comfy chairs encourage you to take your time. The waitresses were friendly and produced the menu and wine list with a cheerful smile.

We’d already done some catching up in the Globe on Hollywood Road so I decided to pass on the wine and just had water, my friend couldn’t resist the temptation of a bottle of Grolsch beer. These were delivered along with some bread and we turned our attention to the menu.

There was a good range of appetizers. My friend ordered the Jamon Crudo ($88), ham with white asparagus while I plumped for the Bitter Ballan ($74). These are deep fried veal dumplings served with dijon mustard.

I’d never had these before. The dumplings have a light crispy outside with an almost pureed inside. I’m fussy about mustard, usually preferring a stronger English style but this time the dijon was spot on. I was impressed.

The Jamon Crudo was also living up to expectation. It had arrived with an olive and pepper salsa and a dash of salad. The ham, I was informed, was excellent.

For the main event we both went for lamb dishes. I had plumped for Oven Roasted Lamb Shanks served with ‘Hutspot’ which is carrot, potato and onion mash ($168). The lamb itself was wonderfully tender and quite delicious. It fell away from the bone with almost no effort at all.

On the other side of the table quiet concentration had descended. This was a good sign I decided as it meant that the Lamb Fillets and Eggplant baked in Puff Pastry ($188) were being appreciated as much as the shanks had been. It certainly looked good, I’d almost demanded a swap when they arrived but good manners and decency prevailed.

We both agreed the lamb dishes were very good. There were other things on the menu and all of them looked pretty good but I have to admit it was not a large menu. If this restaurant has a weakness it is that the menu is too reliant on the grill. I’m sure the quality would be just as high as the lamb dishes were, but I would like to have seen a little more variety.

For dessert I had the Poffertjes which are miniature pancakes served with Vanilla Ice cream (HK$62) and rounded off with a coffee. My friend decided to pass on dessert and and ordered an Irish coffee instead. “I’ve not had an Irish coffee for ages”, he said. “Not a good one, anyway.” The he settled back in his chair and enjoyed a very good Irish coffee.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I didn’t ask but I suspect the large wall mounted TV attracts sports fans at the weekend or perhaps karaoke fans. There was some mountain biking on when I was there but this was about seven o’clock on a Wednesday.

The cuisine is Italian but it’s not what I would call a romantic hole in the wall where you go for a candle lit dinner with someone special. This is a restaurant for an evening out with a group of good friends.

The food is good and reasonably priced so I had few complaints. Unfortunately the first one was the bread basket. Low on variety and kept warm just a little too long it just seemed a little half hearted. Still, with the help of a liberal amount of olive oil and a glass of Pinot Grigiot, I made the best of it.

From there on things got better. For starter I had opted for the Portobello mushroom with mixed vegetable ($70). The vegetables included red peppers and zucchini. The mushroom was plump and firm with a pleasant flavour. It was a simple but pleasing dish. It left me eagerly anticipating the main course.

Unfortunately this was a little slow out of the blocks. Not really slow enough to make a fuss about but I was well into my second glass of wine by the time it arrived.

I’d been waiting for the baked crab on codfish ($168) and when it arrived it redeemed itself by being quite delicious. The crab-meat was tasty and the cod tender and succulent. Served with spinach in a cream sauce.

By now the restaurant was filling up. Even on a Wednesday it is evidently popular. I scanned the menu for dessert. The waitress told me that the Hot souffle with vanilla sauce ($60) was good but it would take 15-20 minutes to prepare. I’d been expecting that and ordered it anyway. She was right, it was good.

I finished off with a coffee. It was a good meal, not spectacular but definitely one to remember after a grueling afternoon shopping.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

131 Tseng Tau Village
Shap Sze Heung
Sai Kung
New Territories
Tel 2791 2684

G/F 379-389 Jaffe Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2893 5777

104 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2865 4378
Fax 2861 2122

1/F De Fenwick
8-12 Fenwick Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 3101 0418

G/F 17 Shelley Street
Mid-levels
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2838 9352
Fax 2526 0488

183 C/D Po Tung Road
Sai Kung
New Territories
Tel 2792 5296

3/F 85 Queen’s Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 6805

8/F Jardine Centre
50 Jardine’s Bazaar
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2203 4321
Fax 2203 4312

Shop G9, G/F Site 2, Whampoa Garden
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Tel 2142 8121 & 8123
Fax 2142 8011

U G/F 23-28 Tsim Sha Tsui Centre
66 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui East
Kowloon
Tel 2311 7800

Shop 1-2, 11-17a Causeway Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2808 2710

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

Shop 451-3 4/F Phase 1
New Town Plaza
Sha Tin
New Territories
Tel 2699 9449

1/F Park Avenue Tower
5 Moreton Terrace
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2802 9028

39 Aberdeen Street
Soho
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 2208

G/F 33 St Francis Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2294 0450
Fax 2866 4323

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

29/F, 33 Sharp Street East
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2831 0881

Shop 1, 2/F Oterprise Square
26 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3741 1728

4/F The Plaza LKF
21 D’Aguilar Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2526 7712

Shop 3-5, L2
Discovery Park Shopping Centre
Tsuen Wan
Kowloon
Tel 2940 0682

10 Wo On Lane
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2877 9733

6/F Hong Kong Arts Centre
2 Harbour Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2827 2923
Fax 2526 7138

G/F 14 Ashley Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2376 3323
Fax 2376 3443

3/F One Exchange Square
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 2246

Shop 6A UG/F Olympian City 2
18 Hoi Ting Road
West Kowloon
Kowloon
Tel 2567 9969

13, King Kwong Street
Happy Valley
Hong Kong
Tel 2295 6848

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
1 Harbour Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2588 1234

Pui O Beach
Lantau Island
New Territories
Tel 2546 3543

2/F JP Plaza, 22-36 Paterson Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2881 8012

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

G/F 13-15B Yik Yam Street
Happy Valley
Hong Kong
Tel 2575 6778

2/F Circle Tower
28 Tang Lung Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2573 3282

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

Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers
20 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2369 1111

G/F 100 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 3110 2018

G/F 1-3 Bartlock Centre
3 Yiu Wah Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2838 6292

Shop G3A, Site 4
Whampoa Garden
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Tel 2766 2823

15 Old Bailey street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3622 3222

32 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2521 1608