Full of Flavour
Hang Fa Lau is the place to go for a selection of traditional and innovative Chinese desserts including delicacies such as steamed egg white with milk and red bean ($21), ice-cream dumplings with black glutinous rice ($24) and almond soup with hawthorn ($17). In addition to desserts, the restaurants serve a lunch and dinner menu, which includes crisp fried prawns in a stone pot ($78), braised mackerel with miso sauce ($68) and fried prawns in cheese sauce with fried egg-noodle ($98). Open daily 12:30am-11:30pm. Locations include Central, Wanchai, Aberdeen, Sai Wan Ho, TST. For more details, call 2359 9900.

Takamura (5/F QRE Plaza, 202 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, 2834 8328), the only restaurant currently open in the new QRE Plaza, serves traditional Japanese dishes in a casual dining atmosphere decorated in bamboo. Sit outside on a spacious balcony. Lunch sets are served from 11am-3pm when you can indulge in a sushi bentou ($180), special combination teppanyaki set ($130), grilled fish set ($70), and a daily special lunch and dinner sets from ($110).

Another recently opened Japanese restaurant, Shabu Shabu (Shop 3, G/F and 1/F, Dennies House, 20 Luard Rd, Wanchai, 2893 8806) specializes in, well, shabu shabu, the Japanese hotpot dish. The Wanchai restaurant is the sister of Shabu Shabu in Jordan, which has operated for 15 years. In February, South African abalone (starting at $78) and a whole lobster (500g starting at $580) are on special for the shabu shabu set. The restaurant also offers teppanyaki specials such as goose liver ($90), Japanese pork ($68). For lunch, the chef recommendations include beef rice in a stone pot ($52) and baked seafood udon with cream sauce ($55). Wash your meal down with Kubota sake ($1,800/1.8l) or Rihabu nigorizake tokubetsu honjyozo ($300/720ml), a sweet, honey-like sake favoured by the ladies. Open daily 12-3pm and 6pm-12am.

Catch (66 Peel St, Soho, 2857 2909), decorated with framed black and white photographs of Singapore, offers fresh daily specials including chili crab ($368) imported from Vietnam and prepared according to your preference, from lightly spiced to flaming hot. If you don’t go for spice, black sauce prawns ($168), Nonya sambal fish ($138) or sauteed fish slices with sweet pea ($138) are options. Wrap up your meal with a traditional chendol dessert of red and green bean jelly strips in coconut milk laced with palm sugar on shaved ice ($48). Catch is open Monday to Saturday, 11am-3pm and 6-11pm, and closed Sundays.

Fat Choi Dining
On 8th February, Man Wah (25/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Road Central, 2825 4003), in celebration of the new year of the rat is offering eight-course - including stir fried lobster with egg white and Yunnan ham, deep fried chicken coated with almond chips, double boiled sweet soup with four treasures - ($868 + 10%) and a nine course - including steamed salmon roll with enoki mushrooms, wok fried beef tenderloin, chilled abalone, jellyfish and shrimp marinated in Hua Diao wine - ($968 + 10%) fireworks dinners with, of course, a great view of the New Year fireworks.

On the other side of the harbour, Spring Moon (1/F, Peninsula Hotel, Salisbury Rd. TST, 2315 3160), in celebration of Chinese New Year, has four set menus available from January 23 to February 21. The 10 course menus are auspiciously named. Longevity ($13,888/10 ppl) includes whole barbeque suckling pig and sautéed lobster with sweet walnuts, Fortune ($8,888/10ppl) features sautéed twin prawns with XO sauce or garlic butter sauce and steamed chicken with Yunnan ham Wealth ($10,888/10ppl) and Fat Choi ($28,888/10 ppl) includes braised whole Yoshihama abalone (30 heads) in oyster sauce, sauteed sea conch and green vegetables. There’s a performance by a traditional Chinese orchestra on February 7 and 8 during lunch and dinner, while the fireworks will be visible from The Sun Terrace on the 7th floor with a complimentary glass of champagne.

Food and Love
Pearl on the Peak (Shop 2, 1/F, The Peak Tower, 128 Peak Road, 2849 5123) offers modern Australian cuisine and a view overlooking the sparkling lights of the city. A five-course meal including a whipped marinated feta cheese and sunflower shoot salad followed by oceanlove seafood broth and a main course of crisp skinned Red Emperor served with a slowly braised black lip abalone. Dessert, a heart-shaped vanilla cheesecake, leads to a diamond pendant or a pair of diamond earrings for your sweetheart. The Diamond Valentine’s Day menu is offered for $1,697 per person or a discounted price of $1,107 if you make
a reservation.

Megu (R002-003, Elements, Kowloon Station, 1 Austin Road West; 3743 1421) is serving a modern Japanese Valentine’s dinner with a twist in its two-storey premises decorated with Yuzen kimono fabrics and bamboo weavings. The menu ($2,008 per couple) is a ‘him and her’ – men will enjoy a premium Australian Wagyu sirloin steak served with a blue-fin tuna carpaccio wasabi, while the women are treated to hirame carpaccio wasabi and grilled Boston lobster laced with green sauce. The highlight of the evening consists of a 10-piece dessert finale, prepared with traditional Japanese techniques and organic ingredients.

Tivo (G/F, 43-55 Wyndham St, 2116 8055) has a five-course set menu at $698 for two with a blend of classic Italian and fresh seafood cuisines. An appetizer of raw tuna ravioli with spanner crab, all in a tomato and olive tapenade, is followed by a black-lip mussel and pumpkin soup. Then a chargrilled beef fillet will be served with sweet potato rosti and spinach and topped off with a black truffle sauce. Dinner ends with a white chocolate mousse, garnished with a wild berries salad.

Zest (G/F, 57 Wyndham St, 2526 7993) is celebrating an evening of love with a four-course set menu for $388 per person (or $548 with matching wines). The Valentine’s menu of this two-storey restaurant, with its chic white interior and light chocolate brown suede lounge couches, offers the options of Antinori Castella della Sala Bramito – a prawn ravioli with asparagus – or a prosciutto and ham-hock terrine served with cornichons in a lentil vinaigrette sauce. That leads to a choice between a crisp pork belly served with potato-apple puree, split pea and bacon vinaigrette or a pan-roasted sea bass. A pear, almond and chocolate tart dessert with Frangelico mascarpone will conclude the four-course meal.

Looking for a cozy place to cuddle without having to dish out the dough on dinner? Over in Quarry Bay you can find Café Einstein (33 Tong Chong St. Quarry Bay, 2960 0994) offering Cupid’s special menu with a little something at the end of the night for the ladies to take home. The café starts off with champagne accompanied by a pumpkin and lobster bisque. Complementing the soup will be a choice of either roast beef tenderloin served with sautéed mushrooms and French beans in a red wine fig sauce or poached salmon fillet. Dessert is a white chocolate bavarois with mixed berries. The meal comes to $600 per couple.

El Pomposo (4 Tun Wo Lane, Central; 2869 7679) is adding a little Spanish passion to Valentines Day, preparing a dinner of love complemented by fruity free-flowing Sangria. Start with cured Spanish pork loin carpaccio with marinated figs followed by the codfish and potato fritter appetizer. The main course includes a choice of sautéed chicken dusted with smoked paprika or sautéed prawns mixed in garlic, olive oil, dried chili and parsley. The four-course dinner is $794 for two including a gift.