Summer Delights
It’s a good thing that a Pure Fitness can be found right above Red Soho (2/F, Kinwick Centre, 32 Hollywood Road, Central, 8199 8189), a new restaurant right next to the mid-levels escalator. The eatery serves New York-style cuisine that’s rich, tasty and in such big portions that after your meal you might like to spend an hour or four on the treadmill. Red Soho is also notable for its beautifully designed, modern-looking interior in one of the roomiest restaurant spaces in the neighborhood. The restaurant’s truffled mac and cheese ($108 standard, $158 large) is by far the restaurant’s most popular dish, probably because fresh truffles are shaved over the pasta soon after the plate arrives on the table. The old bay crab cake appetizer with honey mustard sauce ($98) is actually a lighter option, since the sphere-shaped cakes are little more than parsley, red bell pepper and fresh crabmeat. Our favourite dessert is strawberry shortcake with mascarpone mousse ($68), a comforting combination of cream, fruit, and lightly sweetened biscuits, but you also can’t go wrong with a piece of classic chocolate layer cake ($68), a gooey confection that really will make you want to exercise.

Can’t decide between marinara and masala? Check out Duetto (2/F, Sun Hung Kai Centre, 30 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, 2598 1222), the restaurant born out of the wedlock of the Indian Viceroy and Italian Milano eateries. The restaurant doesn’t really serve fusion food, beyond a few dishes like tandoori chicken pizza ($120); rather, the two cuisines, although on the same menu, are kept separate. Overall, the Indian dishes we sampled were stronger – and less expensive – than their Italian analogues: an appetizer of chowpatty sev poori ($45), canapés of crisp wafers topped with lightly spiced potatoes, sweet tamarind sauce and tangy mint dip was light and subtle, while an entrée of lam dum biryani ($98), served in a black pot covered with a thin layer of bread, was boldly flavourful – especially after being doused in the creamy raita that came with it. On the other hand, the merluzzo alla Genovese con pesto, patata e fagiolini ($180), cod with pesto, potato and French beans, was fine but unimpressive. That being said, our dessert – carrot and rose panna cotta ($62), a sweet combination of traditional Indian carrot halva and rose-flavored Italian custard, separated by a sugary lattice and topped with a stick of chocolate – was an unabashed triumph. Maybe more of this sort of experimentation will make all of Duetto’s dishes as good as its best ones.

Isola means “island” in Italian, and taking in a casual lunch at Isola restaurant’s low-key bar and lounge Isobar (Level 4, IFC Mall, Central, 2383 8765) really does allow diners to enjoy a meal far removed from the noise and commotion of the city. Isobar is at the very top of the IFC Mall, making it a perfect place to escape Central and enjoy the gorgeous view of Victoria Harbour. And the food’s not bad either – lunch is now served there from 12-3pm daily from a menu that combines dishes from Isola downstairs with the lounge’s own specialties. The insalata mista con tonno, pomodorini, mais e olive all’olio e aceto ($178), a salad with canned tuna from the south of Italy and sweet wine vinegar dressing, is hearty without being heavy, and the salmone marinato all’aneto con insalatina al limone e pepe rosa ($168), thin slices of salmon marinated in salt, sugar, herbs and pink peppercorns, is an intriguing mix of sour and sweet flavours. If you’re in the mood for something a little less urbane, go for the pizza – Isobar has eight to choose from, each featuring the eatery’s signature crisp crust.

If it’s Vietnamese that tickles your pickle, try out the new summer menu at the Royal Garden Hotel’s exotic Vietnamese restaurant Le Soleil (3/F, Royal Garden Hotel, 69 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, 2733 2033). The Hong Kong sister of the award-winning restaurant in San Francisco, Le Soleil is headed by Chef Dennis Wong and also holds the distinction of being the BIB Gourmand Choice in the current Michelin Guide to Hong Kong Macau. Start with a refreshing apple salad tossed with shredded roasted duck and mint ($118) and move on to a salmon head curry ($138) or a deep-fried catfish served with preserved shrimp sauce ($128) made by Wong from a secret family recipe. Also on the menu is a new tea set ($55) available from 3-6pm daily with a selection of Le Soleil’s signature dishes such as Vietnamese sausages or glass noodles with escargots in curry soup. Finish off with a funky cocktail of iced lemongrass and lychee jelly ($60). Le Soleil is open from 12-11pm, seven days a week.

There’s nothing like enjoying a cool drink on a humid Hong Kong day, and Zuma’s (5-6/F, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road, Central, 3657 6388) new summer cocktails let you sip in style. Try the Zuma Zen ($95), a study in green that combines shiso leaves, mint, cucumber, yuzu, kiwi, bison grass vodka and pressed apple juice. The Zen is so fresh and sweet that it doesn’t even taste alcoholic – or at least that’s what we thought until we stood up and realized how fuzzy-headed we were after downing only one. Another winner is the yuzu mandarin cosmopolitan ($95), an orange-flavored concoction of yuzu juice, mandarin, Ketel One citrus vodka and cranberry juice. The cocktails are served alongside Zuma’s freshly minted summer menu, which features light and tasty Japanese fare like fruit tomato to kurozu ae ($80), a salad of fruit tomatoes from Japan, red onion, and sweet black vinegar dressing, and kanpachi no sashimi salada yowasabi zoe ($140), six small pieces of fish carefully wrapped around a salad of daikon radish and frisee, all topped with grated horseradish.

A mere 10-minute walk away, Bar of Soup (37 Staunton Street, Soho, 2522 2595) is one of the multitude of quaint cafés in Soho. An authentic south-east Asian eatery that prides itself on serving MSG-free food, Bar of Soup has a clean and chilled atmosphere and is decorated with small potted plants and shelves of pantry items up the wall. The menu contains traditional dishes such as Nasi Lemak ($50), but also daily soup and stew specials such as the comforting chicken vegetable soup ($43) and classic beef or chicken rendang ($48). However as Soho is always teeming with Westerners, Bar of Soup also serves Western concoctions like beef carbonade stew ($48) with a gravy based solely on Guinness stout. New signature dishes include chai tow kway ($45), a Singaporean take on fried turnip cake with egg and kon loh mee ($55), a wonton mee with barbequed pork. Wash it down with kopi susu ($28), literally meaning ‘coffee milk’, a Singapore-style coffee that contains condensed milk rather than sugar, or bandung ($20), a pink cooler made of roasted syrup with evaporated milk, a popular street-side drink in south-east Asia. If you’re looking for tasty Singapore goodness, look no further.

Basement (B/F, 29 Gough Street, Central, 2854 0010) is a quaint Italian restaurant beneath a furniture store. It is decorated with unique contemporary accoutrements, such as hat-shaped lamps, giving it a modern and fun ambiance. Basement offers a huge array of choices from lunch sets to dinner a la carte and weekend brunches. We recommend the succulent and sweet roasted whole French game hen ($185), which is marinated for two days in herbs, and comes complete with grilled tomato and potato napoleons. For those in the mood for risotto, try the organic scallops pesto risotto ($128) with prosciutto and black truffle. To top it off, the chef suggests the triplet tiramisu ($78), one dessert on a menu not at all short of selections. It comes with three small bowls of different types of tiramisu: basic, Bailey’s and Kahlua.

True to the pun in its name, misocool (1/F, 11 Stanley Street, Central, 2868 3738) takes an innovative approach to Japanese food with a chic, ‘so cool’ dining experience for its customers. Founded by Gilbert Yeung, the owner of dragon-i, misocool’s fusion environment is a relaxing space of yellows and greens, with a blue panel of Hollywood photographs and a touch-screen jukebox that plays quiet jazz. As for the food, classic fried dumplings ($25) are given a twist with a Chinese horseradish skin while pan-fried Japanese barbecue pork makes ramen soup extra flavourful ($47). Another popular and unique dish is the hot spicy konjac jelly noodles with pork ribs from Japan ($56) – the clear, silky noodles are made from seaweed. Portions are hefty and most of misocool’s ingredients come from Japan in line with their aim of providing fresh, healthy food. Customers can also order from the express take-away hotline at 2868 1515.

Just beside its sister restaurant, Yorkshire Pudding, SOHO 8 (8 Staunton Street, Soho, Central, (2536 9068, after 2 August)) is the latest addition to the Staunton’s Group “surf and turf” menu. Its menu includes savoury dishes such as fire-roasted prawns with garlic, coriander and sweet red chilli jam ($118) and fresher and lighter choices like baby spinach salad with seasonal pears, feta and toasted spicy walnuts ($85) and the kaffir lime leaf chicken satay ($70). Although SOHO 8 will share a kitchen with Yorkshire Pudding it doesn’t mean you won’t still be able to enjoy Yorkshire Pudding’s English cuisine; we have been assured that the combined kitchen will not affect the older restaurant’s menu. To prepare for this new look, Yorkshire Pudding will be closed from July 27 to August 4. In the meantime, SOHO 8 will open its doors for customers to enjoy its drinks selection on July 31 – and you can tuck into the pan-Pacific inspired dishes a week later.

For a night of fine dining, Cépage (23 Wing Fung Street, Wanchai, 2861 3130) is the perfect place to go. The stylish French Mediterranean restaurant has an impressive selection of high-quality dishes tastefully presented. To start, try the hors d’oeuvres of chilled Alaskan crab leg with green apple and avocado ($540) to which, if you are a fan of the little black pearls, you can add Aquitaine caviar for an additional $180. The avocado balls contain a pleasant surprise – more Alaskan crab is tucked within them. Cépage Chef Thomas Mayr prepared one of his specialty dishes, pigeon crépinette stuffed with foie gras, served with heirloom carrots and celeriac mousseline ($340/half a pigeon) for us. It’s a succulent dish that can only be savoured as a part of the set menu or when ordered one day in advance. Spare some space for dessert, for the Marquise ($190), a flourless chocolate cake topped with cherries covered in gold leaves, is an experience that should not be passed over. On the same plate, you will find a glass of raspberry granite under a scoop of sour cream ice cream covered with cherry froth. Slavering yet?