Merry meals

Chefs devise mouth-watering menus with delicacies from around the world to satisfy the most discerning palate Aqua 29/F and 30/F, One Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 34272288 Tired of pinching every penny and counting every cent? Go all out this festive season with Aqua's HK$10,000 Christmas menu. The seven-course feast includes luxuries such as Australian Coffin Bay oysters with beluga caviar, Ise lobster, Sanriku abalone and Oma toro sashimi, Nemuro Taraba king crab sushi, grilled Boston lobster with lemon and herb butter, and a mouth-watering main course of Bincho charcoal-grilled Kobe beef sirloin steak. Each course is paired with a different wine, ending with a Chateau d'Yquem 1996 to go with the chocolate terrine with gold leaf and coffee sorbet. Aspasia 1/F The Luxe Manor, 39Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, 37638800 Celebrate with an Italian twist at Aspasia on Christmas Day. The five-course dinner is priced at HK$988 and starts off with a capon salad with artichoke, crayfish and celery, followed by Mirco squid on porcini and ricotta cheese risotto. The third course consists of a pumpkin emulsion with foie gras in port, leading to the main course of slow-roasted veal fillet with sage chestnut puree, figs and spice sauce. Top off the hearty meal with a festive apple cider meuille feuille with caramel cream and rose champagne sorbet. The Backyard Langham Place Hotel, 555Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, 35523222 Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Langham Place brings back its popular winter wonderland at its al fresco terrace, The Backyard. Guests can enjoy lobster cooked to order amidst the frequent snow showers, and the buffet also offers a wide selection of seafood, lamb, steak, pork, salads and desserts. Experience a snowy winter in Hong Kong's temperate climate every evening this month from 6.30pm (HK$378 Mon-Thurs; HK$408 Fri-Sun; HK$558 Dec 24, 25, 31). Cucina 6/F Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, Harbour City, Kowloon, 21130808 Diners at Cucina will get their pick of either Italian or Chinese cuisine this Christmas with the restaurant's Christmas Eve Set Dinner. The Italian option is priced at HK$950 per person and includes dishes such as scallop and beetroot carpaccio, satsumas and vodka ice, foie gras, truffle pancake and eggnog. The Chinese menu, priced at HK$688 per person, is chock-full of authentic flavours, with dishes such as braised shark's fin soup, Peking duck, abalone and dry seafood, and pan-fried fresh scallops with abalone sauce. H One Shop 4008, Podium Level4, ifc mall, 8Finance Street, Central, 28050638 Treat the family to a Christmas Day buffet at H One (HK$528 adult, HK$298 child), an extensive spread that caters to the sophisticated and the simple palette. Starters include lobster bisque, veal loin in tuna sauce, beef carpaccio, Milan-style roast baby pig and pizza, while the seafood station offers a selection of oysters, Alaska King Crab legs, Boston lobsters, Dutch mussels, whelks and fresh prawns. The hot section has everything from salads, pastas and Italian cheese to French spring chicken, prime US sirloin and grilled scallops. Krug Room Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 5Connaught Road, Central, 25220111 While you've been dreaming of a white Christmas, Mandarin Oriental's executive chef Uwe Opocensky has been dreaming up a white menu for you this holiday season. The 12-course all-white menu is available at the Krug Room and highlights include white stone-baked potatoes, scallop with truffle and creme fraiche, champagne grape and a trio of desserts named Breakfast, Snowball and White Oreo. Each of the 12 courses will be accompanied by a sampling of Krug champagne, and the dinner is priced from HK$30,000 for up to 12 people. La Taverna dal 1969 G/F, 36-38 Ashley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, 23761945 This rustic Italian restaurant has been serving up classic Italian food since 1969 and is known for its homemade, authentic pasta. The Christmas dinner menu, Menu Della Vigilia di Natale, is a four-course meal priced at HK$488 per person and includes wild boar ham and a salad for the appetiser, risotto for the second course, a choice of roasted salmon, zampone or chef Enrico's speciality - braised lamb shank for the main course, and chestnut cake for dessert. Le Tire Bouchon B/F, 45Graham Street, Central, 25235459 Indulge in a French menu this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Le Tire Bouchon. At HK$585 each, the set menu includes an ouverture with your choice of a baked terrine of sole, pan-fried foie gras, escargots or pigeon, while the soup offers either a traditional gratinated onion soup or pea soup. For the main course, choose traditional roasted turkey or pork, or opt for pan-fried sea bream fillet or pan-fried venison with fresh thyme and bitter chocolate sauce. Dessert includes choices such as a rhubarb and saffron creme brulee, almond praline flavoured French Christmas log, traditional Christmas pudding with brandy butter or a French cheese platter. The Lounge Lobby level, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8Finance Street, Central, 31968888 The Christmas Eve set dinner, HK$980, includes a poached Boston lobster, pan-seared foie gras with caramelised quinces, cream of porcini mushrooms flavoured with white truffle oil, a choice of main course including turkey, seared turbot or a wagyu beef sirloin with braised oxtail pastille, roasted baby vegetables and Perigord truffle jus. Dessert is a choice between a traditional Christmas pudding and a warm olive oil and limoncello cake with balsamic-marinated strawberries and vanilla ice cream. Lumiere 3101, Podium Level3, IFC Mall, Central, 23933933 Traditional flavours meet fiery Sichuan spices for Lumiere's six-course Christmas Eve set dinner (HK$880 per person). These east-meets-west dishes include lettuce shoots with wasabi, scallops, dry carrot with chilli oil, cuttlefish and truffle quenelle with red capsicum sauce, and roasted turkey roulade with glazed chestnuts and Brussels sprouts. The restaurant also offers a brunch buffet (HK$328/adult; HK$188/child) on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with over 60 delights available along with a selection of four main courses. Complimentary champagne and free-flowing fresh juice is available from 11.30am to 3pm. The Mistral InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong, 70Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, 27312870 Enjoy chef Claudio's quirky take on festive favourites with the five-course Christmas Day dinner set menu (HK$888). The menu comes with an a la carte option, and dishes include a lobster cappuccino with salted croissant, foie gras terrine with hazelnuts, prawns ravioli with truffle sauce, grilled sea bass, potatoes and langoustine flan with a green asparagus sauce. Dessert consists of an irresistible creamy bitter-sweet chocolate mousse coated with a rich strawberry sauce. Olea Novotel Citygate Hong Kong, 51Man Tung Road, Tung Chung, 36028818 The Martini Brunch (HK$258 per person), December 24 to 26, 31 and January 1 from 11am to 2.30pm, will treat each diner to a gin martini in celebration of the holiday season. The food selection includes a pastry display, omelette station and fresh seafood such as snow crab legs, meat crabs, mantis shrimps and razor clams. Salads and pasta are also on the menu, as are Christmas favourites such as roasted turkey, gammon ham and prime sirloin. Scirocco 1/F, 10-12 Staunton Street, SoHo, 29736605 This Mediterranean restaurant's large terrace overlooking Staunton Street makes it an ideal spot for people watching while still feeling part of the action taking place on the street below. Scirocco will be serving a five-course dinner with a glass of wine on Christmas Eve (starting at HK$450), a four-course lunch and dinner on Christmas Day (starting at HK$350) and a five-course dinner with a glass of champagne and party favours on New Year's Eve (HK$888). Tapas Bar Lobby level, Kowloon Shangri-La, 64Mody Road, Kowloon, 27338756 Experience a tapas take on traditional Christmas flavours. Dishes include a turkey sausage roll wrapped in parma ham and cranberries (HK$120), foie gras mousse on toast with caramelised onion jam (HK$145), chestnut crusted chicken wings (HK$85), Cravadlax on toast with red onion salad (HK$125), Casanova caviar de venice with blinis and sour cream (HK$150), and for dessert, a mulled wine jelly shot (HK$85). Vertigo Ultralounge 26/F QRE Plaza, 202Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, 25758980 Gone are the days when bar snacks were actually snacks. The new generation of bar food at Vertigo Ultralounge includes chicken quesadillas (HK$60), the 'Threesome' of pork, chicken and beef mini-burgers (HK$110), vegetarian shell pasta with truffles (HK$75), smoked salmon wrap (HK$70), mini pizzas and other side dishes. The lounge also serves up a delightful concoction of mulled wine for party-goers craving a festive touch. Yamm G/F The Mira Hong Kong, 118Nathan Road, Tsim Shai Tsui, Kowloon, 23155111 After too many roasted turkey dinners, switch to a seafood lunch buffet at Yamm this Christmas Day. The lunch buffet on December 25 lasts from 11.30am to 3pm and includes seafood stations with lobsters, king crabs and fresh oysters. All diners will receive party favours at the restaurant, and adults can enjoy free-flowing champagne, wines, beers and more along with their meal for HK$788. An option for free-flowing non-alcoholic drinks is also available for adults at HK$688 and children at HK$388.