Eat Drink Hong Kong

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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).

I’ve long been a fan of Indian cuisine but I don’t often come across restaurants that style themselves as ’boutique Indian dining’. They do exist of course, sometimes they call themselves ‘modern Indian cuisine’.

The better ones usually have some interesting dishes on the menu. Lesser known or interesting reinterpretations of familiar ones. I had high hopes for Guru.

It’s a pleasant place just down the hill a few paces from the junction of Staunton and Elgin Streets. There are a couple of tables outside but this time I thought it might be more comfortable inside.

Just above the entrance on the inside there is a large light fitting and facing this is a colourful, modern painting of a traditional Indian scene. I took the table just inside with a good view of the painting.

I ordered a pint of draught Asahi ($55) and buried my nose in the menu. Of course there are some old favourites there. It just wouldn’t be right without samosas, rogan josh or tandoori chicken. But there plenty there to keep me undecided for quite a while. I was also pleased to note that they only use olive oil in their dishes and preparations.

For starters I took the easy way out and ordered the Guru sample platter ($98). You could think about sharing one of these as there are two of each item. The platter includes: Guru Tikki which were delicious tawa grilled potato and spinach cakes and samosas. Both of these could be dipped in the little bowl of tamarind sauce. Then there were muscles stir fried in tomato and herbs and the blue mango chat.

The mango was my favourite of all of them and I saved it until last just to savour it all the more. It featured tangy cubes of mango with whole wheat crisps in sweetened yoghurt with mint and tamarind chutney.

To follow I had ordered Mangaloria Fish Pot ($118). This is a very smooth and creamy curry rather like a korma. But unlike a korma this had a little more punch. I would class this as medium spicy so long as you don’t bite the chilli that decorates the top. It is served in a deep pot with succulent cubes of tender but flavourful fish swimming just beneath the surface.

To go with it I had Kadai Paneer ($68) which is sautéed chunks of cottage cheese with bell peppers, chilli and tomatoes. These were both mopped up with two plain nan.

I finished off with a Guru’s banana pancake a simple enough dessert of sliced banana wrapped in a pancake and drizzled with chocolate sauce and dusted with icing sugar.

G/F 13 Elgin Street
SoHo
Tel. 2547 9998

This is an attractive little restaurant, one of the newer ones in Elgin Street. Cherry blossoms hang over the bar bringing a splash of colour to a more traditional style decor. Opposite the bar there is a line of small tables. There are more at the back, and there is seating for large groups upstairs, but there is only one of me and I like to watch the chefs at work so I take a small table.

I could sit at the bar for an even closer look but I like the table, it gives me a view of the whole restaurant which, since it is still early, is not very busy yet.

The word Taku means home and whilst it might be a bit of a stretch for me to call the alleyways of old Kyoto ‘home’, I was pleasantly surprised to find a waitress who used to work in a restaurant I frequented previously. After catching up on some small talk she lead me through the menu.

The tofu is made fresh every morning and I could have a choice of three types of preparation. Chilled, steamed or fried. I opted for chilled with diced maguro ($60). I also ordered a basket of Edamame, or steamed soy beans ($35) and a bottle of Yebisu beer ($42).

They arrived at almost the same time. The tofu was in a very light soy sauce, with the tuna on top and topped off with finely grated radish. Simple but very flavourful. The tofu firm and smooth.

To follow this I had ordered a mixed yakitori platter ($138). This includes Angus beef, chicken and asparagus wrapped in pork. There are two skewers of each making them good to share.

After a respectable pause and a replenishment of beer came the mixed vegetable and prawn tempura ($130). Like the other dishes it is a generous serving and there is plenty to share. To follow it I had ordered cold green tea soba noodles ($58). These are served with a quail egg, some shredded seaweed and some radish and spring onion. These are to be mixed into the soup to taste.

Japanese cuisine is not famous for it’s wide range of desserts but as long as they have black sesame ice cream ($28) I’ll be more than happy.

For such a large Japanese meal I felt the bill was very reasonable indeed. I said good-bye and promised to return again soon. To ensure I made good on my promise the waitress furnished with two generous coupons to be redeemed upon my next visit. It ill be soon

Taku
35 Elgin Street
SoHo
Tel. 2545 9966

That dish is very spicy sir,” informed the waitress. I told her that was just fine and that I liked spicy food. She nodded and was gone. We were referring to the Spicy Black Chicken with Red Peppers ($168) that I had just ordered. To go along with it I had ordered Five Tastes Shrimp ($98), a plate of pak choi with garlic and a bottle of Yan Jing Beer

Yi Jiang Nan is one of those restaurants that has been there for sometime but I always manage to bypass when I am in the area. It has a traditional style interior with murals along the wall. It doesn”t boast a huge menu it is well thought out. Although it is in both Chinese and English I did feel the descriptions needed just a tad more detail. The cuisine not specific to any particular are in China with all main regions being represented.

Some dishes gave away their origins by having Beijing style or other place names as a suffix or prefix but the majority don’t. Five tastes shrimp didn’t, it turned out to be Sichuan. Had I know this I might have thought twice about ordering it alongside the chicken dish.

But the shrimp did turn out to be a very pleasing choice indeed. Its a cold dish which bears a striking resemblance to a Thai style salad with coriander is very much in evidence. The five tastes? Well I got spicy, sweet salty and sour. The fifth one must be a secret.

The Chicken, when it arrived, was quite spectacular. The chicken pieces themselves were buried under a mound of dried red chillies which almost covered a rather large plate. But although they looked intimidating they can easily be swept aside. The fagara pepper, on the other hand is ground, and sprinkled in and it is this that gives the dish most of its heat. Once your lips and tongue are tingling from the fagara you can enjoy the flavour of the chillies without noticing the heat.

For connoisseurs of spicy food a crisp dry beer is the perfect accompaniment but this is no good for people that want more control over the the level of hotness. If you want to try it but are worried about the pain keep a bowl of plain white rice to one side. This will absorb the oils that carry the heat.

The staff were friendly and helpful when they could be but they were not able to tell me what else the chicken was seasoned with. “Chinese herbs and spices,” I was told.

I finished off with Chinese style donuts with banana ($48). These were light, fluffy dumplings stuffed with banana and red bean paste and rolled in sugar.

33-35 Staunton Street

Soho,
Tel 2136 0886

36 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 6151 0820

35 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2545 9966

8 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2536 9068

66 Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2899 2001

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

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

28 Elgin St
Soho
Hong Kong
Tel 2577 7160

G/F 18 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2155 1313

31 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2524 4123/2523 3776

41-49 Aberdeen Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 9604 7777

21 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2540 6630

This, as you may have guessed, is a Mexican bar and restaurant. It’s Old Bailey Street about half-way between Wyndham and Staunton Streets. A little road that I habitually forget to go and look at. This time I spied the yellow sign and went up to have a look.

It’s a friendly place decorated in the obligatory colourful Mexican cantina style … or at least the style of most Mexican restaurants in Hong Kong. But I didn’t see any sombreros lying around to entertain late night guests after the drink that the restaurant is named after has worked it’s magic. But then the lights were low and I took a seat by the window so perhaps I just wasn’t looking hard enough.

I ordered a bottle of Dos Equis Amber and studied the menu. The beers arrived with a basket of nachos and a mild salsa dip. I figured I’d better get my order in fast before I ruined my appetite.

For starters I went for deep fried jalapenos stuffed with cheese, onion and cilantro ($48) and half a dozen Mexican skewers, three each of beef and chicken ($58). The skewers come with a smoky, but not too spicy chipotle sauce. For those that like a little fire there is ample choice. The waitress will more than happy to bring you a selection with some of the strangest names.

I chose a not so blistering, pleasantly peanutty sauce called Toad Sweat which went perfectly with the very satay-like skewers.

The jalapenos boated a sharp, tangy hotness that is a perfect accompaniment to the beer. Too perfect in fact, I was looking round for my second bottle before the main course had arrived.

For main course I had chosen a dish called Las Chimichangas ($118). This is a twelve-inch, hand-rolled tortilla stuffed with cheese and shredded chicken (or beef) and deep fried. It was huge. Bounded on one side refried beans and guacamole and on the other by Mexican rice. It was topped with salsa and sour cream.

It was quite delicious but there was easily enough for two people. I did my best and there was much left at the end but I did want to have enough strength left at the end to try a dessert.

There aren’t many to choose from but I did fancy the Mexican fried banana ($48). This consisted of four pieces of banana and scoop of vanilla ice-cream drizzled with chocolate sauce and honey and garnished with blueberries and a delicately carved strawberry. Simple but pleasant enough.

By the end of the meal I’d easily had enough for two people possibly three if your appetites aren’t so big.

G/F Shop B 11 Old Bailey Street
SoHo
Tel 2524 2002

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.

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,

Manouche is a Lebanese restaurant that has been resident at 31 Elgin street for about a month. It’s a pleasant place, long and narrow with wood panelling along one side with a painting on the other.

The menu is fairly straight forward with no surprises but what they do, they do very well.

The Hommos Beiruty ($85) which we ordered as a starter was indeed excellent. This is a slightly spicy version of the famous chick pea dip. It was firm and flavoursome with a nice lemony tang.

From the hot mezze we had chosen Kibbeh Shamieh ($85) which is four balls of deep-fried minced lamb mixed with pine nuts.

For main courses we went for the manouche mixed grill ($185). Tender chunks of beef, chicken and lamb cooked on skewers and served with crisp vegetables.

Sayadieh ($190), our other dish, I had always though was a fish and rice stew. In this case, according to the menu, was grilled sea bass. It was very simply presented but it tasted wonderful. It was served with the same vegetable combination as the mixed grill.

We chickened out of dessert. Middle eastern cuisine is not noted for it’s wide range of desserts, Manouche only had baclava and though I do enjoy it with a coffee we both decided it was a bit too much after such a large meal.

36 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2104 9697

51 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 6106

13 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2547 9998

B/F 41 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3481 9996

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

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

59 Staunton Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2857 2966

62-64b Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 3521 1291

G/F 40 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 8322
Fax 2522 8322

“Free noodles”, said the waitress. It doesn’t take anything more than that to convince me so in I went. To be honest I’ve been meaning to try Pho Lemon ever since it opened a couple of years ago.

It’s quite a small restaurant but the white walls and tables with a touch of green on the linen made it seem a little more spacious. Paintings on the wall add a hint of French colonial charm.

The staff are cheerful and friendly and, since it was still early and there were no other customers, more than happy to chat. They told me that they were offering a complimentary bowl of beef or chicken pho with every main course. They don’t do this every night. Sometimes the special offer is a free Saigon beer. Sometimes they don’t have a special offer but when they do it is usually from Monday to Thursday.

To go with my beef pho I decided I would order vegetarian rice paper spring rolls ($58) and Sarong prawns ($188). I also ordered a bottle of Saigon Beer.

I was most impressed with the spring rolls. They were stuffed with avocado, tomato and mushrooms and were really quite flavourful. It was a generous serving too. These dishes are made for sharing.

The background music was an eclectic mix ranging from Tijuana Brass to Parisian back-street ballads with electronic wallpaper music thrown in for good measure. It was such an odd selection it merely seemed to add the the general cheerfulness of the place.

The Sarong Prawns were delivered with a smile. I’d been wondering what sarong prawns were, it turned out they were quite a familiar dish after all. There were six large meaty prawns each wrapped in a cocoon of crispy noodle. There was also something that tasted suspiciously like thousand island dressing in there. Not that I have anything particularly against it but I do think it should have been mentioned on the menu.

The prawns are served with a refreshing green mango salad. This is a relative of the Thai papaya salad, som tam, but the Vietnamese version is fresh and tangy rather than spicy.

The crispy noodles are actually quite filling and towards the end I was extracting the prawn from its wrap in order to save a little space for the beef pho.

It wasn’t a huge bowl, though it was big enough and quite tasty. Not bad at all for a complementary dish. I do have to say, though, there are so many small Vietnamese pho shops around town now that I don’t think these would shake the faith I have in my favourites.

After despatching the noodles I took a well earned rest. The tables around me were filling up and the staff were quite busy though one did find a moment to ask if I’d like dessert. I chose the grilled banana with ice cream ($58) and rounded off with a Vietnamese coffee.

G/F 40 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong

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.

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

G/F 26 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2869 9958

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

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

LG/F 13 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 0868

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

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

49 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2147 0100

49 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2803 2253 or 3481 3280

1-5 Elgin Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2559 2777

L G/F Au’s Building
17-19 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2537 1000

1/F Cheung Fai Building
45-47 Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2581 0321

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

G/F 20 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2868 1250

4 Shelley Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2521 8188

Burger joints come and go but Gourmet Burger Union on Cochrane Street has been there a while. I’ve been keeping an eye on it. I knew the day would eventually arrive when desire for a burger would coincide with my being in the vicinity.

As it happened it was a desire for some Stilton cheese as much as for a burger that carried me there. I happened to know in advance that Stilton cheese is one of the toppings you can have.

The interesting thing about Gourmet Burger Union is that you can create your own burger exactly how you want it. To do that you are offered a range of toppings to choose from, of which Stilton is only one. Indeed there are fifteen options in the cheese category alone. They range from Greek feta, Monterey jack, Brie and of course Cheddar.

The choice of cheese can change the whole character of your burger but before we get ahead of ourselves we should look at the patties themselves. New Zealand Angus beef goes into the quarter pounder and the half pounder ($65 and $98 respectively). Alternatively they offer Australian free range chicken, New Zealand lamb and soy protein veggie burgers.

I opted for a half pounder on a bun with a bed of mixed lettuce. One type of cheese is included in the price but if you wish you can have extra cheese at $15 each. Onto that you can have up to two standard toppings. Yes, you can have as many as you wish. Extra toppings cost $5 each.

They also offer premium toppings. These come in at $10 each. I had portobello mushrooms and smoked bacon.

After that you can add a sauce. There are fifteen to choose from but I wanted the stilton to come through loud and clear so I gave them a miss.

I did consider having a Greek salad for starter but wisely decided against it. I did order a serving of French fries ($20) and a beer ($35) to wash it all down with.

Sadly, the only beer available was a version of Samuel Adams that comes out of the local San Miguel brewery. Sad because with so many excellent imported bottled beers around town, it would have been nice to enjoy a premium beer with a premium burger.

The burger was, of course pretty well as I expected - huge, rich and tasty. For those that can’t make up their minds about what to put in it, the menu also offers a dozen or so signature burgers.

Dessert would have been apple and blackberry crumble ($35) but I decided I would just have to save that for another time. I thought I might have trouble squeezing through the door as it was.

“Looks like worms,” said one of my companions. “Sautéed Shredded Pork with Beijing Sauce and spring onions,” ($108) said the other.

We were in Bistro Manchu on Elgin Street. As far as I know this is the only restaurant in Hong Kong that specialises in Manchurian cuisine. The region itself includes the three north-eastern provinces of China - Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning - but the cuisine also boasts Mongolian and Korean influences.

Potatoes are much more common in northern China and we had started with with potato noodle with horse radish ($98). The noodles were flat. They had quite a distinct flavour and much greater elasticity than the more familiar type. I was impressed.

Following this were north-eastern soup pork dumplings ($68). These are little soup bomblets and seem to be popular all over China. The soup is actually inside the dumpling. The trick is to pick it up and get it into your mouth without it bursting. The snag is that you never know how hot it is going to be.

These didn’t burn the tongue and were quite tasty though not as soupy as others I’ve had.

It was after this that the ‘worms’ had appeared. The dish is served with spring roll wrappers. The idea is to take make your own spring roll or wrap. The shredded pork is served on a bed of vegetables which can be mixed in or ignored according to your own preference. It was slightly sweet but very delicious, even better with my second attempt because it didn’t fall to bits when I bit into it.

Sautéed 3 vegetables ($98) had arrived at the same time. The vegetables in question were potato, green pepper and aubergine.

By now we had quite a lot of food on the table for just three of us but the best, in my opinion was still to come.

This was Cumin Lamb with Chinese Parsley on an Iron Plate ($168). It is said to be a classic Manchurian dish but it does remind me very much of Mongolian fare that I have had in the past. It is also a very hearty dish, a little bit spicy but with a very distinct flavour. It is served with little bread pockets into which the shaved lamb is stuffed and then eaten with fingers.

All the food had been tasty but the lamb was definitely my favourite. What was your favourite dish? I asked my companion. “This one” she said, helping herself to more worms.

Bistro Manchu can get very busy, reservations are recommended.

There are times when all you really want is comfort food. Something warm, tasty and substantial to make you feel better after a good soaking from the rain. And preferably not too expensive.

Invariably the role is filled by burgers or sometimes pizza but it’s nice to know there are options. Daddyo’s, on Staunton Street, has pasta, pizza and ribs.

The range of pizzas is really quite impressive - at least twenty variations from the classic margherita with pepperoni to the exotic clam chowder (clams, potatoes, mushrooms, ham and bacon. Each offers a choice of crispy New York or whole-wheat crusts. The prices range from $98 to $138 for for a 14 inch crust.

I ordered an Italian Vegetable Soup ($38) to get me going. It hit the spot quite nicely too. Fresh and tangy tomato with crisp chunks of carrot, celery and kidney beans. The soup came with garlic toast. Now, I prefer my garlic bread thick and crusty but this was rather thin and brittle.

But it didn’t matter because my other two dishes arrived shortly after.

Poutine ($48) is chips smothered in gravy, bacon bits and melted cheese. It’s probably the kind of thing your cardiologist would have nightmares about but they were very yummy.

The Baby Back Ribs can be ordered as a half slab ($58) or a whole slab ($98). Functional rather than elegant. By the time I had dispatched a half slab as well as the poutine I was fit to burst, but feeling a little more forgiving towards the world in general. Even the rain had let up for a while.

There are no desserts on the menu. I didn’t enquire because, to be quite honest, I wouldn’t have been able to eat one anyway. Instead I rounded off with an iced coffee.

Daddyo’s will also deliver. There are minimum orders depending on your area.

I’ve always been partial to a good burger, and with so many bad ones around I do like to keep tabs on where the good ones are. So I was quite intrigued when I was told about Duke’s Burger on Stuanton Street. “Gourmet burgers”, I was informed with a nod and a wink.

The gauntlet had been thrown so off I went to Staunton Street. Dukes is right next to the escalator and is a lot smaller than I was expecting with seating for only about 30 people.

It doesn’t look much like a burger joint either. A giant chandelier hangs from a wooden beamed ceiling. Indeed there is much dark stained wood in evidence but the back wall is entirely taken up with a neo-gothic decoration incorporating the letter ‘D’. In front of this is a huge, blood red sofa, that looks like it may have been smuggled out of a castle in Transylvania while it’s owner was sleeping.

So, full marks for style but what of the burgers? I perused the menu.

There were half a dozen options. The braised wagyu oxtail ($220) was very tempting but not quite as tempting as the seasoned lamb shank with mushrooms and yogurt ($180). I also ordered the thick cut fries ($40).

There is a range of wines and Belgian beers. For me a good beer would be the only choice and, whilst Belgian beers tend to be very good, I would like to have seen some fine English ales represented. I ordered a Tripel Karmeliet ($68).

The fries arrived first. They were definitely chunky, piping hot, and seasoned with salt and pepper. They were very nice but if I’d been given the choice I might have waited and had them served at the same time as the burger.

The fries had long since gone by the time the burger arrived. Again it looked great. The burger was resting on a slice of bun topped with mushrooms and then the salad, all delightfully arranged. The lamb had not been ground in the normal way. It still retained its original texture and broke apart quite easily.

Dessert was yummy, home-made, chrysanthemum ice cream and a coffee.

Duke’s Burger is still very new, it’s an interesting concept and I wish them well. The food was very enjoyable but somehow I don’t think it will replace the traditional burger in my affections. That will always come between both sides of the bun with an American flag stuck in the top.

La Terrasse is at the top of Old Bailey Street. I’ve thought about going there loads of times but by the time I’ve trudged up Pottinger Street I give up and go somewhere on Wyndham. However I was up on Caine Road the other afternoon when a sneaky plan formed. I would walk along to the top of Old Bailey Street and walk down the hill.

Problem was that this particular section of Caine Road might as well be a foreign country. I sallied straight past and was well on my way to Glenealy before I realised the error of my ways and had to turn back.

Of course most people would say “Why didn’t you just take a taxi, you great lummock.” It’s a reasonable question and indeed, sometimes I do. But I do like to feel like I’ve earned my dinner by way of a little physical excersise. Twenty yards downhill is just about right in my book. So by the time I arrived, after my little excursion to Glennealy, I was feeling thoroughly deserving.

La Terrasse is a cosy little restaurant. I found myself a seat by the widow surrounded by cushions. I was the first guest for dinner though there was a small group at the bar. Conversation was in French, the background music was French, the menu was in French. I had a feeling that this was going to be good.

There were English translations on the menu but, although my French never did rise above schoolboy level, the ability to read a menu is something I’ve always been quietly proud of.

A glass of Chardonnay was delivered along with a delightfully presented salmon canapé.

I think I would have been happy with anything on the menu. The Fish soup sounded good and so did Filo pastry with four cheeses and almond. But in the end I opted for Terrine de Foie Gras marinée au Vin Doux ($125). This is Chef Rene’s very own home-made Duck liver terrine marinated with muscadel, a musky flavoured white wine.

It was wonderful. I always try to take these things slowly, to savour them and make them last, but it never works. All too soon I find myself staring at an empty plate.

But Chef René was on the case and I didn’t have long to wait for the main course. Filet D’Agneau, sauce crème D’Ail ($195), or Lamb fillet with a creamy garlic sauce. Again this lived up to it’s promise and all too soon I was mopping the last of the delicious sauce with the last of the bread.

Dessert was Crème brûlée ($79) and a coffee. By now more people had arrived but conversation was still in French. I gazed out the window and watched passers-by going down the hill.

It’s always nice to stumble upon somewhere new, especially when it is in a area that you thought you knew pretty well.

Bali house is a small Indonesian/Chinese place that I’m sure I must have walked past a hundred times and never noticed. Perhaps this is because, unlike most of the restaurants shoe-horned into this area, Bali House is aimed squarely at the local residents and has nothing much to catch the eye. It is also just across the road from Chez Patrick and I’m probably looking in the other direction when I pass.

But there are two gatekeepers stationed either side of the door. On the left a ginger and white cat, and on the right a bilingual mynah bird that greets patrons in both English and Cantonese. I said “good evening” as I walked in. It cocked it’s head to one side and looked at me in the way that birds do when they think you are talking rubbish.

The decor is basic but the welcome was warm enough. I was ushered to a table and a glass of weak tea was promptly produced. I took a moment or two to find a menu, during which time I cast an eye around the room. The staff seemed to know all the customers and some of those seemed to know each other as well.

A large pile of freshly loaded satay sticks stood on the table at the very back. The menu duly arrived. It was a rather confusing affair, several dishes seemed to be listed twice and nasi goreng was conspicuous by it’s absence. Or maybe I just didn’t notice it.

No matter - I had already decided on half a dozen chicken satay. Which were delivered piping hot and with a nice cold bottle of Tsing Tao. The peanut sauce wasn’t too spicy but there was some chilli in shrimp sauce on the table so I could mix to taste.

I also pointed out a dished called Ikan Assam Pedas - the picture looked good. Ikan is fish and there appeared to be chillies as well. The man shook his head and offered sambal ikan, so I thought, why not? Sambal is essentially a sauce, it consists of fresh chillies, shrimp paste, lime juice, sugar, and salt. That said, every Indonesian home cook has their own variation. This had pineapple in.

Normally I would draw the line at pineapple in a savoury dish but I didn’t mind this at all. There was something in the sauce that prevented it from becoming overwhelmingly sweet.

Dessert was the Thai classic, mango with black sticky rice and coconut cream. A generous serving it was too.

For the princely sum of $127 I decided it was good value indeed. You wouldn’t bring a first date here and it wouldn’t impress any clients either. But when you’re feeling a little peckish and you can’t make up your mind what you want, remember the little Indonesian place on Peel Street.

I whistled at the mynah on the way out and headed towards the Pickled Pelican for a beer.

I’ve been wanting to eat here for some time but I’ve never been able to convince anyone to come with me.
“Chilli?” they ask.
“Yes, Sichuan,” I reply
“Too spicy,” they say, shaking their heads, “much too spicy.”

I do agree that spicy food is an acquired taste but if people won’t ever try it then they will never acquire it and they will miss out on a whole world of taste sensations. But alas, I went on my own.

It’s a tiny little restaurant with seating for about 18-20 people but I was early, being the first customer, so I had no problem with the table.

I ordered a Heineken which was served Chinese style in a bowl. The thing about drinking beer from a bowl is that it makes it very easy to drink a whole bottle in two gulps. Having just marched up Lyndhurst Terrace in the July heat (a crucial segment of the mid-levels escalator was out of action), I reckon I could have quaffed the whole bottle in one. But the bowl wasn’t big enough so two gulps it had to be.

Thus refreshed I turned to the menu. The menu is divided into three sections with about 15 choices in each section. Chilli Fagara’s chef suggests that the best way to enjoy the food is to work up through the sections.

The first section is called Tang. It may come as a bit of a surprise to some people, given the cuisine’s reputation, but Tang dishes are not spicy at all. I ordered Wild Mushrooms in Taro root ($98). The mushrooms were diced and mixed into a taro mash and served with strips of fried taro. A simple dish but I was surprised at just how much flavour could be packed into a mushroom.

The next section is called Ma and the dishes are characterised by the use of the Sichuan or fagara pepper. These tiny peppercorns are not related to either black pepper or chilli peppers but they are what makes Sichuan cuisine so distinctive (though they are also used in Tibetan and Bhutanese dishes).

I ordered Fish Slices in Chilli and Fagara broth ($138). This was served in a huge shallow bowl. Amidst the fish, dried chillies and peppercorns were also sweet chestnuts. The peppercorns have a hint of citrus to them but unlike the heat from a chilli they tend to make the lips and tongue tingle and feel a little numb. Which may sound distressing but it really is a pleasant sensation.

The final section is La, these are the fiery chilli dishes. I chose Fried Beef Slices with a Ginger Tang ($98). With my palette still tingling from the fagara, the flavour that was most apparent here was a rather pleasant, sweet gingery-ness. The presence of the chillies only became apparent as the numbness started to recede.

I ordered another beer. Not for any need to douse the flames but because beer and chillies complement each other so well.

I didn’t notice any desserts on the menu and besides I was really quite full. All of these dishes are quite big enough for two people or even three with smaller appetites. So I contented myself with a glass of chrysanthemum tea before wandering down to The Globe for just one last beer … or two.

Guest Review

The restaurant is conveniently located along Graham Street (where else?) in Soho, just down from the busy and sometimes rowdy Staunton Street.

The walls are completely covered with an eclectic mix of pictures, from a scenic photo of France to ancient Egyptian alphabets. It has almost become a home-from-home for lots of regulars.

It is busy lunchtime and evening, and you should check ahead if going in the evening - they will let you know when a table is likely to be free.

Cafe Graham is so casual and relaxed that you can dine alone, in pairs, or a big group of friends, and still be yourself. It has friendly staff and cosy seats. I’ve been there alone and I didn’t look weird or geeky or miserable at all - sitting alone in a corner having my meal while playing on my PSP (at least I think so). I’ve been there for dates and I didn’t feel any bit less romantic - I actually felt more relaxed with my partner. I’ve been there in groups of three, four, five, and so on - we had a great party. By the way, the restaurant takes reservations for private parties too - it should be able to accommodate around 30 people or so.

The food is mainly French basics, and well done - presentation is up to standard, meat is tender, fish is crisply pan fried, pasta is surprisingly healthy with home-made sauces, desserts are rich in flavour and most importantly, the price is very economical.

I always go for a lobster bisque to start with, then tomato-sauce shrimp with salad greens, followed by a sole fillet with vegetables. And if I still have space to accomodate dessert, a chocolate mud cake. The serving size is always generous, and on top of that, you can choose to have vegetables, rice or spaghetti to go with your main meal. My other favourites include the baked escargots, duck breast glazed with honey, grilled lamb cutlets with herbs, beef stroganoff and braised lamb shank.

Prices for a main meal range from HK$50-120. If you want to have good French and European cuisine with bargain prices, this would be the place to go. To top it all, the price of house wine starts at only HK$100 per bottle

Mint tea is so refreshing. As it happened I was just thinking about a nice cuppa when I spotted Marouche on Cochrane Street. Marouche is a new Lebanese restaurant and wine bar that opened about a month ago, and, since it was about seven o’clock anyway I decided it was time for dinner.

There are a couple of tables right by the door but since I’d been walking I rather fancied a spot of air con.

The whole restaurant is open fronted which gives it a relaxed feel. The pump of Lebanese pop music works well with the accordian player outside Ivan the Kozak and the general bustle of people going up and down the steps. It all combines to give a totally unplanned, but rather charming souk-like atmosphere.

The mint tea ($35) was produced and I turned my attention to the menu.

There is, of course a full range of dips including hummus and babaganough, salads with goats cheese and an interesting range of mezze. It would be be quite possible to just order a selection of dips and mezze and not bother with a main course at all. I was already hankering after a lamb shwarma ($150) so choosing the starter was no easy matter.

In the end I settled on the home made Soujok ($75). These are small sausages made with minced beef and served with tomatoes in an olive oil based sauce. And they are delicious. I ordered extra pitta bread to mop up the oil.

The waitress went off to put some fresh boiling water on the tea and returned with both tea and shwarma. The shwarma consisted of a generous serving of sliced lamb with a fresh green salad. It was good, the lamb was lean and tasty, but the soujok was always going to be a hard act to follow.

Baklava is the only dessert available but a serving does include four different types, walnut, pistachio, almond and cashew.

I always like to think I’m doing the right thing, so when someone suggested I try this place I said alright. It’s on the left just at the start of Shelley Street. Out of sheer habit I hopped onto the escalator and went sailing past. From the outside it looks like any other simple cafe. It is clean and brightly lit. At around seven-thirty it had a few customers but there was still space for anyone dropping in.

I jogged back down the steps and went in. There are newspapers and magazines to read and a computer for hardened internet junkies. I grabbed a paper and took a seat. The waiter came over with the menu so the paper was going to have to wait a while longer.

All the items on the menu are listed with their approximate calorie count. In the starters there was pumpkin and sweet potato dip (110 calories), or eggplant and chickpea dip (140 calories). Both sounded pretty good but I plumped for a wicked roast pumpkin soup at 160 calories plus grilled pita bread which added a further 90.

To drink I ordered a smoothie called a Nourish which is made with mango, banana and vanilla yoghurt. The large one came in at 248 calories.

The pumpkin soup really was quite creamy and delicious, the pitta bread was OK but I couldn’t help thinking a nice fresh crusty baguette would have been better. I tried to banish such thoughts.

Eat Right is not a vegetarian restaurant - it is about eating healthy meals and even staunch carnivores would be able to find a main course to tempt them. Beef lasagna, green chicken curry and even guilt free fish and chips. I was tempted but in the end I settled on the chickpea burger with hummus. This would only add another 300 calories to my total.

I’ve had “bean” burgers before. Sometimes they work well but all too often they can be a bit dry and stodgy. This one, I am happy to report, worked. It was served with a deliciously crisp and fresh salad, sprinkled lightly with balsamic vinegar and a tub of hummus. The burger was dressed with a Thai style sweet chili sauce.

For dessert I treated myself to a Guilt Free Chocolate Mousse with Berries. The berries were strawberries and blueberries and the mousse tasted like it was packing far more than the 190 calories it boasted.

It was a most enjoyable meal and altogether it came to less than a thousand calories. To be honest I don’t know if that is good or bad calorie wise. The total bill came to less than $200 so whatever else it may be, it is definitely great value.

Eat Right also has a rather interesting breakfast menu.

Feeling very pleased with myself I bounced down the steps, across the road and into the Globe for a beer.

Chonqing means double celebration. I certainly felt like celebrating, after all it’s not often I can persuade anyone to join me for fiery Sichuan food, and I’d been wanting to try this restaurant for quite some time. It was my guests idea, we were just strolling along Elgin street wondering what to eat when he said, “Lets go there”. I was in through the door before he had a chance to change his mind

The restaurant is quite narrow and has a nice old traditional feel to it without being too slick. The staff are friendly and we felt completely at ease from the moment we walked in.

We took our places and ordered beers. They do have a selection of wines but I prefer to have beer with spicy food. Not because of any notion that it will sooth a burning palate - it won’t. I just think it tastes better.

The menu is an elegant cloth bound affair with descriptions in both English and Chinese and if you are still unsure, the staff also speak excellent English so it is very easy for non-Chinese speakers to order with confidence.

My friend already had his nose buried in the menu. He is also very partial to sichuan cuisine, which I hadn’t known until then, so I was quite happy to follow his advice on which dishes to order.

For starters we ordered the classic Sichuan chicken ($62) and spring rolls with fresh prawns and asparagus ($88). Though spring rolls they are, they were cut into slices that reminded me, a little, of sushi. A notion that was reinforced by a compartment on the side of the dish which was filled with soy sauce and a dollop of mustard. The overall effect was truly delicious.

The chicken was served on a bed of clear flat noodles and was garnished generously with those wonderful smoky dried chillies. My habit of munching these whole usually generates expressions of alarm from fellow diners but my guest this time didn’t even notice, he was too busy with his own.

To follow we ordered soft shell crab with chilli sauce ($138), sauteed sliced beef in pungent sauce ($118), pan fried string beans with minced pork ($88) and, at the suggestion of the waiter, pork dumpling with garlic and vinegar sauce.

The crab was the first dish to arrive and seemed a logical continuation after the chicken and the spring rolls. I love soft shell crab and these were as good as any that I’ve had. The sauce was spicy but not volcanic. Instead of overwhelming, it accentuated the flavour of the crab.

Next came the string beans and the beef. The beef was a kind of hot pot which sat on its its own heater bubbling happily away while we finished the crab. And finally the dumplings arrived.

The dumplings were not spicy at all, they were flavoured with herbs and had the effect of luring the palate into a false sense of security before treating it to the beef hot pot. This was very hot indeed. It was still very flavoursome and despite the fact that we were both getting quite full, we dived in enthusiastically and made short work of it.

We decided to give dessert a miss. I always feel that skipping dessert is shirking my duty but to be quite honest, sweet dishes seem to have little appeal after a good Sichuan dinner. The chillies and the beer compliment each other perfectly and what we really wanted right then was a nice cold one for the road.

I decided to celebrate Bastille day, the other week, by storming Le Tire Bouchon on Graham Street. For those of you that don’t already know, the venerable old restaurant has been serving traditional French cuisine for twenty years. There can’t be many restaurants that have been around that long so I decided it was time to find out why.

The restaurant is quite spacious and decorated in a traditional style. A large double bass on a stage hinted of live jazz but, sadly, not while I was there. There is a large bar area and two private rooms. The smaller one is good for groups of up to 15, the larger one can seat up to 40.

There were a few customers when I arrived but it was still quite early. The waitress took me to my table and promptly produced the menu and a very impressive wine list. Of course, when I’m alone I order by the glass. Even so, it still offered attractive choices. I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and studied the menu.

I could quite happily have ordered everything and at one point I actually did toy with the idea of ordering two starters but good sense prevailed. The Brittany Fish Soup ($85) and the Toasted Goat Cheese served with Semi-Dried Tomatoes ($90), I decided, would have to wait until next time. Today I was going to have the Seared Scallops in a Cognac & Black Peppercorn Cream Sauce ($110).

It was an excellent choice, the scallops were plump and juicy, the sauce, rich and creamy. I tried to pace myself, to make them last as long as I could, but they were so delicious it was an effort not to gobble them down in seconds. Even so it was not long before I was looking at an empty plate yearning for more.

The waitress was along promptly to tidy me up and bring new cutlery. The main course was not long in coming.

For this I had decided on the Veal Stewed in a Mushroom and Carrot Cream Sauce ($170). It was another excellent choice. By this time, having already coveted the dishes that other guests were enjoying, I had decided there probably wasn’t a weak choice on the menu. The veal stew was served with rice garnished with asparagus.

It was quite delicious and, as with the scallops, I made short work of it before throwing all sense of decorum to the wind and mopping up the sauce with the last of the bread rolls.

I took a polite break, leaned back in my chair and rested for a while. There was music playing, a female singer - it could have been Edith Piaf, it could have been Ella Fitzgerald but it was too soft to even recognise. But it didn’t matter, it just drifted in between the gentle murmur of voices. It all was very restful.

I finished my wine and turned my attention to the dessert menu. There were the familiar items such as cheesecakes but, while I’m sure they would all be very good, I tend to look for things that are a little different. This time I found Pear Mousse with Walnut Nougat ($65). That, followed by coffee was a delightful way to round off a wonderful meal.

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.

As Soho spreads further and further, Peel street is coming along quite nicely. Apart from a few older Chinese establishments, there is trendy Joyce is Not Here, comfortable Caravan Serai, and down a few steps from the street is a cool dark cavern with African tribal art and flags adorning every bit of wall space, alongside some more modern paintings which I get the impression are for sale (I may be wrong). This is Makumba.

I’d wanted to try their African food for a while - when they first opened it was advance order only, and this being Hong Kong, who takes time to think about eating till its actually time to eat? They must have caved in to demand, and now there is a small menu that I persuaded a couple of friends to try.

At 6.30 on a Thursday, we were the only customers, and actually the staff, though very welcoming, seemed a little surprised to see us. Nobody else turned up before we left at almost 8pm.

The low-key African music was relaxing and before long we were settled in and ready to try from the selection of beers, which includes Nzingha from Cameroon at $45 or $35 in happy hour. Of course we had to try it. There are a few cocktails on the drinks menu too, so I ordered Ti punch (house special - $60 or $40 HH), which turned out to be a lot of white rum with a little lime - very nice, but if I gurgled down more than one I may have started wobbling.

None of us were particularly hungry, but we wanted to try a variety, so first off we ordered the Gnamagnama Platter to share. This consists of Acras - spicy shrimp dough, Aloco - fried plantain dipped in chili (who could resist fried sweet bananas!?), and African rolls - basically very good pork spring rolls. The chili dipping sauce was so incredibly spicy, that none of us dared to take a second dip! Luckily the Ti Punch came in handy to numb our tongues and throats. For small eaters, this platter may well be enough to satisfy two people at $120.

We only ordered the one main course to share. This was the weekly special, Meguep Geo, which is chunks of fried chicken in wild pepper. It arrived on a large platter with fragrant rice, stewed kidney beans and green vegetables, oh, and some more of those yummy fried plantains.

Overall the meal was very pleasant, though as I left, I felt just slightly disappointed because I’d been expecting something more exotic-tasting. Perhaps the current troubles with finding an experienced African chef had something to do with it?

As I was sitting in the place opposite on Friday night (after 10.30), there seemed to be so many people at Makumba that they were spilling out onto the street - all dressed up too. It seems this must be a good place to party.

The quest for hearty fare on a cold day took us to Ivan the Kozak, a Russian/Ukrainian restaurant on Cochrane Street under the escalator. If you are walking down from Hollywood Road it is on the right. A large statue of a Kozak marks the little lane that leads to the entrance.

There were four of us but the restaurant wasn’t crowded and we were offered a choice of tables. We took a cosy looking table at the back with a nice little sofa running along one side.

The restaurant has a quaint, gingerbread house in the forest, feel which made me think of those old East European fairy tales - many of which seem to feature a little house in the forest. We settled ourselves in and studied the menu.

There is a lot of travel information in the back of the menu but there are still plenty of dishes to choose from in the front. Though it has to be said, it could be a little better organised. There are starters, soups and main dishes where you might expect them but then there is a page of Ukrainian dishes which also includes starters and main courses. For people like me, who enjoy wallowing in the menu, this is not a problem but for others it might be a little confusing.

Nevertheless we placed our order and included in it was a bottle of Egri Bikaver or Bulls Blood. This is a full bodied red wine from Hungary and how it came to be named is quite an amusing little tale.

Back in 1552 the Eger fortress was being attacked and the defenders were heavily outnumbered. To prepare for the onslaught, and perhaps to numb the pain, they tucked in to the local red wine spilling it all over their beards in their eagerness to get sloshed. When the attackers saw these men hurtling towards them with red wine all down their fronts, they assumed the locals had been drinking bull’s blood, and they fled in horror.

We were much more genteel about it.

Shortly after the wine the starters arrived. We had ordered Pelmeni ($58), which is Russian dumplings with minced pork and sour cream. Deruni Minskie ($54), Ukrainian pan fried potato cakes. Neptune ($33) is a spicy seafood soup with potato, carrots and onions and Blinchiki ($40).

For me the potato cakes were the standout item here but the dumplings and the blinchiki were not that far behind. I wouldn’t have been disappointed with any of them.

These starters are all quite large and filling and unless you have a big appetite you might wish to consider sharing.

Our main courses included the Plov ($139) which was listed as lamb fillet with spicy rice. Myasnie Gulubsky ($109) was cabbage stuffed with pork and savoury vegetables. The Shashlik is Baranini ($137) is grilled lamb chops served with a tangy sauce, red cabbage, pickled gherkins and roast potatoes and finally Bukufay ($129) which was pan fried chicken fillet.

The food had taken a while to prepare but when it was served silence fell. The bukufay came with some peas in mayonnaise which seemed a rather odd addition but was otherwise well received. The shashlik was good. The stuffed cabbage got a tentative nod of approval despite being somewhat drowned in a creamy tomato sauce. The Plov didn’t quite live up to expectation, being chunks of lamb rather than a fillet.

All the portions were very filling and again sharing might have been a better option.

I was the only one willing to take on a dessert. I settled on the blini with pear jam ($48).

Teas and coffees were served after which we made our way, suitably fortified, into the cold night air.

El Taco Loco is its full name but I think I must be the only one that knows that. To most people it seems to be simply Taco Loco. My son had no idea where I was talking about when I said; “meet me at El Taco Loco”. He called me from Lan Kwai Fong and said “well where is it?”

I directed him to the escalator and when he finally arrived he said “Taco Loco?, everyone knows where that is, or why didn’t you just say the Mexican place with the pink walls?”
“You’ve been here before then?” I asked.
“Yeah, loads of times.”

Me too but I hadn’t actually been for quite a while. I used to come regularly for lunch when I worked in the area.

El Taco Loco is an informal easy-going place in a great location on Shelley Street, right next the mid-levels escalator and just above Hollywood Road. The food is good and very affordable. They offer a wide range of tacos, burritos, and fajita’s plus finger snacks.

My son ordered a Carne Asada burrito with guacamole and pico de gallo ($52), I opted for a chorizo and potato ($42).

We also ordered a small basket of nacho chips ($22). Small is plenty big enough for two people, even when one of them is my son. For people with smaller appetites a small basket would probably be enough for three. Remember the burritos that follow are also very filling. We also ordered some refried beans ($10) and a smoothie each ($36).

My son proved to be quite an expert at eating burritos and dispatched his rather neatly. I usually find myself retrieving a substantial portion from my lap though that doesn’t diminish the enjoyment in any way. It does give the boy something to laugh at.

He decided he wanted to go to Krispy Kreme for dessert, I decided to pass.

One of the great things about sake is that it never seems to give me much of a hangover. One of the not so great things about it is, I don’t realise just how drunk I am until I try and stand up. It’s then that I discover that my knees have turned to jelly and my feet point in opposite directions.

I was drinking sake the other evening in Dozo, the trendiest sushi-go-round in Central. Chilled sake, which is just about the trendiest way to drink sake these days. Traditionally, of course, it is served warm and that is how I’ve always drunk it but after a few sips I was rather warming to it. We’d ordered Ichinokura, a sake from Miyagi prefecture that boasts a light fruitiness.

A sushi-go-round is what I call the popular kaiten style restaurants where the dishes pass by on a conveyor and the all the diner has to is grab the ones they fancy. At the end of the meal the bill is calculated by the coloured rings on the rims of the dishes. At Dozo the dishes start $20 for a black rim, $30 for red etc up to $75. The dishes usually contain either two pieces of sushi rice with toppings or two sushi rolls.

All of the usual culprits were trundling by; Norwegian salmon, yellowfin tuna, those little sweet omelettes called tomago with their belts of seaweed. But there were some slightly unusual ones as well. One that caught my eye is called the Dozo roll. This is actually crispy duck with miso and spring onion. Unconventional but quite delicious all the same, the whiteness of the rice on the outside is freckled with sesame seeds.

But the kaiten does have its drawbacks, especially if you are indecisive like me, and can’t make your mind up that you want something until it is already out of reach. So Dozo also offers a la carte and my guest, who is very good at this sort of thing, took matters - and the menu - in hand.

Within moments she had dispatched the waiter with an impressive looking list then leaned forward and said; “I ordered the sashimi sampler” ($180). I knew she had ordered considerably more than that. Indeed the first item to arrive was prawn tempura maki ($40). The prawns are made crispy by the light batter and wrapped in seaweed.

The sashimi was the next to arrive. An impressive platter that included tuna, arctic clams, yellowtail and prawns neatly presented on a bed of radish. The restaurant apparently takes two deliveries, flown fresh from Japan, each day. The reward is exceptionally fresh sashimi. Even the clams, which I find disappointing in most places, were tender and tasty.

This was followed by prawn yakisoba; ramen noodles fried with prawn chicken, red and green peppers, and bean sprouts garnished with sesame and red ginger. We also had some skewers of chicken yakitori.

After this, sake and conversation took over for a while. It still wasn’t late and it was only Tuesday but the restaurant was doing very well. The menu offers ten different types of sake to cater for all tastes and pockets. They also offer a range of sake and shochu cocktails, hara kiri - chilled sake with triple sec and and gin - caught my eye. I was tempted but sensibly decided to save it for my next visit. We still had an almost full 300ml. decanter on the table.

After a while we decided we needed some tempura. We ordered the mixed ($75) in which vegetables are served with the prawns, and we also ordered some spicy roast tataki beef both of which lived up to the same high standard set by our previous dishes.

There is not a wide range of desserts on the menu but they do have Japanese ice cream, including the very popular green tea flavour. I have to confess, green tea ice cream has never really captured my heart, but sesame ice cream has. What’s more it goes perfectly with sake and was an excellent way to to end a very enjoyable evening.

Every so often we get the urge to wander along one of those tiny little roads between Hollywood Road and Queens Road, just to make sure we’re not missing anything. Occasionally we are rewarded.

The other evening took us along Peel Street, down the hill from Hollywood Road. On the left just after crossing Gage Street, buried behind the street markets, we found an Indian restaurant that we’d never seen before. It is called Balle Balle and has been open for about three months. There had been something there before but after racking our brains for a while, and watching one of a group of chefs roll out parathas outside, we still couldn’t remember what. We went in.

It is a small cosy restaurant with just a few tables. A TV in the corner plays Indian pop videos but it was neither loud or intrusive, rather it lends the place a comfortable homely feel. We settled into our table and ordered beers.

The menu contains all our old favourites. In the appetizers section there are samosas, pakoras and onion bhajis but there were also a few that were a little more intriguing. The waiter recommended the chilli chicken ($31) - deep fried chicken with tomato, capsicum and chilli sauce. He told us that it had become one of their most popular dishes.

To go along with it we ordered my old favourite, mutton rogan josh ($40), vegetable kebab ($38) and a mixed raita ($17) where the yoghurt is mixed with diced tomatoes, cucumber and onions. And to mop it all up we added a lacha paratha ($11) and a plain nan ($10).

There was only one chef outside now to making the parathas, the others no doubt had adjourned to the kitchen to get busy with our order. To keep us going while the food was being prepared the waiter brought us complementary masala poppadoms.

The food when it arrived made us gasp. The servings were very generous indeed and we wondered how we were going to eat it all, but not being the kind of folks that shrink in the face of adversity we tucked in. I aimed for the rogan josh, my companion, the chilli chicken. The mutton was lean and tender, the sauce was thick and rich and not too oily as it sometimes can be. I could tell by the look on my companions face that the chicken was living up to its promise.

The vegetable kebabs had arrived on a sizzling plate but were now cool enough eat. Made from soya they had a meat like texture, a little chewy but definitely had a vegetarian flavour. I mopped a corner of my plate clean with a wonderfully light and fluffy piece of nan and asked my companion to pass me the chilli chicken. She did so but only after I had bartered the largest piece of mutton in the rogan josh AND the fifth piece of the vegetable kebab (I didn’t tell her that there was a sixth piece hiding under the lemon).

It was obvious why she was being possessive about the chicken, it was quite wonderful. The waiter told us the dish originated in southern India. It isn’t as fiery as it’s name might suggest, the sauce is a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet, the chicken lean and soft.

Eventually we both sat back with contented, smug looks on our faces. “I’m full”, I said. “Couldn’t eat another thing”, she replied. “Gulab jamun?” I said … We shared it.

Balle Balle is open for dinner from 6-10.30pm when we were there it wasn’t too busy but the waiter did warn that anyone wanting to go for lunch (11.00-4.30 should either go early or plan a late lunch as they get very busy.

Le Fauchon is at the quiet end of Staunton Street to the left as you go up the escalator. It’s been there for quite some time, but for some reason I’d never managed to eat there before.

Although there is an upstairs the initial impression one gets is that it is a small cosy restaurant. There are a still lifes on the walls and curtains on the window giving it a country cottage feel. Unfortunately if you sit facing the street, as I was, there is a large neon ‘Exit’ sign overstating the obvious and spoiling what would otherwise be a pleasant setting.

I decided to try and ignore it and turned to the menu. There were several types of oyster and other seafood dishes to choose from as well as a range of salads. I had originally favoured the Ravioli of lobster at $148 but unfortunately it was off that particular evening. The waiter did recommend both the baked escargot in garlic butter and mushrooms and the grilled frogs legs in garlic butter (both $138). I plumped for the frogs legs.

The waiter brought a basket of warm crusty bread and a knob of butter that was so hard it was nearly impossible to cut let alone spread.

The kitchen at La Fauchon is fairly open and the aromas drifting from it were really quite delicious. But it has to be said, since I was the only person in the restaurant, that the sounds drifting from it suggested that the frogs legs were being fried rather than grilled. I was right. They arrived, a neat pile of legs on a plate, I wondered if perhaps I should have ordered a salad to go with them.

Although they may have been lacking somewhat in presentation they tasted good, though a slice of lemon on the side would have been a nice touch. It wasn’t long before the legs had been reduced to a neat pile of bones and I returned my attention to the bread. The butter hadn’t softened up much but I persevered and was soon surrounded by a sea of crumbs.

The main course, roasted quails with braised chestnuts and onions ($168) arrived. Two quails that were tender and tasty served on a bed of julienned carrots and green beans and a small potato. The chestnuts and onions were conspicuous by their absence. Again I wished I had a salad to go with it but I let it pass. At least the quails were good and pretty soon I had created another neat pile of bones and I used what remained of the bread to mop up the sauce.

The dessert menu was all pretty standard fare, American cheesecake, tiramisu etc. all at $48. I went for the chocolate pudding which came drizzled generously with chocolate and strawberry sauces. It was good but the fresh strawberry on the side was indestructible. I gave up trying to cut it with the side of my spoon for fear that I might launch it across the restaurant and actually do some damage.

I ordered coffee but I didn’t linger over it as I usually like to do after a meal. The ‘exit’ sign was reasserting itself so I paid my bill and left.

The problem with La Fauchon is not that it was bad, just unmemorable. Most of most of my grievances could have been fixed with just a little care, effort and attention to detail.

India Today is at 26 Elgin Street, right next door to I Caramba. Don’t be put off by the locked gate - simply rub your chin and put on a “lost” look and the genie will magically appear to guide you in and up to the first floor. There you will find a cosy little restaurant with a modern tropical feel. The walls are painted yellow and orange, decorated cushions are scattered around the seats, lanterns provide illumination and a coconut palm is sprouting in the corner. The restaurant has recently changed owners and the new ones were very attentive and keen to make sure we had an enjoyable evening. We ordered a cold beer (Carlsberg on draught) each and buried our noses in the menu.

The beer arrived along with a small bowl of chillies. They were a short fat variety, I don’t know the name. The manager explained that they were sliced open and filled with salt and yogurt, dried in the sun and finally deep fried and cooled. Nibbling them creates little explosions of flavour on the palate and left me in no doubt at all that, if they were able to make these in sufficient quantity, they would have one of the most successful bar snacks ever … that is, successful from the point of selling large amounts of cold beer thanks to the combination of the salt and the heat from the chilli.

All our favourite starters - onion bhajis, samosas and pakoras - are on the menu, but we decided to try the Murgh Chat ($42) and the Bhindi Rajasthani ($38). The murgh was small boneless tandoori chicken pieces rubbed with chat masala and served in a “salad” with coriander and green chillies. The Bhindi Rajasthani is okra fried in a deliciously light and crispy batter and served with a yoghurt dip.

From the tandoori menu we had considered ordering the Tandoori Kaliyan, a mixed platter of dishes from the tandoor, but there were only two of us and at ($178) we decided it was way more than we could eat. Instead we ordered boti kebab ($82) - young and tender pieces of lamb marinated in a spice-laced yoghurt and served on a sizzling plate, and cooked to perfection.

At this point the naans, two plain and one garlic, and our two remaining dishes arrived. From the vegetarian section we’d ordered Baingan Hydrabadi ($62). This is mild eggplant curry cooked in peanuts and sesame seeds. It was a very pleasant dish but on this evening it was facing some unfair competition. Our other dish was the Malabar Machli Curry ($78). The main ingredients of this curry are coconut and mackerel. The distinct flavours of each combine well to make a very memorable dish indeed. It is a mild curry, the sweetness of the coconut provides a startling, but very agreeable, contrast to the strong flavour of the mackerel. The only drawback was that it tended to overshadow the Baingan Hydrabadi. Next time I think I would choose something a little spicier to pair it with.

After a respectable pause we concluded the meal with that old standby, Gulab Jamun, balls of milk powder fried until golden and soaked in a sweet saffron syrup, followed with masala tea.

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.

Pampa is a “quechua” word, the language of the Incas of South America. It means “open space” and is typified by the grasslands of Argentina, upon which arguably the worlds finest beef cattle ruminate. I don’t know if it is the grass, the air or the incredible blueness of the Argentine skies that makes the beef special, but the country exports around 260 tons of prime beef a year. Fortunately, some of it finds it’s way to a small restaurant called La Pampa in Staunton Street, and the other evening I made my way up the escalator to graze.

The restaurant is simply but tastefully decorated with a countryside feel to it and, since I was the first customer of the evening, I had the waitress all to myself. Starters was a tough choice there were sausage options and meat pie options that I fancied but in the end I plumped for the grilled provoleta cheese with olive oil and herbs ($78). While that was being prepared I was treated to some mini kebabs - cubes of beef on a cocktail stick, with pieces of onion and pepper.

The provoleta cheese is not a dish for people with small appetites. About the size of a small pizza and lounging in an ocean of olive oil and oregano, it was indeed delicious, but I thought it was going to finish me off for the evening. Definitely one for sharing next time.

Fortunately there was a respectable pause between that and the main event and I was able to rally my resources. The last time I had Argentine steak had been in a small restaurant in Buenos Aires several years ago. It was there that I first heard the music of the legendary composer Astor Piazzolla. Probably a little too esoteric for most Hong Kong diners but the pop music playing at La Pampa was interspersed with both Andean folk music and, what sounded to to my uninformed ear, a quite modern tango singer.

The main course was grilled tenderloin. After some hesitation I’d ordered the smaller of the two options, a 225g piece at $168. After the provoleta cheese it turned out to be a wise decision - I might not have been able to finnish a 350g serving. The steak was wonderfully tender and juicy, and the balance between medium and rare was just about perfect. It was presented simply with a baked potato, sour cream, and corn on the cob.

To accompany it I had a glass of Trapiche Malbec 2003 ($48), the very fruity house red. I gave the salad bar a miss, I knew I wasn’t going to have room for that and a dessert.

The first word that springs to mind when you walk into I Caramba is ‘margarita’. Perhaps it has something to do with the sunny decor and the cheerful latin music that greets you, or perhaps it was partly to do with the fact that I had just walked up the steps on Pottinger Street and was in need of a cool drink anyway.

But I Caramba! doesn’t simply have margarita on the menu … it has a menu of margaritas. Seven in total starting at Margarita of the Month (you’ll need to ask what flavour they have this month) at $48 per glass or $192 for a pitcher. Top of the range is the Ultimate Margarita which is made from Herradura Anejo tequila and Grand Marnier. I plumped for an Extreme Margarita ($76 glass/$345 pitcher) which is just as luxurious but made with a reposado tequila. The difference is the age and the type of wood that the tequila was aged in. Connoiseurs would probably like to note that altogether the menu offers 26 different tequilas.

For one of the worlds great cuisines, Mexican restaurants are still something of a rarity in Hong Kong. I Caramba! was one of the first, indeed it was one of the first restaurants to open its doors in the Soho area, way back in 1993. I ordered a plate of mixed mushroom quesadillas ($59) to keep me going while I took my time over the rest of the menu.

I should have taken more time over that first margarita. Already I could hear the infamous “wall of flame” starting to sing to me and I had a strange desire to don the sombrero that takes pride of place on the bar. Fortunately I resisted the temptation to wear the sombrero but the wall wasn’t to be denied. The wall of flame is a huge collection of chilli sauces. I didn’t count them but I would guess there were about 50 or 60 altogether, and before long I had half a dozen of them on my table, some of them with names you wouldn’t want to repeat in polite society.

The quesadillas, toasted tortillas served with jack cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream, arrived and were a perfect match for Blairs Heat, a Jalapeno sauce which had a sharp, fresh taste. It was hot, but not so hot that it overwhelmed the food, which was fresh and tasty even without the addition of the sauces. Towards the end of the course I tried two other sauces that I had singled out. Maddogs Liquid Fire which is made from jalapenos, bird eye chillies with molasses which give it quite a sweet taste. Scrumptious combustion according to the label. The other was called 911 Hot Sauce, helpfully named after the telephone number for the emergency services in the US where it was made. This was much hotter, the Scotch Bonnet peppers very much in evidence.

To follow I’d ordered Las Fajitas with Snapper ($148). This comes as a sizzling plate of onions and bell peppers with the grilled snapper on top and served warm tortillas in which to wrap them. I gave my taste buds a chance to recover a little during the course and enjoyed it with only the salsa, guacomole and sour cream dips that come with it. But I did save a little bit. There were still two chili sauces that I wanted to try and I had saved them to the very end.

The Hottest F***ing Sauce is a combination of habaneros, scotch bonnets and African oleoresin which is a pepper extract. Even hotter than that is Da Bomb Ground Zero. In fact Da Bomb claims to be the hottest chili sauce on the planet according to the Scoville Scale. The Scoville scale was invented in 1912 by Wilbur Scoville, to measure the heat in chillies. To give you an idea, the average bottle of Tabasco sauce has a Scoville rating of around 5,000. The Scoville rating of Da Bomb Ground Zero is a staggering 234,000! But what does it taste like? I honestly don’t know but it did combine very well with the margarita that was sent in to quench it.

After that, a pause was required before dessert - it’s worth remembering that even for seasoned chili addicts these sauces need treating with respect.

For dessert I ordered fresh lime cheesecake ($48), rounded off with a Mexican coffee and leaned back in my chair with a contented smile as the other customers perused the wall of flame.

Boca is a trendy European style bar on Peel Street at the junction with Elgin Street. I’d decided to go along for some early evening tapas and was lucky enough to secure the table at the front by the door. The bustle of Soho as it comes alive for the evening combines well with the Latin-flavoured jazzy grooves that were playing within.

The word tapas comes from the Spanish verb ‘tapar’, which means to cover, and was essentially a free snack that was placed on top of a drink. According to legend the first tapa was a slice of ham that was placed on a sherry glass to keep flies out. Bar owners realised that the saltiness of the ham encouraged customers to drink more and thus a tradition was born. Today the term refers to almost any snack sized dish, traditional or modern, and need only be limited by the chefs imagination.

I’d come in search of the more traditional tapas. These are listed down the left hand side of the menu while the more modern variants are on the right. I decided to order three dishes, the grilled chorizo ($56) is a favourite of mine, so that was easy. The other two choices required a little more thought. The pepper crusted tuna fillet, and the grilled sardines with sea salt and garlic both sounded tempting. Finally, after much consultation with the manageress Emmy, I decided on Gambas al Ajillo ($69) and Albondigas ($56).

Chorizo is spicy pork sausage flavoured with paprika. Sliced and grilled, it is an excellent snack that goes just as easily with a cold beer as it does with wine. Gambas is prawns and these are prepared with artichokes and spinach and sautéed in paprika. Albondigas are another classic tapas dish comprising spicy beef meatballs in rosemary and tomato sauce. Finally, a basket of home-made bread - perfect for dipping.

Had I not been in danger of overdoing it I might have been tempted by some of options on the “not-so-traditional” side of the menu which included dishes such as stir fried wild mushrooms sauteed in Thai spices, or roasted garlic and brie. Ah but there’ll be another time.

As would be expected, Boca also has a wide selection of wines from all over the world which are offered by the bottle or by the glass and, of course, sangria by the carafe or glass.

Desserts are not in much demand in tapas bars, due perhaps to the idea that tapas are a pre-dinner snack, but the Boca menu does offer a chocolate sponge pudding smothered in hot chocolate sauce and served with fresh strawberries, blueberries and Kiwi fruit.

Boca is open everyday from 12.00 till 2am. Reservations are recommended.

I’ve known about Cafe Siam for years, I used to go past it at least once a day as I rode up the Central to mid-levels escalator. I have worked in three different offices that were all within a five minute walk of the restaurant. I even walked around for at least a week with a miniature take-away menu in my pocket. But it wasn’t until the other day that I finally got myself through the doors and up to a table.

Whenever I enter a Thai restaurant the cooking smells always trigger a Pavlovian instinct to order all my favourite Thai dishes and it takes a great force of will to look elsewhere on the menu. My favourite dishes, of course, are all classic dishes that can be found on all good Thai menus. That little pocket menu helped immensely, because it meant that even before I arrived at the restaurant I already had a shortlist of not so common dishes I wanted to try.

The starters I’d narrowed down to two; Koh Moo Yang, or char-grilled marinated pork served with a tamarind, toasted rice and shallot dip ($65) was very tempting but was pipped at the post by the Gai Manow, chicken and water chesnut roll ($68). These are cut into bite-sized pieces and served on a bed of crispy fried basil with a dab of mayonnaise and a sliver of lime.

One of the great things about Thai cuisine is that it happily borrows from its neighbours and the flavours will change according to which border you are near. The larbs and the ever popular green papaya salad, som-tam, originate in Laos, the mild yellow curries come from the south.

The next dish was Khao Soy ($65), a Burmese style chicken curry served with soft and crispy noodles. This was also a mild curry but not as sweet as the southern style curries. It is served with a hot and sour northern style chilli paste.

The main course was completed with Deep Fried Garoupa in a very spicy chilli sauce ($158).

The dessert menu is made up of tried and trusted favourites such as mango with sticky rice, banana fritters and fresh fruit. Cafe Siam make their own brand of herb tea and at $28 a pot is well worth a try. In fact it is so popular that they even sell it in packets to take home.

I’ve had lunch in Jaspas on Staunton Street a couple of times, but whenever I’ve been past at dinner time it has always seemed quite busy. When I passed by the other evening there was not a soul inside. Maybe because it was raining, maybe because it was still early - whatever the reason, I saw it as a golden opportunity and dived inside.

Lunches, by default, are usually hurried events, but I had been impressed on my previous visits, so I was looking forward to taking just a little more time. I ordered a beer and buried my nose in the menu. Jaspas offers a broad range of international favourites. It’s not difficult to understand why the place is popular, there is something there for just about everyone.

For my starter I was rather tempted by the goats cheese in filo pastry parcels ($80), but in the end I was more tempted by the lobster nachos ($95). Now I suspected this was going to be a large dish and it was. The nachos were piled high, with loads of melted cheese and generously slathered with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

My only complaint was that they had used cheese flavoured nachos rather than plain and, whilst I like the flavoured ones well enough in this setting, I felt that they were in competition with, rather than complementing, the other flavours. But they did complement the beer very well indeed and I was soon onto my second pint.

For the main course, Caribbean chicken ($110) had won out over the rack of lamb ($150). I think the notion of a Jamaican style jerk chicken was hovering in the back of my mind but it was not to be. In fact it was rather a straightforward chicken filet with peppers, eggplants and other vegetables. Nevertheless it was well prepared and presented, and I was quite happy to eat it.

There were no surprises on the dessert menu - I finished off with cheesecake and a coffee.

Did Jaspas disappoint? Well maybe, just a little, but I am very picky. The food is definitely not bad. If you are going out with a crowd from the office and need to cater for a wide range of taste buds then this is just the place. But don’t expect too many surprises, Jaspas strength is in the reassuring familiarity of the dishes it serves.

LG/F 11 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2815 0022
Fax 2815 9333

G/F 44 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2803 2083
Fax 2803 2051

G/F 25 Elgin Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2523 8272
Fax 2523 8966

G/F 47 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2521 1600
Fax 2521 2600

33 Peel Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2543 2010

2/F 49 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2541 1599

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

G/F, 23 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 0771
Fax 2810 0671

G/F 48 Peel Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2834 6366
Fax 2834 7701

G/F 68 Peel Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2869 6927

65 Peel Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel  2548 1717
Fax 2548 1727

Basement, 11 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2522 2808

Ezra Lane
Lower Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2537 4680
Fax 2526 1372

43-55 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2116 8055

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

L G/F 83-85 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2857 7683

LG/F 7 Staunton Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
2522 0907

G/F 5a Cochrane Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 6303 8786

3-5 Old Bailey Street
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2526 6099
Fax 2869 6821

ShopA-C Upper G/F, Ming Hing House
52-56 Staunton Street
Soho
Hong Kong
Tel 2915 6788

1/F Hilltop Plaza
49 Hollywood Road
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2850 8833
Fax 2815 0009

10 Shelley Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 2810 9777

1A 1/f Millioncity
26-30 Elgin Street
Soho
Hong Kong
Tel 2801 5959
Fax 2537 4848

55 Elgin Street
Soho
Central
Hong Kong
Tel 8105 0155
Fax 8101 5550

G/F 45 Elgin Street
Soho
Central,
Hong Kong
Tel 2526 8318
Tel 2526 8316