Eat Drink Hong Kong

2/F 21-25 Luard Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2501 7339

2/F Kinwick Centre
32 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 8199 8189

1/F Jusco Kornhill Store
Kornhill Plaza South
2 Kornhill Road
Quarry Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2967 4044

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

Shop 1, 17-23 Minden Avenue
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2312 1919

51 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 6106

G/F 148 Kam Sheung Road
Yuen Long
New Territories
Tel 2488 3263

L1, Royal Park Hotel
8 Pak Hok Ting Street
Shatin
New Territories
Tel 2694 3939

G/F Lobby, Hotel Miramar
118-123 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2315 5888

Shop 2, LG1, Pacific Place
88 Queensway
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Tel 3960 5988

B/F, 59 Caine Road
Mid-levels
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2523 2872

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

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

Robatayaki is Japanese style barbecue. The guests sit in a semi-circle or kind of horseshoe shape around the chef who cooks everything over charcoal while you watch. The waiters main job is to collect your orders and deliver drinks, sushi and sashimi. We ordered a Sapporo beer each while we considered the menu.

There is a good range of options. Plenty of seafood as you might imagine plus chicken and kobe beef and plenty of crisp fresh vegetables.

At $900 we decided to pass up the Kobe beef. It did look good but we wanted to try a few things without busting the budget.

The first thing we ordered was the okra ($55). I’ve never really understood why okra got the nickname ‘ladies fingers’, it doesn’t look a bit like anyones fingers. But whatever you call it, this is by far the best way to serve it as it keeps in check the vegetables natural tendency to turn gooey.

It wasn’t long before we had finished the beer and I had spotted some ‘super dry’ sake on the menu. Unfortunately I didn’t catch the name for it in English but I’m a sucker for a dry chilled sake. My companion warmed to my enthusiasm and ordered a big bottle ($349).

By this time the black mushrooms ($60) had been delivered. The chef actually sits some distance away on the other side of the charcoal. The food is delivered by way of a large paddle, rather like a rowing boat oar.

The chef was getting into the swing of it by now and we had hardly stopped singing the praises of the mackerel ($95) when the Alaskan crab legs ($280) were delivered. The mackerel was the only dish to have a light soy sauce to accompany it. For all the others the only condiment was a squeeze of lemon. This was perfectly adequate as it allows the natural flavours of the food to come through unhindered.

Next up came the spicy fish roe ($90), and garlic ($45) and lastly grilled onigiri (rice balls). Robatayaki is simplicity itself and is a joy to eat.

For dessert my companion had a coconut ice cream and I a tangerine sorbet ($60 each). We both felt they rounded off the meal perfectly. The ice cream was served in a half coconut shell and the sorbet was served in a hollowed out tangerine skin and served on a bed of crushed ice.

The bill at the end came to a little over $1,300 which we decided was quite reasonable. Of course if you fancy the live lobster or the Kobe beef you’ll need to budget for considerably more than that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That little area around The Sanlitun on Harbour Road seems to be in a constant state of change. There are a few restaurants there that have kept abreast of the changes but there are always new ones to check out. Ramas Greens isn’t exactly a new restaurant but It has recently moved there from its former home in Times Square.

It’s on the corner overlooking Gloucester Road with the neon of the road on one side, and a large video monitor presenting a svelte blue-eyed blonde surrounded by a troupe of he-men performing a vigorous dance routine on the other.

I was feeling all young and funky so I shimmied in and took a seat. It wasn’t busy. This is the kind of restaurant that probably does its best business quite late I presume. Nevertheless the staff were prompt and friendly.

Most of the tables are al fresco. I asked the waitress if she was looking forward to typhoon season. She wrinkled her nose and thought about it momentarily. Then she told me that tonight was nice because there was a breeze but yesterday it was so hot and humid and no breeze. It seemed she would rather not think about typhoon season.

I sent her off for a glass of Chardonnay and looked at the list of starters. The restaurant targets a younger clientele and this is reflected in the menu which comprises mainly seafood, steaks and pasta.

The starters were all quite familiar dishes. The list was augmented with a range of sushi and sashimi options. I’d already had sashimi at lunch so I gave that a miss and opted for the French onion soup ($58). To follow I ordered pan-grilled Scottish Salmon ($148).

There was however, something missing. I looked over at the waitress beseechingly. Obviously my talk of typhoons had momentarily clouded her thoughts but then the penny dropped and she scurried off to fetch the bread.

The soup was piping hot and a little sweeter than I was expecting though not unpleasantly so. A large cheese crouton made it rather more filling than I had anticipated but all in all it was very enjoyable.

By the time I had finished the soup the blue-eyed blond on the TV had been replaced by someone with, presumably, brown eyes and an altogether duskier complexion but the music and the dancing was pretty much the same.

I decided it didn’t matter all that much as I could see my salmon making it’s way over to me. A generous portion it was too. Simply prepared and presented on a bed of creamed potato with cherry tomatoes and a little lettuce.

A second glass of Chardonay also arrived, I hadn’t realised that there was a happy hour and this included two drinks for the price of one. I was about to order another one anyway so that was a peasant little surprise which somehow made the salmon taste even better.

The dessert menu contained all the usual suspects, cheesecake, fruit platters, tiramisu. The waitress was keen to recommend the chocolate pudding.

“It’s with ice cream and strawberries” she said, conspiratorially. I pointed out that it would take twenty minutes to prepare. “Fifteen”, she bargained. I was sold.

I finished off with a coffee and made my way down the taxi stand at the Sun Hung Kai Centre. It was then that I discovered that the Typhoon Signal 1 had been hoisted.

Yes, it is a curious name and I couldn’t help but ask how the restaurant came by it. The staff were more than happy to explain. The entrepreneurial spirit of Ruth Fertel was looking for a new challenge. She found it in Chris Steak House which had been advertised for sale in a local newspaper. One of the conditions of the sale was that it had to retain the name Chris Steak House. Obviously the clause didn’t say she couldn’t add her own name to the front.

Today there are Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses all over the US plus two in Hong Kong and three more in Taiwan. We were at the Lippo Centre branch in Admiralty. It is an elegant restaurant with much wood panelling that whispers of business deals that have been negotiated or celebrated. Not what I would call a romantic restaurant, though that’s just a personal view. There was at least one cosy little candle lit alcove.

There were also private rooms for groups of about 12, a main dining area with tables of various sizes and the area where we were, where the tables were all for two or four people. My guest agreed, this would be the perfect spot for sealing the deal.

“I know what I want already” said my guest. I’d been too busy talking and hadn’t even looked at the menu. She’d plumped for the Filet ($390). I can’t get through a menu that fast, I have to read the whole thing from cover to cover before I can even begin the decision making process. Needless to say by the time I’d read through it my guest had discovered something else and was torn between the two.

The something else she had discovered was, in fact, the Ahi Tuna Steak ($280). Seared rare tuna topped with a dollop of crab meat and red pepper. I did think, momentarily, about suggesting that we share the enormous Porterhouse ($1050) but then I thought again about that tuna. I love tuna and, I have to confess, sometimes it is a struggle to avoid the tuna dishes on a menu and try other things. This time I failed.

“How about you have the steak, I’ll order the tuna and then we can share” I suggested. Another deal was done and for good measure we also ordered a shrimp cocktail ($110) to share.

The shrimps were firm, fresh and tasty and came with a spicy tomato based sauce. The sauce was OK and worked well with just a dab on the shrimps but it rather overwhelmed the rest of the salad. It was however, a small point in what otherwise turned out to be an excellent meal.

Before long the steak was delivered. The waiter had told us how the meat is first broiled at 1800 degrees fahrenheit, to seal in all the flavour, before being transferred to the hot plate and finally garnished with butter and parsley. It was spectacular. It was also huge, we’d ordered the full 12oz although the restaurant does offer an 8oz option. And it was delicious, a perfect medium rare, a little crispy on the outside but it almost melted in the mouth.

The tuna held it’s own very well, fresh and tender and with a very generous helping of crab meat on top. Everything on the menu is a la carte, you order vegetables and potatoes according to how much you think you want to eat. My guest declined veggies because she knew it was going to be a big steak, I declined veggies because I knew I wanted dessert.

Dessert was a truly difficult choice. When a dessert is called Chocolate Sin ($60) it is almost impossible not to order it. But we also wanted the Banana Cream Pie ($70). It was way more than we could possibly eat but what the hell, we’d taken indulgence this far it would be a shame not to finish the job properly. We ordered both.

The chocolate sin was a wedge of almost solid chocolate whilst the banana cream was topped with slices of caramelised banana and was only slightly less sinful than the chocolate.

We finished off with coffee and I thought to myself that Chris must be very pleased with what Ruth did to the steak house.

G/F New Timely Factory Building
497 Castle Peak Road
Kowloon
Tel 2744 1083
Fax 2744 1283

P413-418 Podium 4, World Trade Centre
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2890 3975

Basement 2 The Royal Garden
69 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2724 2666

Shop 505 Cityplaza Phase 1
Taikoo Shing
Hong Kong
Tel 2907 1133

Prudential Hotel
222 Nathan Road
Kowloon
Tel 2732 4611
Fax 2311 4760

Shop 3319, 3/F Gateway Arcade
Harbour City
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3151 7801

155-159 Level 1
New Town Plaza Phase 1
Shatin
New Territories
Tel 2699 2838

Shop L1-34 Festival Walk
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon
Tel 2265 7000

G/F 17 Aberdeen Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2559 0737
Fax 2559 7329

Shop Unit 26
Telford Plaza
Kowloon Bay
Kowloon
Tel 2376 3122

4/F The Landmark
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2166 9000

7/F Island Beverley Centre
1 Great George Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 3427 9032
Fax 3427 9033

G/F Regal Hong Kong Hotel Plaza
68 Tee Wo Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2890 6866

G/F, 21 Lan Fong Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2890 7580
Fax 2890 7634

Shop G27, Park Central
9 Tong Tak Street
Tseung Kwan O
Kowloon
Tel 2623 2238

G9, G/F Site 9 Lily Mansion
Whampoa Garden
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Tel 2189 7098

7/F M88, 2-8 Wellington Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 3762

16-24 First Street
Sok Kwu Wan
Lamma Island
New Territories
Tel 2982 8100

Shop G7-8 Tsim Sha Tsui Centre
66 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui East
Kowloon
Tel 2722 7050

462 Lockhart Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2771 1652

74 Queen’s Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2525 8803

Harbour Plaza Hong Kong
20 Tak Fung Street
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Tel 2996 8438

2/F Onfem Tower
29 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2525 1681

9/10 Knutsford Steps
2/F Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3168 2000
Fax 3168 2020

1103, Level One, IFC Mall
Finance Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3188 1900

Lower G/F 57-59 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 3884
Fax 2868 6087

G/F Regal Kowloon Hotel
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2313 8788

G/F 7 Lan Fong Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2577 3811
Fax 2881 5355

G/F 27 Ashley Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2375 9698
Fax 2375 1068

Unit D&E, 1/F Ho Lee Commercial Building
17 Lan Kwai Fong
Central
Hong Kong

62/FHopewell Centre
183 Queen’s Road East
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2862 6166

3/F Regal Hong Kong Hotel
88 Yee Wo Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2837 1773

27/F The Park Lane Hotel
310 Gloucester Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2839 3327

Level 7, The Metropolis Mall
6 Metropolis Drive
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Tel 2994 8626

G/F Empire Centre
68 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon

Upper G/F East Town Building
16 Fenwick Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2861 0077

GA30-31, G/F Site A
55 Tai Hong Street
Lei King Wan
Hong Kong
Tel 3105 0031
Fax 3105 0021

G/F Lippo Centre
89 Queensway
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 9090
Fax 2522 9081

G/F Trendy Centre
682 Castle Peak Road
Kowloon
Tel 2744 1400
Fax 2744 1484

4/F IFC 2
8 Finance Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 8129 8882

12/F East Point Center
555 Hennessy Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 2831 4866

UG/F, 51 Elgin Street
Soho
Hong Kong
Tel 2840 0937

31/F Times Tower
393 Jaffe Road
Wanchai
Tel 2891 1131

11/F Food Forum
Times Square
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel 3101 0656
Fax 3101 0648

3/F 8 Observatory Court
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 2316 2818

Basement, Carfield Commercial Building
75-77 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2537 7922
Fax 2537 9983

9-10 Knutsford Steps
2/F Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tsimshatsui
Kowloon
Tel 3168 2000

53-55 Kimberley Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Tel 2311 2255

1/F APM Mall
418 Kwun Tong Road
Kowloon
Tel 2367 1000

G/F Kwong Hing Street
Star Street
Wanchai
Hong Kong
Tel 2866 8166

Regal Airport Hotel
Chek Lap Kok Airport
Lantau
New Territories
Tel 2286 6868

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