Fare Fine Continental cuisine.
Ambience This recently renovated colonial-style restaurant offers a relaxed yet refined atmosphere with its elegant furnishings, lazy ceiling fans and sweeping sea views. We visited for a late lunch and enjoyed watching guests partaking in afternoon tea dancing to the live band playing international favourites.
Cost Starting at HK$600 for three courses without drinks.
Turn-ons The meal began with the offer of a champagne cocktail from a service trolley, which made us feel like film stars. The Boston lobster (pictured above) infused in vanilla bean broth was served with a crunchy baby vegetable salad, crayfish jelly, black truffle and Xeres vinaigrette, and looked like a gorgeous spring garden. The lobster had the slightest touch of sweet vanilla and was divinely soft. The jelly layer at the bottom gave the dish structure but taste-wise was superfluous, as the light, fresh flavours stood perfectly on their own. The Australian duck breast topped with pan-fried duck foie gras was succulent and served on Barbary duck confit and delicious black truffle crushed potatoes, nicely salty welted baby spinach and a rich cassis sauce. The braised Australian lamb shank was enormous, but we managed to eat it all thanks to the tenderness of the meat. The dessert sampler - which we did struggle to finish as it could easily have fed four - made a lovely end to the meal. The apple crumble, laced with sugary pecan nuts, was the highlight; even my baked-fruit-averse companion couldn't resist a second helping.
Turn-offs Service was leisurely - we had to repeatedly ask for our wine to be refilled - but friendly.
Drinks Champagne, dessert wines and a long list of red, white and rose wine by the glass, half-bottle and bottle, arranged by region and grape, with bottles starting at HK$330. Also a white and red wine of the month at very affordable prices.