Plastic Bags are Back

'Supermarket faces flak for U-turn on plastic bags'
South China Morning Post, 27th November, p.C1

I was disappointed to read in today's South China Morning Post that the ParknShop supermarket chain has scrapped it's levy on plastic bags after just five days. The decision to charge shoppers 20 cents per plastic shopping bag was a brave attempt to reduce Hong Kong's terrible waste. Hong Kong is a city of about 6.9 million, yet we disgustingly use 23 million plastic bags daily, that's three a day or twenty-three per person per week. ParknShop cited "public criticism" as the reason for the withdrawal of the levy.

For me I see a situation where yet again the selfish nature of consumers has overcome concerns for Hong Kong obviously polluted environment. I visited ParknShop once during he charges and was impressed to see people bringing their own bags or refusing them for small items, yet this has all stopped now that plastic bags are free again. The attitude here is one of laying blame elsewhere, most often on the belching factories across the border, and ignoring Hong Kong's own contribution to the disgusting state of its environment. The amount of "public criticism" that ParknShop received suggests that the bottom line for most Hong Kong consumers is their wallets. If charging for bags will stop their pointless use I say bring back the charge and make us pay $2 or even $10.

Maison Galhaud 'Collection' Viognier Muscat 2005

Maison Galhaud 'Collection' Viognier Muscat 2005
Cotes Catalanes, France, $168, cork

I saw this at a local Yuen Long wine shop and it jumped out as being something different. It's an unusual blend of 70% Viognier and 30% Muscat from those wacky people down in Languedoc-Roussillon. Labelled as a 'vin de pays' it comes from the Cotes Catalanes near the Spanish border in southern France.

Masion Galhaud Viognier Muscat 2005 is a deep golden colour. The nose is dominated by the Muscat and the aromatic grapiness is very attractive; there's also some sweet pineapple in the background. The first few sips were initially tight and alcoholic, but after being opened for an hour or so it settled down nicely. The wine has a luscious thick texture; a delicious creamy syrupiness that became more pronounced as it warmed up in the glass. The palate is all about ripe tropical flavours, predominately peach, with maybe even a little banana and cantaloupe. Maison Galhaud Viognier Muscat is an interesting blend of aromatic Muscat and lush Viogner; its a wine that definitely benefits from food to accompany it's richness. A decent drop that offers something a little different.

Herboland

Hung Shing Ye Beach, Lamma Island

Hong Kong is well and truly obsessed with shopping so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and add my two cents. I've created a new tag 'shopping' with the intention of writing up some of my favourite shops; whether it be food, wine or in this case herbs ... man. Herboland is perched in an absolute prime location, a couple of metres from the edge of Lamma Island's Hung Shing Ye Beach and its spectacularly bizarre view of the power station. This working organic farm specialises in herbs as well as selling seasonal vegetables, potted plants and food and drink in their small cafe. The grounds aren't large, but they're well kept and packed with garden beds through which visitors meander until they come to the shop and cafe tucked away in the back corner. The star attraction seemed to be the rabbits, were a swarm of people were gathered taking photos of these 'so cute', giant eared fellows.

I love the concept of Herboland and enjoyed my time wandering their gardens. I was unfortunately a bit put off by their prices; a tiny, five serve bag of herbal was $50. I see the greatest benefit of this joint being it's role as an educator. Visitors are able buy seasonal produce straight from the farm and were they can see it been grown. Herboland is also a strong supporter of organic principals and has a wealth of information about the extensive selection of herbs they sell. With its great gardens and interesting produce it's definitely worth stopping for a stroll at Herboland. Visit shop website.

Green Point Pinot Noir 2005

Green Point Pinot Noir 2005
Yarra Valley, Victoria, $168, stelvin seal

I'm not sure if you're meant to write tasting notes sitting in the bath, but the cooler weather Hong Kong is experiencing means baths are very much back in fashion. Years ago while I was sharing a house with some very cool girls in Newcastle, UK, one of them once remarked that the one thing I'd taught her was to always have a bath with at least a pint of gin and tonic - though I've swapped the gin for wine I suppose nothing really changes. This bottle comes from the Green Point Winery in Victoria's Yarra Valley which is part of Moet Hennessy's vast Empire; it's also where they produce Chandon, their contribution to Australian sparkling wine.

Giving this bright, ruby red drop a swirl I'm not bowled over by its nose, but what I do smell is very attractive in its freshness. It's a hard nose to pin; not quite minty, it reminds me a little of the Australian bush after rain; fresh and clean, hints of eucalyptus and tea-tree, yet with the reality of damp earth lingering beneath. To stop the aroma being totally wanky and abstract there's also a good hit of cherries. Cherries also crop up on the palate, along side some intense and interesting beetroot flavours. Green Point Pinot Noir 2005 is medium bodied with a hint of acidity, and also strangely a bit of alcohol coming through. An intriguing wine that's certainly drinkable and a pleasant way to spend an hour soaking in the bath. It has some interesting Pinot flavours, 'old-school' compared to the bright fruit of Diamond Valley Yarra Valley Pinot I reviewed a while ago. I'm in two minds if it's worth the money, but it's definitely a decent drop and is very food friendly.

Visit winery website.

Bookwarm Cafe

79 Main St, Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island
Visited 18th November
I like Lamma Island. The ferry trip from Central takes you away from the hustle and bustle to a peaceful green place were opportunities abound for a kicked back lifestyle; if only for an afternoon. Lamma's also a great spot for a stroll with a 5km trail that winds between the two main villages. Many prefer to finish the walk at the well-know seafood restaurants of Sok Kwu Wan, but Naomi and I went the other way and ended up at Yung Shue Wan. This thriving little village has a diverse population and good selection of bars and restaurants. The Bookworm Cafe pushes a vegetarian ethos, while its mismatched furniture, bulging bookshelves and artwork give it a funky bohemian feel.

The menu has an emphasis on organic, vegetarian wholefoods, with an interesting choice of sandwiches, soup, dhal and pasta. I couldn't go past 'eggs Florentine', while Naomi was tempted by the daily special; a goats cheese and roasted zucchini and tomato quiche. My eggs were served atop a muffin with mushrooms in addition to the usual spinach. They were well cooked and the addition of mushrooms was good, though the sauce was perhaps a little thick and congealed. Naomi's quiche was excellent and came with a couple of salads including one made from fresh beetroot - something you don't see often enough in Hong Kong. I gulped down a couple of decent cafe lattés and Naomi went for the exotically named 'Peaceful Warrior'; a blend of banana, apple and pear, which though tasty was off-puttingly warm. We both enjoyed out breakfast, though looking around at what others were eating much of the food looked very similar, something I reckon often happens in 'wholefood' style restaurants.

The Bookworm Cafe wins on atmosphere, it's relaxed and comfortable; the sort of place were you can sit back watch the afternoon disappear with coffee and the paper. While the staff were friendly, they were not particularly efficient it and it grated me to see the waiter sitting around reading while I was struggling to order another latté. The serves were generous and I thought our meals was pretty good value at $80 each, though I was a little resentful at having to pay 10% 'service' charge for such average 'service', especially when it wasn't mentioned on the menu. If you're heading to Lamma Island the Bookworm Cafe isn't a bad place for breakfast or lunch, just don't be too impatient to order your meal or that second cup of coffee.

Visit restaurant website.

Vigna Brichet Dolcetto D'Alba 2004

Vigna Brichet Dolcetto D'Alba 2004
Neive, Piedmont, Italy, $120, cork seal

I brought this from Il Bel Paese in Wan Chai, who have one of the best selections of Italian wines in Hong Kong.

Pouring a glass I'm surprised how dark it is; it's almost purple rather than red. The nose isn't huge but pleasant; there's a dark, mouldy, forest floor thing going on, perhaps blackberries that have fallen into a pile of rotting leaves. There's also a sniff of powdery coco and something that resembles cough syrup. The front of the palate is pretty light on flavour, with just a hint of sharp red currents. The intensity picks up towards the back end with an attractive sour note that leaves you puckering for another sip. Where this wine wins is with its texture and body, its full and creamy in the mouth with good chalky tannins. Vigna Brichet Dolcetto D'Alba 2004 is a drinkable drop, but certainly nothing special, it's the kind of wine that makes a meal (and life) seem a whole lot better, but is forgotten next day.

Peller Estates Private Reserve Merlot 2005

Peller Estates Private Reserve Merlot 2005
Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada, cork seal

Hong Kong is a travel hub and one of the things about living here is that everyone seems to be "passing-by" and "drops in for a quick visit". My parents were number three in five consecutive weekends of visitors. Though they only stayed for twenty-four hours they did kindly leave this bottle that they picked up on their trip to Canada.

Red fruits aromas are all over the shop; there's lots of delicious raspberry - almost soft drink like - with a handful of strawberries and red currents chucked into the mix. The fruit's is not overbearing as it's balanced by a background gaminess and sprinkling of cinnamon. Red fruits dominate the palate as well; blood plums accompanying the intense raspberries. The jammy sweetness of the fruit is balanced by delicious, dark, bitter chocolate on the finish. The wine is packaged around excellent, powdery tannins. Peller Estates, Private Reserve Merlot 2005 is a tasty little number that went remarkable well with slow stewed lamb shanks and mash. I'm not sure if it's available in Hong Kong, but it's definitely worth trying if you see it around.

Visit winery website.

Sticky Fingers

Tsim Sha Tsui Centre, 66 Mody Rd, TST East
Visited 9th November Friday night Part 2. TST East is a weird little corner of Hong Kong; there's no real reason to go there, yet a number of big hotels means it's always busy. I've met friends at Sticky Fingers before and the highlight was the 'crazy hour' with cheap, free flowing drinks. Sticky Fingers labels its self as a rock n roll bar, which amounts to all the usual covers being belted out by a better than usual Filipino band. It's a large, open bar with a tiny dance floor.

After Fatt's Place we rolled over here looking for a bit of music. 'Happy hour' was over and the prices certainly didn't make me happy. My friends ordered drinks and, despite popular rumour, I don't always drink to excess so I thought I'd sit with a glass of water before moving back to the booze. I was shocked by the waitress' aggressive response; she informed me that I couldn't have tap water and what's more I had to buy a drink or pay a ridiculous cover charge. They were asking $38 for a 200ml bottle of water. While the cover band was good, they only played about five songs in a set before disappearing and certainly weren't worth paying for.

Sticky Fingers is surely a contender for having the worst service in Hong Kong. In the past I've put up with rude demands for payment, refusals to get change and aggressive, angry staff. During 'crazy hour' it's almost bearable because of the cheap drinks, but not when you're paying $57 for a beer. Sticky Fingers is smoky, crowded and full of ladies who are there for professional reasons; though the food is OK, it's expensive. There is no excuse for rude, argumentative, arrogant bar staff; this is especially embarrassing for Hong Kong considering many international visitors find there way here from surrounding hotels. I'd be happy never to set foot in Sticky Fingers again.

Fatt's Place

2 Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
Visited 9th November

I don't go out enough in TST, but Friday we managed it and met up with some mates for a drink. We visited a couple of bars that on first impression seemed similar, but turned out to offer very different experiences. First off was Fatt's Place, a bar on Hart St off Prat Ave.

Fatt's Place did a great job of making work disappear - happy hour drinks were flowing, the missing front wall allowed the festivities to spill onto the street and shells from the complimentary peanuts were scattered over floor (and later turned up in all sorts of unexpected places). The quality drinks list is ripe with interesting Belgium, British and American beers and makes the connection to other pubs in the El Grande Group like the Hong Kong Brew House in Lan Kwai Fong and Inside Out in Causeway Bay obvious. I revisited a few favourite British Ales and enjoyed pint bottles of Deuchars IPA, London Pride and Black Sheep Ale which were all great value at $42 each.

The sly bourbons drunk at my mates were catching up with me so food was definitely in order. The bar snacks include all the standard offerings; pizza, burgers, wedges etc. Naomi and I shared a big plate of Nachos that at $68 were good, tasty value. My mate got seriously involved with a delicious looking, well stacked burger accompanied by onion rings and fries; great value for $78. The food at Fatt's Place impressed me; it's not the stuff of gourmet dreams, but to accompany beer it certainly offered quality at more than fair prices.

Fatt's Place did a great job of launching Friday night; a relaxed vibe, peanuts galore, bottles of English beer, good value, freshly cooked food and friendly staff all contributed to the fun. If I had to look for criticisms I'd name the filthy cigarette smoke, which was disgustingly thick considering the front of the bar is open. The CD playing in the background was also having a few issues; repeating the same two songs continuously, but this was happily fixed as soon as it was mentioned. The only question I have is why isn't it called Fatt's with a 'Ph'?

Visit pub website.

Le Fauchon

45 Elgin St, SoHo, Central
Visited 4th November
We had a friend visiting for the night and after the obligatory glimpse at the pretty flashing lights and star ferry ride across the harbour we dragged him up to SoHo for a meal. We decided on Le Fauchon a French restaurant that always seems to pull the punters. Its Elgin St entrance is smothered in tacky fake red bricks, but don't let this put you off; inside it's a stylish and slick with white tablecloths, candles and all the clutter expected of a 'romantic' French restaurant.

Le Fauchon offers good value with three courses for $198 and this suckered me into ordering both an entree and dessert. I started with a grilled calamari and couscous salad, which though good was a bit basic; the few grains of couscous added only minimal interest to the boring mixed salad leaves that every restaurant in Hong Kong stupidly insists on using for every salad. My fillet steak with green peppercorn sauce was delicious. The meat was well cooked and flavoursome and the sauce extremely tasty. Naomi loved her entree of French onion soup, though
she found her main of lamb chops fatty and a little tough. All artistic stops were pulled out for the slick looking desserts. My blueberry soufflé was good and Naomi adored her molten chocolate cake. To accompany this we ordered dangerously and shared a surprisingly good bottle of South African Cabernet.

I like Le Fauchon; the food's good and great value when you get three courses for $198. In reflection the service was actually pretty poor; they initially brought Naomi the wrong soup, we waited for ages for our mains and they forgot our friend's dessert, yet surprisingly none of this bothered us. The staff were pleasant, the atmosphere relaxed and we were pretty happy chatting while they bungled our orders; mistakes like this shouldn't happen though and Le Fauchon needs to sort out it's ordering as such sloppy service will surely turn people off. If you're after a pleasant French meal - and don't mind waiting - Le Fauchon is definitely worth a look.

Australian Chefs in Hong Kong

'Let's Do Launch' by Sally Robinson
Age Epicure, 30th October, pp.4-5

Most Tuesdays, while sneaking in a morning coffee at work, I have a quick browse through the 'Epicure' section of The Age Online. I always enjoy reading about what's happening in the food and wine scene back home in Melbourne, but this week was pleasantly surprised to see the feature article was about Australian chefs in Hong Kong.

The article, written by Sally Robinson, looks at the experiences of chefs who are not just working in Hong Kong, but opening restaurants here. She sums the appeal of Hong Kong by saying "for chefs from Melbourne thinking of expanding overseas - or just working somewhere different - Hong Kong is an obvious choice. It's close, it's an exciting place to live and it has one of the most vibrant dinning scenes in the world." Robinson discusses challenges identified by the chefs such as staffing, working in partnership with local companies, adapting to Chinese palates and the lack of seasonal produce. Venues mentioned with the Australian connection include Pearl on the Peak, Olive, Malouf's Arabesque Cuisine, Cecconi's Cantina, Opia at Jia and Frites.

Olive in Soho is one of my favourite restaurants in Hong Kong and I was delighted to discover that the consultant behind their fine Middle Eastern food is Melbourne chef Greg Malouf. Greg's also opened Arabesque, a restaurant at the new Elements Mall; this temptation could almost encourage me to push through the vacant eyed crowds starring at designer baubles and actually visit this new centre of grotesque consumerism in Kowloon West. Read the article.

Oliva

63-69 Kau Yuk Rd, Yuen Long
Visited 24th October

Oliva is a new Italian restaurant, recently opened in Yuen Long. We went for dinner Wednesday night and had to do some fast talking to get a table amongst the curious throng. It's a large, spacious place; the walls are chocked full of old black and white film photos in an effort to give it a bit of an Italian pizzeria feel.

Oliva has a very impressive looking bar, but - in what is beginning to seem typical of new restaurants in Yuen Long - they haven't got their liqueur license yet. We made a quick trip across to 7/11 and stocked up on beers and even braved a bottle of wine. The complementary focaccia bread and balsamic was a refreshing and welcome start to the meal. For an entree I tucked into a Cesar Salad which, though nice enough, was pretty basic and uninspiring. My main was a surprisingly good fettuccine with pan-fried salmon and a pesto based sauce. The pasta was well cooked, the flaky salmon chunks were moist and tender and the sauce was creamy, but well-balanced. In contrast Naomi's rather average lasagne was filled with bread crumbs rather than meat and covered in an overly sweet tomato sauce. Oliva's menu really shines when it comes time to find room for something sweet from their classic selection of desserts. Naomi enjoyed her apple crumble with ice-cream, while the remaining four of us shared a 'chocolate puff tower'; a huge pile of profiteroles that, though tasty, was too big for us to finish.

Our first visit to Oliva was encouraging. The food is good, a little stock standard perhaps, but certainly better than many other attempts at 'Italian food' in the New Territories; a decent dessert menu is also a huge bonus. The service at Oliva was surprisingly good, with friendly staff who knew the menu. Another plus is the that some thought has been given to the ambiance; with the old photos, checked table cloths and a prominent bar it felt like I'd been transported back to Lygon Street in Melbourne. Oliva is a welcome addition to Yuen Long's restaurant scene and a good bet if you're in the area and after Italian food.

Michel Schneider Bernkasteler Kurfurstlay, Riesling Spatlese, 2006

Michel Schneider, Bernkasteler, Riesling Spatlese
Mosel-Saar-Ruwar, Germany, $98, synthetic cork

When Naomi says she needs a drink it's often something white and sweet that gets the job; at only 8.5% alcohol this German Riesling was perfect for a 'school night'. For a sweeter style wine I was impressed with how well this went with a roast pumpkin risotto; a match I wouldn't normally think of.

Michel Schneider Riesling Spatlese is a pretty straw gold in colour. The nose is subdued; there's a bit of floral stuff going on and a slight grapiness about it, but it doesn't leap put of the glass. The palate on the other hand is certainly all present and accounted for; there are big honey and apricot flavours with red apple, pear, dried pineapple and orange blossom in the background. The wine has got a full, honeyed feel in the mouth and it has a soft sweetness about it. It does lack acidity to balance out the syrupy sweetness which starts to get a little too much after awhile. A wine that is tasty and drinkable, though perhaps needs to be a little more complete and balanced to be really good.

Snacking Taipei

Trip to Taiwan
18th to 21st OctoberHaving a Friday off work for the Chung Yeung Festival Naomi and I packed our bags and headed across the Taiwan Strait for a weekend in Taipei. Highlights from our time exploring Taiwan's fun capital included: climbing Taipei 101 the World's tallest building, a long run along the Keelung River, an afternoon walking around the Yangmingshan National Park, the spectacular art in the National Palace Museum and of course some great food.

Mika Coffee
Anyone who has travelled anywhere with me will know that acquiring a decent coffee is very much a priority early on any day's schedule. Taiwan's coffee scene initially appeared to be dominated by the usual ugly international franchises, but after a bit of early site seeing we stumbled into the Wanhua District where we found a proliferation of small independent cafes and coffee roasters. Mika Coffee was more than up to scratch with their excellent coffee, good cakes and super service from the friendly bloke who was very busy charming the World.

When I discussed our trip to Taipei with mates they all said "night markets ... you'll love the night markets ... blah blah blah night markets blah blah". It didn't take long to concede that the night markets were definitely worth the hype.

Shilin Night Market
This huge area in the Shilin District, north of the city, is superb and we ended up here several times. A large covered area bursting with semi-permanent food stalls acts as the culinary centre of Shilin Market; elbowing your way through the surrounding streets there are numerous hawkers, tiny fashion shops, carnival sideshows and of course more food stalls. We had several meals here including: a feast were dinners sat around and ate off a huge communal grill, tasty noodles and fried rice for a breakfast, great fresh shakes and bubble teas, a peanut flavoured crushed ice dessert and a seriously delicious, gigantic slab of fried chicken. Shilin Night Market is alive; a vibrant, exciting place packed with locals it is definitely worth a visit.

Snake Alley
Situated near the Longshan Temple is the famous Snake Alley night market. In contrast to the bustling activity of the Shilin Night Market this place was devoid of locals and the domain of lost looking, straggling tourists. Snake Alley's main attraction is the snake restaurants, but personally seeing pythons stuffed into to tiny cages and snakes being publicly butchered isn't really my idea of fun. Everything about place is dodgy; terrible stalls, average food and nothing of interest make Snake Alley a tourist trap that is definitely worth avoiding.

Shuangcheng Food Street
We stumbled upon this little area returning to our hotel on Saturday night. Despite being stuffed we were tempted by the prospect of more tasty snacks; a large sugar cane juice and a serve of dumplings were a perfect late night snack. The dumplings were superb and were freshly made in front of us. Shuangcheng Food Street had a great local atmosphere; the people around us gossiped and snacked on their way home from work.

Taipei was great fun as both a holiday destination place to snack. Perhaps my only hesitation was that we were constantly tempted by the snack food and as a result we never actually sat down to experience a restaurant meal, oh well next time ...

Taiwan Beer

Taiwan Beer
Taipei, Taiwan, NT$52

I was in Taiwan, so I had Taiwanese beer. I bought this from 7/11, just like all the locals seem to do, and drunk it in our hotel room before heading out to the Shilin Night Market. It's made by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation and posses an amazing 80% share of Taiwan's beer market. Rice is added to the fermentation process which is supposed to give it a distinct taste.

Taiwan Beer is a pale golden colour with a soft frothy head. The nose is pretty vacant with nothing much but a whiff of yeast; virtually dunking my nose in and sniffing really hard there's also a slight aroma coriander seeds and citrus peel. The palate has a slight sweetness, creamy texture and a little yeastiness, but is again totally lacking in flavour. Taiwan Beer is light in colour, light in aroma and light in flavour; a drinkable but non-engaging and disappointing drop.

Visit brewery website.

Elderton Friends Shiraz 2004

Elderton Friends Shiraz, 2004
Barossa Valley, South Australia, $128, stelvin seal

I like Elderton wines. I tried a selection earlier in the year at the Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show and was impressed. The grapes used to produce this wine are sourced from growers the Ashmeads use around the Barossa and to quote both Joe Cocker and the back of the label; "sometimes you need a little help from your friends". It is 95% Shiraz with a 5% wack of Mataro (Mouvedre), sealed under a lovely screw-top and well packaged with an embossed black label.

It's a magnificent deep colour that gives a hint of things to come. The nose is intense and bursting with rich fruit; there's plenty of plums, but also sweet raspberries and a little hint of vanilla oak. The palate has big blackberry and stewed plum flavours with some jammy sweetness and a little dusting of coco in the background. The alcohol is well intergrated and there's soft, powdery tannins. An attractive and drinkable wine, packed with lucious fruit and good value at $128.

Visit winery website.

Amici

1/F, 83 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai
Visited 14th October

The card for Amici says "Pizza, Vino, Sport" and that's a pretty good interpretation of this first floor sport's bar above Mes Amis on Lockhart Rd. The bar area has the mandatory giant TV screens blaring out sport as well as a pool table and cabinets filled with an impressive display of sporting trophies. The open interior is surprisingly light with windows looking over Luard Rd and Lockhart Rd. We visited for lunch with my parents who were "passing through" Hong Kong for the weekend.

The menu at Amici is pretty simple; pizza, pasta, burgers, salads and grills, the type of stuff that goes well with beer. Dad and I went for beef burgers, with extra bacon, Mum had a steak sandwich and Naomi chose a margherita pizza and everyone was happy. My burger was good; a big, fat meaty patty, fried onions, gherkins and a good side of chips. Naomi enjoyed her thin, crispy pizza that was flavoured with fresh tomato and basil. To drink I made the most of happy hour and enjoyed a couple of Perroni beers which probably wouldn't have been the best value at $48 if it wasn't two-for-one.

Amici isn't about a refined gourmet night out, but as a place to drink beer, eat burgers and watch football it's pretty good. The service was efficient and if you don't mind big TVs it's more than comfortable. The food was good and reasonable value; just make sure you make the most of happy hour specials for drinks. If you want to escape the streets of Wan Chai climbing up to Amici for a pizza, burger or even just beer is not a bad idea.

Visit restaurant website.

Yung Kee Restaurant

32-40 Wellington St, Central
Visited 30th September

Yung Kee Restaurant is a Hong Kong institution, famous for its roast goose. We had two lots of friends visiting and figured that it was perfect for their first meal in Hong Kong; the totally unrelated fact that Lang Kwai Fong is just around the corner meant that it was also convenient for a couple of beers afterwards and even a few pre-dinner cocktails. Yung Kee is a three story monstrosity that has been around since 1942 and is in many ways a typical Chinese restaurant; busy, loud and big, with roast meats hanging in the window.

All meals at Yum Kee start with a serve of preserved eggs and pickled ginger, something that was great to watch our visitors tackle. We of course ordered half a roast goose and accompanied it with serves of braised calamari, water spinach, sweet and sour pork, beef and black bean and a roast pigeon. The food was generally excellent; the calamari was fresh and lightly cooked, while the beef was excellent; tender and well flavoured. Both roast dishes were lovely, especially the goose that was perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, while the huge serve of tasty water-spinach was simply flavoured with garlic. The only let down was the pork that was tough and cold when it arrived at the table. To drink we shared a couple of bottles of wine: the house white, an Alsace Gewurztraminer and a bottle of Bourgogne Cuvee Latour, both were good but not cheap and the red was especially pushing it at $440. Another disappointment was having to pay for water; not being able to get a glass of tap-water in Hong Kong restaurants disgusts me.

Even though I'd made a booking we had to still wait for a table, apart from this the service was pretty good and definitely a notch up from your average Chinese restaurant. Many of my colleges remark that at Yung Kee is too expensive, but for the quality I actually think it's good value as our food bill came to just over $100 a head. The wine is expensive though and not being able to get tap water makes me angry. For its location Yung Kee is a winner; tasty, good quality food in Central. Our guests enjoyed their meal and night out in Lang Kwai Fong, though one struggled to make Yum Cha the next morning and the food wasn't to blame!
Visit restaurant website.

Diamond Valley Pinot Noir 2004

Diamond Valley 'Blue Label', Pinot Noir, 2004
Yarra Valley, Victoria, A$22, stelvin seal

This was the perfect thing to help pass an afternoon afloat on a friend's junk. Diamond Valley are a Yarra Valley producer, right on the edge of Melbourne. They have a reputation for producing excellent value Pinot Noir and after tasting this bottle I'd have to agree.

Having a sniff it seems the nose is all about fruit, but not the big, mushy, soft hydroponic fruit, this is tough, natural fruit; the kind you pick from the roadside amongst snakes and thorns. There a whole orchid of cherries, with an understorey of wild strawberries and a hint of dark berries, perhaps boysenberry. Having a few sips (mouthfuls) of this I'm very impressed with how drinkable and complete a package it seems. There are plenty of delicious fruit flavours going on; plum, strawberry and all those Pinot cherries, but what shines out is how approachable and drinkable this wine is. There's no hint of the gracefully integrated alcohol and the wine offers a complete mouth full of flavour and texture, something you could suck on all day long. Diamond Valley Blue Label Pinot Noir 2004 is an extremely attractive and drinkable wine that really floated my boat.

Visit winery website.

Cafe de Paris

2/F, 90 Stanley Main St, Stanley
Visited 22nd September

Wandering along Stanley promenade isn't just about avoiding pathetic looking dogs dressed in human clothing (the pup who wears the silver bow-tie is one of the worse) it's also all about an alfresco lunch. Naomi and I, despite huge appetites, did a few laps accompanied by the old "you choose", "no I don't mind, you choose". Perhaps we were as pathetic as the owners of all those stupid looking dogs, but eventually we made decision and ascended the stairs to Cafe de Paris. Part of the Igor's Group, there are also branches of Cafe de Paris in SoHo and Discovery Bay; the Stanley one is above the Pickled Pelican pub, another member of Igor's little Empire. Climbing the stairs I was quietly impressed with the beautiful setting and enchanting views. We propped in a comfortable booth with excellent views of the ocean out, large, open windows.

The menu is small, simple and classically very French. There are only three permanent mains on the menu; steak, mussels and a sole fillet, plus a couple of daily specials. Naomi ordered the set lunch which included the daily soup, main and dessert, plus a glass of wine, while I went with a serve of mussels and helped myself to Naomi's wine. Her cauliflower and pear soup was superb; creamy, soft and subtle. My mussels came with a salad which was good, but simple and just the same as you get in every other Hong Kong restaurant. Naomi was very happy with the plate de jour; a tender chicken fillet in peppercorn sauce served with a potato gratin and spinach. My bowl of mussels were pretty tasty, though the serve was small. The dessert of the day was a beautifully presented mille-feuille layered with apricots; though not something I'm particularly fond of Naomi was more than happy, which is the whole point of dessert!

Our visit to Cafe de Paris was a pleasant affair; the decor, friendly service and great views all contribute to a classic - and I hate to say it - almost "romantic" ambiance. $168 for three courses and a glass of wine ($138 without the wine) for the set lunch is great value. On the other hand $162 for a smallish serve of mussels, even with a salad and fries, is pushing it; and looking over the menu coming for dinner and a few glasses of wine wouldn't be cheap. The service is slick and efficient; our water glasses were constantly re-filled and we were offered more bread several times. In many ways Cafe de Paris is a fantastic restaurant; we enjoyed the beautifully presented food, the lovely setting and authentic French atmosphere, yet I'm not sure if I'd so impressed if I'd paid the dangerously expensive prices you could be up for at dinner. Have the set lunch and enjoy the view.

Visit restaurant website