 Buffet Bonanza
Though it may be well into June, Francophiles can throw their baguettes and berets in the air and rejoice at the Le French May celebrations still taking place at the Metropark Hotel’s Palm Court Western Restaurant (1/F, 75 Waterloo Road, Kowloon 2760 3666). Until the end of June, a French dinner buffet of epic proportions will include seafood bouillabaisse with shark’s fin and rouille, goose pate, escargots a la bourguignonne, paupiettes of veal with spinach and mushroom and a crispy baked soufflé ($228 Mon - Thurs/$258 Friday to Sunday). An expansive array of French wines includes chilled Beaujolais to top off the truly François buffet. Bon appétit!
Don’t pack up your steak knife just yet – there’s more all-American Angus beef to be eaten, especially now that Café Rivoli (88 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay 2890 6633) in the Regal Hongkong Hotel has announced its ‘Platinum Beef Dinner Buffet’ ($298 Monday to Thursday/$318 Friday to Sunday). Executive Chef Ray Yau has mixed up the options, so that you can give the beef skewer with onion and pepper a try or the ox-tongue tempura. With your buffet, you’ll also receive a complimentary dish of king prawn and beef medallion simmering in garlic and chilli olive oil. For those who might’ve had just a wee bit too much beef, other exotic-sounding choices include ostrich fillet with mushroom and black pepper as well as kangaroo with enoki mushroom and teriyaki sauce, prepared teppanyaki style.
New Tastes On The Block
The area of Wyndham Street above Lan Kwai Fong is quickly upstaging it’s bawdy downstairs neighbour with chic, creative clubs, boutiques and, perhaps most importantly, restaurants like Arigato’s (G/F, Shop A, 77 Wyndham Street, Central, 2526 5551). This effortlessly hip and clearly refined Japanese hotspot is warmly lit with smooth wood panelling and an impressive red and black glass bar along the front window. The menu includes a popular seafood salad of tuna, salmon and shrimp ($110) that couldn’t get any fresher and a must-try cod fish and cooked mango entrée ($90) bursting with rich flavour. The Wagyu beef entrée is cooked with a succulent teriyaki sauce and set atop a tiny raft of asparagus ($295) and may just knock your socks off if you try it. Having over 50 types of wine and 30 types of sake, the restaurant won’t have you scrambling for options, should you choose to imbibe.
At the other end of the spectrum is a cosy new Japanese ramen house in Wanchai called Asian Ghetto (30 Tai Wong Street East, Wanchai, 2338 3498) that makes up in flavour and presentation for what it lacks in space. Colourful Japanese cloth banners hang on the walls while manga and anime figurines smile down from the shelves above the handful of tables, making the hangout feel like it could be nestled on a Tokyo side street. The menu is mostly variations on ramen and shabu shabu with lots of small snack options too. The spicy minced pork ramen ($42) comes piping hot with two huge sheets of dried seaweed propped up in the bowl to create a wall for your dining partner to gaze over. Or opt for the popular and tasty shabu shabu Angus short ribs ($78) to cook to your own liking at the table. You can find lots of tasty victuals for less than $30, including the miso ($18), edamame ($22) and ox tongue, chicken liver or chicken cartilage skewers ($10 each). Though they don’t have their liquor license yet, you’re welcome to bring your own whilst cobbling together a nice little assortment of traditional Japanese fare.
On the other side of the island, one of the newest faces in the historic Murray Building is the Spanish outlet Mijas (Shop 102, Murray House, Stanley, 2899 0858). The restaurant has a refined, white-table elegance and special attention is paid to bringing the finest Spanish ingredients to your plate while you gaze out on Stanley’s bustling bay. Some of the recommended choices include traditional dishes like the Serrano ham and melon appetizer, gazpacho, paella with chicken or a delicious salmon steak. The menu is set up so that you can opt for only a main course ($95), or two appetizers plus a dessert ($110), or a main course plus an appetizer and dessert ($145). These options mean you can feel a little freer to mix and match depending on your tastes and how much you’re willing to shell out. Also, their crisp, absurdly refreshing sangria ($130 for a half-pitcher/$240 for a whole pitcher) cannot be missed, especially on a sizzling summer day.
 One sight that will cause my eye-pupils to dilate with joy is a Mexican restaurant, especially when its menu is as expansive as that at Que Pasa Tequila Bar & Cantina (G/F, 15 Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2316 2525). Owned by the same group who brought many of the international restaurants to the quaint Knutsford Terrace, Que Pasa has just opened its doors and is a caliente fiesta waiting to happen – from its spacious interior to the traditional Mexican sombreros and tequila bar that makes you feel you’re in Cabo. Go with a few friends and taste the plata entrada ($118), an appetizer sampler plate with crispy flautas, sopes, empanadas and meaty quesadillas. For a main course, give the pollo mole ($128) a try, with its traditional cocoa-based mole sauce drizzled all over the chicken breast set atop a bed of Mexican rice. Pitchers of margaritas ($188 at happy hour/$258 otherwise) come in wild flavours like strawberry and avocado…
Another tasty newbie in town is the second restaurant of the popular French clothing/lifestyle brand chain Agnes b. Eating at Agnes b. Le Pain Grille (1 and 2A, 2-4 Kingston Street, Causeway Bay 2881 9129) can feel a bit odd, given that you’re technically inside a two-storey clothing shop, but the ambience and food more than distracts you from that. Choose between the more low-key café area where you can savour the afternoon tea set ($88, 3-5pm) with the choice of a pastry and coffee or tea (with free refills!) or go for a real meal in the richly designed Parisian Underground room. The vintage décor and Moroccan floor tiles make a perfect setting for one of their set lunches ($165-185) where the savoury crepes should not be missed. Or, if you’re ready to dive in head-first, try the duck leg with vanilla bourbon ($185) or monkfish seafood bisque ($238) to really get the taste buds revving. The more daring can even order the risqué green anise-flavoured spirit absinthe ($58) which comes in a gorgeous wrought-iron fountain meant to hold the ice cubes that slowly drip on the sugar cube placed atop the spoon above the glass (yes, it’s a process). But be wary of the ‘green fairy’, as she’s called, because you’re likely to float away with her…!
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