New Season, New Tastes
Location, location, location – what more can you ask for when sitting before a beautiful harbour view sipping a glass of white wine in a stunning restaurant? Hip and edgy, Cucina (6/F, Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2113 0808) was designed by renowned interior design firm Super Potato, and ‘culinary theatre’ is how the restaurant defines itself. With Cucina’s open-plan international and Asian kitchen and bar area, diners can enjoy watching the ‘drama’ of the chefs preparing their meals. The three-course lunch is complemented by a spectacular salad bar with dozens of items to choose from – our favourite is the lobster salad. For the main course, we recommend sautéed diced beef tenderloin with asparagus in wasabi – the beef is as the name implies – really tender – and the smooth, sweet yet a little bit spicy flavour is just delicious. Or try the Pacific scallops wrapped in pancetta, one of the signature dishes created by Chinese chef Au Yeung. Lunch is served from 12-3pm; the salad bar only is $160, or $220 for the three-course meal.

The perfect marriage may not exist among human beings, but it is a good description of well-matched food and wine. American restaurant Lawry’s The Prime Rib (4/F, The Lee Gardens, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, 2907 2218) is offering a perfect marriage of wine with a new four-course set menu ($538) for those who want to celebrate in luxury once in a while. Kick off with a jumbo shrimp cocktail or lobster bisque, then sip a glass of Bourgogne Chardonnay ‘Cuvée de la Combe’, France 2005, with the signature spinning bowl salad. A 6oz California cut of roast prime rib of beef together with mashed potato, gravy, Yorkshire pudding and creamed spinach, creamed corn or butter peas comes with a Château Lagarosse, France 2004. You can choose between a warm chocolate fantasy cake or English trifle as dessert – if you still have a little stomach space to fill.

White asparagus comes with the advent of spring, and that’s probably why executive chef Paolo Monti at Gaia (The Piazza, Grand Millennium Plaza, 181 Queens Road, Central, 2167 8200) has created some new dishes with this tender vegetable. If you are looking for something filling, the home-made scialatielli pasta with wild asparagus, cured pork cheeks and shaved walnut cured pecorino cheese ($248) and white, wild and purple asparagus risotto with Parmigiano ($288) are good choices. For a lighter meal, the steamed wild sea bass with white asparagus anchovy hollandaise sauce ($328) should do the trick.

FINDS (2/F LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, 2123 1558) is about to start renovations but as well as tweaking the interior it has been reworking its menu, introducing more dishes for sharing and a new spring menu. Offered a la carte and as a six-course tasting option ($688 + 10%), the spring menu features a range of dishes that “retain the core of FINDS rustic Scandinavian flavours but fuse them with global ingredients”. Appetizers include cep and veal broth with poached egg and crushed ham ($98) or the house-smoked shrimps ($98). For an entrée, consider the delicious organic beef tenderloin “1824 AAco” slightly smoked with mild garlic potatoes, roasted plum tomato and green peppercorn sauce ($328) or venison tenderloin filled with wild ceps, Yukon gold potatoes simmered in herb stock, parsnip puree, savoy cabbage and blackcurrant sauce ($268). If you have room for dessert, the Daim almond nougat cake ($88) offers a sweet finale for the start of spring.

We talked about beo* (16, Arbuthnot Rd, Central, 2868 0625) a fortnight ago but this restaurant is definitely worth another mention. Having worked in Washington DC and Rome for almost two decades, chef Michael Rickman describes himself as ‘insane’ – for a man who mixes curried cauliflower with lobster and crème fraiche, the term seems appropriate. Standing for ‘beautifully organic’, the hip restaurant serves organic ingredients, from the fresh vegetables grown in the New Territories to the tender lamb chops flown in from New Zealand. Our pick would be the starter of grilled scallops in a pomegranate reduction with mushroom quinoa – the sweet-sour pomegranate mixes well with the perfectly grilled scallops for a fine booster to your appetite. For those not after a big lunch, this starter with its mushroom quinoa – the famous grain from South America once known as the ‘gold of the Incas’ – may be all you need. Though you may not be able to resist chef Rickman’s signature dessert, a caramelized apple tower with a ginger vanilla gelato. Rickman prepares the fruit in four ways – as is, dried, spiced and minced – which gives a variety of tastes and textures from this single humble fruit. The set lunch menu is renewed weekly and served from 12nn-3pm. A three-course lunch costs $180 and two-courses $150. Dinner hours are from 6:30-11pm.

New season, new eatery – here is a quick round up of the latest openings around town. The Pawn (62 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, 28663444), a bar/lounge/restaurant has opened this week serving modern British fare. Renovations at Zest (57 Wyndham Street, Central, 2526 7993) are complete, so a brand-new look and a brand-new menu are waiting for you to explore. Wagyu Lounge (L/F, 3-5 Old Bailey Street, Central, 2522 1438), sister restaurant of the Wagyu on Wyndham Street, is the place to go if you want some good beef but also want to avoid the crowds. The Window Café at Kowloon Hotel (19-21 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2734 3722) is re-opening on April 18 after revitalizing itself with luxurious furnishings, an Italian corner, extended buffet counter and interactive cooking stations.

Snack Time
Here is one less excuse for your ‘city escape’ to Taiwan this month – the first Taiwan Night Market Festival is coming here from April 11-13. It will be at the East Point City (L1, East Point City, Tseung Kwan O; Opening hours: 12nn-9pm) where you can try twelve of the most popular Taiwanese street snacks, freshly made! Highlights include Slack Season tan tsai noodles, a 113-year-old brand with a secret recipe. The portion is very small but, as the Taiwanese would say, go for the delicacy, not the quantity. This famous snack can also be found in national banquets. Also try Chou’s shrimp rolls which originate in southern Taiwan and which some hail as the ‘No 1 snack of Taiwan’. Other choices include 18-second pan fried tainan a-hui eel, hai ri meatball and almond ice shavings if you are looking for something sweet. Descendents of the brand founders will also be on site to make sure the quality is true to the branding. A charity ticket costs $10 and will enable the holder to try one snack. For enquiries, call 2628 7399.

Hard Rock Calling
Eric Clapton, The Police, John Mayer and more – in Hong Kong? Well, you can always dream or you could experience it all at Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park, London. From now to May 22, for every $150 you spend at Hard Rock Café (G and 1/F, Silvercord, 30 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2375 1323) you will receive a lucky draw card that could win you and a friend free trips to the weekend of rock music dubbed Hard Rock Calling in London’s largest park on June 28 and 29. Yes, flights, hotel and VIP tickets to the rock phenomenon are all included. Visit www.hardrock.com.hk for details and then mosey down to the Hard Rock itself to put yourself in the draw.