Timely Tasters
With so many special menus to choose from this month, it’s a great start to a food-lover’s year and might just be an indication that 2007 will be a gastronomical delight. From Thai to Szechuan to Swiss, what will take your fancy?

Where’s the beef? For this month, it’s at Avenue restaurant and bar (1/F, Holiday Inn Golden Mile, 50 Nathan Road, TST, 2315 1118). The venue is running a special promotion on Canadian beef sure to tempt any carnivorous taste buds. Apparently Canadian beef is known for its soft texture and juiciness – perfect for that steak. At Avenue, you can enjoy your meat from one of three weights – 8oz, 12oz, and 16oz – and three cuts – rib-eye ($298-$588), sirloin ($318-$628) or beef fillet ($348-$688). Eaten on its own or accompanied with sauces (béarnaise, herb butter, mushroom, black pepper or mustard grain) and sides (baked potatoes, spinach, French fries, green beans, corn or mashed potatoes), it is sure to be pleasing.

Speaking of spicy, is there really any better way than a hotpot to beat the winter chills? Yunyan Szechuan Restaurant (4/F, Miramar Shopping Centre, 132-134 Nathan Road, TST, 2375 0800) makes a mean signature dish of spicy lamb’s brisket hotpot ($140 per half portion – good for four to six people) although they also have series of hotpots if you raise an eyebrow at brisket. The Szechuan hotpot with wine series includes the sumptuous spicy duck hotpot with flamed mei kuei lu chiew ($160 per half portion). If you want something with even more kick, challenge yourself with the black chicken in homemade spicy sauce ($200 person half portion). We take no responsibility.

For the most regal of spicy kicks, Café Allegro (1st Basement, Regal Kowloon Hotel, 71 Mody Road, TST, 2313 8718) is offering to light your gastronomic fires with a Royal Thai dinner buffet (adult $278/child $178, Monday to Thursday; adult $298/child $198 Friday to Sunday including public holidays). Included in the spread is sautéed crab with Thai curry sauce, the traditional tom yam gong, Thai poached fish, a roasted beef salad and roasted pork neck. Desserts are themed with bird’s nest which provides a home for basil crème brûlée and is made into a tartlet with lemongrass jelly.

After New York, London, Milan and Tokyo, Hong Kong now has the distinction of being one of 10 cities hosting a Nobu (2/F, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, TST, 2313 2323), the internationally acclaimed restaurant and favourite celebrity hangout. The original was created by chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, known only as Nobu, and Hollywood great Robert DeNiro and earned a reputation for classic, fresh Japanese dishes with an innovative twist. Signature creations include fresh yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno, white fish tiradito, toro tartar with caviar, soft-shell crab roll and DeNiro’s favourite, black cod saikyo yaki.

The Superbowl is still three weeks away but Dan Ryan’s (Pacific Place, 2845 4600, Ocean Terminal, 2735 6111) is already inviting American football fans to a breakfast party on the big day. The doors will open at 6am on Monday 5 February in time for kick off at 7am. Breakfast could be a windy city hot dog ($55) for those who can’t face much food so early in the morning, but those for whom time doesn’t matter can dig into the more traditional scrambled eggs with sausage, bacon or ham ($69) or cheese and mushroom omelette ($69). Book your places now.

There’s not much more intimate than dipping a little of your favourite bread into a meltdown of exotic cheese – or chocolate – and feeding it to your loved one. The Verandah (109 Repulse Bay Road, Repulse Bay, 2292 2822) is holding out an opportunity to do just that with a range of classic fondues until mid February. Their Gruyere and raclette fondue ($328 for two persons) hints at saffron and sun-dried tomatoes, while the Tilsiter and Appenzeller ($328 for two persons) is flavoured with Calvados. For a touch of real luxury, though, the black truffle and champagne fondue is made with Emmental and Tilsiter cheeses ($398 for two persons), though mustard heads will more likely go for Gruyere and Emmental with pommery, Dijon and English mustards ($328 for two persons). A bread of your choice from sourdough, French or rye accompanies all fondues during dinner hours. If you want to indulge that sweet tooth, try the Lindt chocolate fondue ($258 for two persons) served with brioche, berries, fruits and marshmallows. The chocolate fondue is available from afternoon tea onwards, and if you add $150 to the price of your post noon tiffin, you can also enjoy the sweet melt-up.

MOS Burger (Shop 1, L4A Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mongkok, 3514 4301), the trendy Japanese rice burger creators, have just opened a new store in Langham Place to ease the heavy traffic at their very popular branch at apm in Kwun Tong. The new branch has seats, some of which are outdoors overlooking the hustle and bustle of Mongkok. See our review for MOS Burger on page 30.

For those Francophiles out there, Le Tire Bouchon (Basement, 45 Graham Street, Central, 2523 5459) is offering a special dinner set menu of either two ($188) or three courses ($228) throughout the month. Openers include a soup of the day, mussels with onion and parsley in white wine or salmon terrine with leeks and dill cream. And the mains sound as though they’re from some characterful café on a Parisian boulevard: traditional coq au vin (chicken stew in red wine sauce), cod fillet with light mussel and prawn cream sauce, venison saddle with a pepper and cranberry sauce, beef rib with parsley and garlic butter or fresh fish stewed in white wine, tomato, garlic and lobster stock. Then, while you may not find a cherry clafoutis among the desserts, you could sign the meal off with apple pancakes, homemade cheesecake, chocolate mousse, caramelised apple pie or choux pastry with vanilla custard topped with caramel. Bon appetit!
A drop of the ocean falls into Goccia (73 Wyndham Street, Central, 2167 8181), as their Michelin-starred chef, Francesco Brocca, creates seafood magic for the month of January. His menu includes three oysters, Florentine style with sautéed spinach and hollandaise sauce gratin ($108), casserole of shrimps, yabbies, prawns, Boston lobster and tomatoes with cream of fava beans and rosemary ($288) and, for those who really want to indulge in the fruits de mer, a seafood lovers’ platter with Boston lobster, shrimp, black mussels, clams, yabbies, spotted crab, sea whelk, and oysters (minimum two persons at $320/person).

Speaking of seafood, look out for Frog Face Fish (43-55 Wyndham Street, Central) opening some time in February. It’s a new venture by the folks who brought you Zest, offering all manner of fresh seafood and fish in an upmarket and modern setting – the food will be flown in fresh four times a week.

We’ve all heard of fast food – you can find the bright golden arches on just about every street corner – but what is slow food? From now until January 21, Michelin-starred guest chef Ugo Alciati will be highlighting the fundamentals of this cooking movement at The Mistral (Lower B2 Level, Intercontinental Grand Stanford, 70 Mody Road, TST, 2721 5161). He’ll be emphasizing the importance of eco-gastronomy and how the environment and cuisine affect each other. And while he will be concentrating on food from his native region of Piedmont, Italy, his aim is to pass on how to preserve the heritage, tradition and savour of any national or regional cuisine.

Akarui (2/F Hilltop Plaza, 49 Hollywood Road, Central, 2541 1599) is a new eatery serving authentic Nippon cuisine in a sleek modern setting. They are celebrating their opening with a 30% discount on lunch sets bought before 12.45pm and a 10% discount for all sets afterwards. The offer is valid until the end of the month.

For something different, we paid a visit to Au Belge (G/F Shop B, 11 Old Bailey Street, Soho, 2524 1818) for a dinner of Belgian cuisine in cosy surroundings. It would be a no-no for vegans – the selection of appetizers and mains includes mussels and a variety of fish and meats. We started with a Belgian endives salad with blue cheese, walnuts and apples ($79), which was refreshing and zingy, and left a smoky aftertaste. For the main dish we tried the deer fillet with wild mushroom ($195). Not often seen on restaurant menus in Hong Kong, venison is leaner than beef or lamb. It was accompanied by sautéed veggies, hand-cut French fries and homemade mayonnaise. For dessert, Belgian dark chocolate mousse ($58) was a perfect finish to the meal. Smooth and creamy, yet light, it was a gratifying mix of bitter and sweet.