Bahce Turkish Restaurant

3 Ngan Wan Rd, Mui Wo, Lantau Island
Visited 15th September
Mui Wo or Silvermine Bay on the back side of Lantau Island is one of Hong Kong's under-rated gems. Unlike the neat Singapore-like fakeness of Discovery Bay just up the coast, Mui Wo offers a glimpse of real, old-school Island life. There's a clean beach for swimming, outdoor bars scattered along the promenade, trails into the hills for a run, walk or cycle and a handful of great restaurants. Tasty Turkish food and a relaxed atmosphere make Bahce a favourite for a filling lunch after a swim or run.

Saturday afternoon at the beach always warrants a drink and I knocked back a couple of reasonably priced half-pints, while Naomi raved about her banana milkshake "made with real fresh bananas". The huge serves of mains at Bache are accompanied by giant grilled vegetable skewers, bread and dips; too much for us, instead we decided to graze from the great selection of meze. Eventually difficult choices were made and we ordered a Greek salad, meze platter and a side of Baba Ghanoush with 'Turkish Bread'. The Greek salad was just like it should be; big chunks of creamy feta, olives and a delicious herb dressing. Bahce offers a warm or cold meze platter as well as a selection of individual serves, we chose the warm platter and it was more than enough for us both. Severed with a choice of three dips and side salad the array of feta stuffed peppers, falafel, calamari, stuffed filo-pastry cigars and meatballs were excellent. The only downside of the meal was the 'Turkish bread' severed with the Baba Ghanoush; it certainly didn't resemble any Turkish bread I'd ever seen and was just an average loaf of reheated white bread.

Bache Turkish Restaurant is cool; while it doesn't have a sea view or even much outdoor seating, it does have a relaxed atmosphere and a beach bar kind-of-feel. The staff are welcoming and helpful, the food is authentic and tasty and the prices are good. Our meal was just over $200 for the both of us, and though it included a couple of drinks it thankfully didn't include any service charge. Bache Turkish Restaurant is definitely worth a stop as part of a day out at Mui Wo.

Bacar Wine Brassiere

2 Shelley St, SoHo, Central
Visited 17th May

This was the third time I've visited Bacar and I'm becoming a bit of a fan. After chewing on some big Aussie Shiraz at the Grape to Glass winetasting (see here) I was ready for food, any food, just food. Most in attendance were of the same opinion and pizza was suggested. Our destination was Bacar; a thin, stylish bar hidden on the edge of SoHo, were the mid-level escalators does the dip before ascending towards Staunton St. It's a mix-mash of low sofas and high tables fringed with a long bar.

The highlight of Bacar's comprehensive menu is the range of tapas and pizzas. We shared a plate of wedges, sesame seared tuna, stewed chorizo and a couple of pizzas; all were fantastic. The crispy wedges, baked with rosemary were superb; on a previous occasion my mother was quoted as labelling them the "World's best". The tuna was delightful; moist, tender fish hidden under a contrasting layer of crunchy sesame. The pizzas, oh the pizzas; after sipping away at bottles of big red nothing is more satisfying then thin crusts and tasty toppings accompanied by a couple of pints of cold beer, Budvar in this case. Bacar does have a good range of drinks including few different beers on draught and amazingly a draft prosecco, which according to rumour isn't as bad as it sounds. The wine list is interesting with a several 'by the glass' options. The non-alcoholic drinks also look good and are stylishly served in classy glassware. Price wise Bacar isn't cheap, but nowhere in SoHo is. My share of the bill was a tad under $200, which for a couple of beers and a stomach full of food isn't bad; they also have a nightly happy hour.

Packed with attentive, polite staff; dishing up tasty treats and serving a good range of drinks in a slick environment Baccar is definitely worth a visit.