30 Hollywood Road, Central
Tel: 2810 1600
Open: 11am-2am
Cuisine: French-American
Price: about HK$300 for a three-course meal without drinks or service charge.
Ambience: the bar, which has French doors that open on two sides to the street, is the main focus of this small space, with the restaurant in the back.
Pros: the menu lists French dishes, such as Nicoise salad, snails in cassolette and cherry clafoutis, side by side with American ones including New York deli sandwich (pastrami, although it's served with tartar sauce), Florida salad (with lettuce, shrimp, avocado, grapefruit and orange) and brownies. Although it's more of a bar that serves food, most of what we did taste was of good quality with some hearty, interesting dishes.
Cons: my truffle burger (HK$198) was cooked well beyond my requested medium-rare, so the meat was dry, and the creamy truffle sauce served with it tasted more of regular mushrooms. American apple pie (HK$70) had a delicate crust and plentiful apple, but it reheated unevenly so it was cold at the centre.
Recommended dishes: French onion soup (HK$65) was a huge portion with a substantial bread-and-emmental topping. The terrine de campagne (HK$85) was moist, chunky and deeply porky. The waitress, when asked, admitted the gnocchi (HK$138 as a main, HK$98 as a starter), served with a creamy parmesan sauce, were purchased, but had been cooked, so they were tender and surprisingly light.
