Actress Bernice Liu talks about her second career as a winemaker over Italian dishes at Va Bene

Bernice Liu Bik-yee has long been familiar with Va Bene restaurant. "I loved its old location," she recalls. "It was right in the middle of Lan Kwai Fong, in the middle of the busy-ness. Lan Kwai Fong is always packed and crowded, but Va Bene was like a small hideaway.

"It was one of the first places to have real Italian pasta that was al dente, and the tomato sauce wasn't sour. I'm allergic to dairy, so they used to make me a white wine sauce with roast garlic mashed in so it had a creamy texture."

It seems appropriate, then, to invite the former TVB star to revisit Gaia Group's iconic Italian restaurant in its new location at SOHO 189 on Queen's Road West in Sai Ying Pun. Gone is the old rustic and intimate trattoria - now it's high ceilings and urbane industrial chic.

"The new place is a lot bigger, but I see they are trying to keep the same privacy touches with the curtains separating the private rooms," Liu notes.

The real question for Liu is whether the menu captures the same magic of its former incarnation from 20 years ago. While many female models and actresses claim to be gourmands, the Canadian beauty has the credentials to back up the boast.