Savour Cafe

3 Tat Fai Path, Yuen Long
Visited 14th May

Tucked away on the 'promenade' next to Yuen Long's fragrant storm-water drain is Savour Cafe. It's a small restaurant that tries to bring a bit of extra class to the fringes of Hong Kong's greatest and already extremely classy town. The restaurant isn't huge and probably only has about twelve tables, there's a bar against the back wall, low lighting and a nice, but pointless selection of empty wine bottles.

While we thumbed through the Italian themed menu we were treated to a good looking bread basket with rolls, slices of garlic bread and bread sticks. The selection on offer was classic Italian - salads, pasta, risotto and pizzas - but there was also a hint of wank factor with blobs of foie gras, truffle and prawns scattered in some strange places. I chose a baked fillet of cod topped with olive and Parmesan. The serve wasn't huge, but the tender fish was well cooked and served with tasty ratatouille and oven roasted tomatoes. Naomi's chunky fillet of pork was pretty nice though the sauce was a bit of a non-event, especially as it lacked any hint of the promised figs. Our companions enjoyed their smoked salmon fettuccine and orange roughy. I finished with a good coffee and Naomi had a huge rap for the 'authentic' tasting cheese cake. We both started with a bottle of Dutch cider, though perhaps a little sweet, the pear based drink was delicious. The small winelist wasn't cheap, but had some interesting options; unfortunately I didn't get to try any as I was stuck with a bunch of miserable non-drinkers. I ended up with a glass of house white; an OK, but oaky Chilean Chardonnay.

Savour Cafe has a lot to live up as it seems to thrive in its own hype. While I found the food good it was nothing spectacular and the serves weren't huge. It definitely gets points for a pleasant atmosphere and a touch of style; the coffee cups were very cool and Naomi's cheesecake was beautifully presented. The service was super friendly though a touch erratic oscillating between in your face and absent. All up a pretty good rap, but I just find it difficult to pay the prices being asked; why would I pay $140 for a bowl of pasta I can get at Olivia for $58 or $220 for a fish fillet when one just is good is available from the New York Cafe for $95? Savour Cafe is a good option if your boss is paying or it might be worth checking out their more reasonably priced afternoon tea sets.