New on the Block
Agura (13/F Henry House, 42 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, 2504 2928) could be described as Japanese, especially with its décor of low seats, sliding doors and tatami. But in truth while this place has a Nippon feel and look to it, the food is a delightful mix of French and Japanese. It seems like almost an odd fusion, but with dishes like fatty tuna carpaccio with sesame soy dressing ($298) and risotto with clam and salmon roe ($158) you’ll be appreciating the east-meets-west theme of this intimate restaurant.

We may not have a branch of Blue Elephant, the international Thai restaurant, in our city yet but until we do, we can savour the traditional tastes of Thailand at their take away counter Thai by Blue Elephant at Great (Bsmt, Pacific Place Two, Admiralty, 2918 9986). Also available are Blue Elephants ready made spice and herb mixes for favourite dishes like curries, stir frys and soups.
Wyndham Street is not-so-quietly turning into the place to be. With two new venues currently in the works – Frog Face Fish and Pickled Pelican – along with Zest, Wagyu and Tivo it makes for a street of good times and good eats. The new addition to the lot is Yun Fu (Bsmt, 43-55 Wyndham Street, Central, 2116 8855) which serves Northern Chinese cuisine brought to you by the same people who brought us Hutong and Aqua Roma / Aqua Tokyo.

Sweet Eats
There are such a huge variety of Valentine’s Day menus this year that we found it almost impossible to pick the ones we liked best to recommend. So we chose not to - instead we suggest you take a look at our tables and marvel at the amount of good food our city has to offer. If you want to do something different however, here are a couple of suggestions:

Get intimate in a different way - take a cooking class on February 14 with your sweetheart at 6 Senses Cooking Studio (19A Cheuk Nang 21st Century Plaza, 250 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, 2838 9905). For $650 both of you can conjure up a delicious menu of carrot and orange soup, sea bass poached in champagne sauce with steamed vegetables and finally, to indulge the sweet tooth, a chocolate and hazelnut heart torte, which you can enjoy later in a romantic atmosphere. Check the website www.s6nses.com for more details.

There’s a peak on Peng Chau island called Finger Hill where you can see the nightly firework display from Disneyland very clearly. Pack a picnic (we personally prefer wine with cheeses and crackers, pate, strawberries and grapes with some chocolate truffles to finish), a few blankets and take the ferry over to huddle up with your partner under the starry skies and enjoy the view.

An Asian Touch
There is no doubt that a continent as large as Asia can contribute so much to the world’s gastronomic palate. From the subtle essences to the oh-my-god-my-mouth’s-on-fire tastes of the region it’s no wonder that some European chefs have let these ‘exotic’ flavours infiltrate their cuisine. One such man is Roland Durand, the executive chef of the Michelin star restaurant Passiflore in Paris, who was in town recently to create a special one off menu for Petrus at the Island Shangri-la and for the SCMP/Harper’s Bazaar Style Awards. Durand’s cuisine of French infused with Asian tastes was inspired by his time spent in Thailand, and is a wonderful example of the blend of French and Asian flavours. So, if you’re taking a loved one to Paris for the weekend, drop by Passiflore to sample the fare.