Spring Delights
Kei Ya (G/F-1/F Rich Tower, 2 Blenheim Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2368 8169) is a Japanese infusion restaurant that sits in the middle of a hub of activity on Blenheim Avenue off Mody Road. Inside it is gothic-chic with sake cocktails to match. On the menu you will find spiral Babylon escargots cooked Japanese style with a hint of sweet and spicy flavour ($70), tofu eel served in tempura sauce and sprinkled with shaved dried bonito on top of the eel and tofu ($78) and soft shell crab salad wrapped in rice paper and filled with mango dressing ($68). The bar on the 2nd floor can be used for private functions and a karaoke room can be split in two on demand. Kei Ya also comes prepared with a battle plan for late night service: a take-away window on the side of the restaurant keeps the after-drinks traffic of hungry customers happy until 2:30am.

Sift Dessert Bar (G/F 46 Graham Street, Central, 2530 4288) is an airy space that leaves the desserts to make the impression, although, an open courtyard with white cushions, green plants and black seats creates a simple soothing environment. Most popular with women in the afternoons and families on the weekend, Sift Dessert Bar has the perfect menu for pleasing everyone. The desserts are wicked while deceptively tame-looking. The Sift chocolate cake ($72) reminds me of that saying ‘good things come in small packages’ but that doesn’t quite sum it up. This cake is small and lethally decked out with all trimmings – layers of chocolate fudge cake, praline crunch, jivara cremeaux and chocolate ganache. The chardonnay gelee, strawberries and cream of the chocolate and strawberry pavlova ($90) tend to be good enough on their own but when paired with the cheeky adaptation of the pavlova, the dessert becomes stunning.

A couple of floors up, Adrenaline (2/F-3/F, Public Stand, Happy Valley Racecourse, 3690 3690) gives race-goers a good view of the track and the goings on below. Once you have paid the $180 entry fee (except for the first Wednesday night race of the month when ladies get in for free), you can expect to get your money’s worth at the buffet alone. The tasty bite-sized canapés, hot food and desserts change weekly but particularly delicious are the tomato and blue cheese tarts and southern shrimp remoulade in cucumber cups. The Florida lemon key pie was also worth another trip back to the dessert table. Adrenaline is perfect for people not particularly interested in the racing or gambling but who go along with partners or friends.

The Mint & Lemongrass (49 Staunton Street, Central, 2803-2253) restaurant has been hiding away underground since it opened a month ago. The partially underground location (under the building but on the ground floor of a lower street), with drainpipes visible on the ceiling and a limited floor space gives the place the feel of a secret hideaway. Thankfully the food is not made to match. Choose from a selection of brightly coloured French Vietnamese dishes with fresh flavours. Not many things go down in the heat as well as bowl of tom yum: We tried the tasty blue mussels in spicy tom yum seafood soup with lime, chilli and fragrant herbs ($168) as well as the grilled Australian lamb chops served with vegetables and mint herb sauce ($168).

To keep things simple and avoid further confusion, Malouf’s at Elements is now dead and gone – it has been rebranded Olive (3/F, Rooftop Garden, Civic Square, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2810 8585), the same name as chef Greg Malouf’s other local restaurant in Soho. The new menu falls in line with Olive in Soho, two of the most popular dishes being the Tunisian spiced king prawn and mussel tagine with giant couscous and roasted fennel ($218) and the crispy rabbit and Greek sausage hot pot with sweet baby potatoes, ginger, cinnamon and tamarind baby onions ($162).

Cecconi’s Italian (43 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, 2147 5500) gives a modern twist to classic traditional Italian dishes. As a ‘primi piatti’ we had the pan seared jumbo Hokkaido scallops with a puttanesca sauce ($118). The scallops were very meaty and were surprisingly accompanied by a flavourful tomato fondue. We continued the orrichette with prawn, broccoli, tomato and extra virgin oil (178). With ear-shaped pasta and fresh ingredients this dish really can’t go wrong. For dessert we tried out Cecconi’s version of the sheep’s yoghurt panna cotta ($78). Served with strawberries, this is the ideal refreshment to finish off a summer night dinner. The elegant tableware and creatively dressed plates all add to the sophisticated atmosphere of the restaurant.

Hokkaido Dairy Farm Milk Restaurant (Shop B, Capital Building, 6-10 Sun Wui Road, Causeway Bay, H.K) is a more modern-day version of the traditional and often untidy Cha Chaan Tengs you can still find around town. The place serves breakfast throughout the day but on the menu you will also find sandwiches and snacks for a lunch break. To guarantee top quality, most ingredients, like the Hokkaido milk, are imported from Japan. We tried the Hokkaido breakfast set for $28. It includes macaroni in soup with ham, fried eggs with toast and a homemade blend coffee or tea. Hokkaido Dairy Farm selects different kinds of eggs depending on whether you request sunny side-up, easy-over or scrambled. If you prefer something more extravagant than plain eggs you could go for the caviar toast ($50). Served with just the right amount of butter this can be the perfect way to start your day. For the drinks Hokkaido Dairy Farm aspires to bring some of Hong Kong’s traditional but often forgotten milk drinks to the younger generation: Horlick ($15), a tasty condensed milk mix and the peculiar coffee and milk thee mix ($15) are just such drinks.

As soon as you arrive at your table, it becomes clear that Senzuru’s (Harbour Plaza Metropolis, 7 Metropolis Drive, Kowloon, 3160 6898) doesn’t underestimate the power of hospitality. On every napkin an origami paper crane symbolizes a thousand blessings and the chefs are the stars of the restaurant, interacting with the guests at the teppanyaki tables or making sushi and shashimi at the counter. Senzuru specializes in the classic Japanese cuisine: at the beef counter you can choose from a wide variety of Wagyu beef such as tenderloin at $5 a gram. The restaurant has added a new Japanese quality product to their menu in Kariyushu pork, which is said to increase longevity due to the special enzymes and proteins it contains. Originating in the Okinawa region in Japan, these pigs only eat vegetables and tree roots, which gives the meat an exceptionally soft and juicy texture. The Okinawa Kariyushu cutlet ($230) is the deep fried pork accompanied with fresh cabbage slices and a salty Tonkatsu sauce. From the teppanyaki counter, the thinly sliced pork is grilled with cognac, black pepper and salt ($280). Such dishes might be simple but they bring out the extraordinary taste of the Kariyushu pork at its best.

With its luxurious interior and dramatic harbour view, H one (Shop 4008-10, Podium level 4, IFC Mall, 8 Finance street, Central, 2805 0638) is not exactly the place for a quick sandwich lunch. H one’s latest addition is a five-course tasting menu ($880) with a selection of guest chef Amanda Baumgarten’s signature dishes. It starts off with the seasonal Dutch white asparagus followed by spice-crusted foie gras with caramelized apricot and gin jus. The a main course is a roasted rack of Pyrenees lamb with fava bean puree and olive confit which is followed by roasted beet salad or butter-poached main lobster.

At Inagiku (Level 4, Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central) a spacious room overlooks the harbour but if you want a quiet place to do business, you can request one of the private dining rooms. The signature dish of this Japanese restaurant is tempura and diners who want to watch the chef at work can sit at a tempura counter. We tried the holiday tempura semi-lunch buffet ($120) with a pudding for dessert. The buffet has 10 choices of vegetables with other offerings of seafood such as shrimps and a bowl of noodles to finish and the meal includes an appetizer and drinks.

Southorn Restaurant (Swatow Street, Wanchai) is a newly opened restaurant with a flavour of Hong Kong’s Cha Chaan Tengs or tea restaurants. However, from the outside you can already tell it’s different from typical tea restaurants, as the design has a Western touch to it. It is comfortable and all the food is freshly cooked. Smokers are also catered for in an outside area. We were recommended the set A from the special tea set ($30), which includes a cutlet pork chop, sausage instant noodle soup and a big glass of cold milk tea. Snacks such as the salt and pepper deep fried boneless wings ($35) and the deep fried boneless wings with fries ($25) are popular here. The fries had a bit of the fried wings taste and were very crispy on the outside.

There is a lot to be said for focusing on one product and making that product very well. Awfully Chocolate originated in Singapore in 1998 when Lyn Lee got tired of eating poor quality cakes. A chocoholic and cake lover who wanted a moist rich cake that was a real cake, like her mother used to make – not a concoction of artificial ingredients, moose and flavours. Since no one was offering her what she wanted - she decided to do it herself. The franchise is expanding through Asia and the first local outlet at Shop 15, 2-4 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay (2882 0450) opened last year. Awfully Chocolate has three types of cake available in 6 and 8 inch sizes; they don’t sell by the slice! The All Chocolate ($178/356) cake features dark chocolate with dark chocolate fudge. The Chocolate Banana ($198/$396) adds two layers of fresh bananas while the Chocolate Rum & Cherry ($208/$416) includes dark pitted cherries laced with rum. This month as the weather’s getting warmer it’s time for the local launch of Hei chocolate ice-cream, all natural ingredients and lots of chocolate!