Courting the fast food market
FOOD courts are going independent from next month with the opening of what may herald a new trend on the Hong Kong food scene. Wan Chai's East Side Eatery on the corner of Lockhart Road and Fenwick Street is scheduled to open in the first week of April. The court contains a hot dog stand, a pizza parlour, a Middle Eastern shwarma bar, and a gourmet coffee corner.
'Food courts are so popular in the malls, why not do them on a free-standing basis?' says Richard Feldman, whose Asian Restaurant & Entertainment Services Ltd is the force behind East Side Eatery. 'It makes perfect economic and licensing sense. This will be the first of many. Definitely.' The concept is good food, fast and inexpensive: the average lunch, including a sandwich, French fries and a coke, will cost $38. The New York Pizza Factory will serve pizza by the slice, Frank's Hot Dogs will serve upmarket sausages, and the fare at Beirut Express is designed by the Lan Kwai Fong Lebanese restaurant. Jawa Coffee picks up on the habit fostered last year with the rash of designer coffee counters. The eatery is smaller than most food courts, with central seating space for 38.
Gift for gourmets LEW Kathreptis, the chef the New York Times has called Australia's most creative, flies into Hong Kong this week. The kitchens he will be gracing include the Furama Kempinski hotel and Bacchus in Wan Chai. Kathreptis is the official chef for the Hong Kong Food and Wine Society's annual wine show, Winpac, which runs at the Furama from April 5-8. The darling of the Aussie kitchen has also accepted an invitation to guest chef at Bacchus from Wednesday to April 4. His stint includes a four-course, $595 (wine and service charge included) Gourmet Dinner Night on April 4. The Winpac public event to watch out for is the Vineyard Lunch at the Furama on April 8 at 11.30 am. Dishes from Kathreptis' eclectic repertoire include those inspired by the Mediterranean and the Orient. (Bookings at the Furama Kempinski on 2525-5111 and Bacchus on 2529-9032).
The homey touch STEPHEN Peplow has given hole-in-the-wall a home touch. His restaurant, Mr Goodies in Wan Chai, is the antithesis of hype and hi-concept, and proudly serves un-hip, un-Hong Kong dishes like apple crumble. It's all word of mouth and people who have been there are saying: 'We're paying this little for this lot?' The set prices ($130 for dinner and $70 for lunch) include all the food you can eat. Peplow waits on tables himself, and hasn't signposted the restaurant because he wants people to feel they're coming into someone's home. Call 2833-2195 for reservations and directions.
Vegas gamble WHILE the Hard Rock Cafe in Hong Kong struggles to its feet, the concrete is being poured for the US$90 million (HK$694-million) Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Complete with Jimi Hendrix casino chips, the complex is part of Hard Rock guru Peter Morton's plans for 'a Las Vegas for a new generation' - and will boast recycling bins in every one of its 340 rooms. That's not the end of the ecologically correct jingle: apparently the slot machines have been configured to pour winnings straight into environmentally sound causes like saving the rain forests.
Competition WAN Chai's newest bar is at Bacchus on Hennessy Road. The Mediterranean restaurant has gone the drinker's route, added a snack menu, and will be serving food from noon to 11 pm - all in the name of a more relaxed atmosphere. The regular menu has also been plumped out with more Greek favourites. We have a meal worth $500 for the person who can tell us who Bacchus is. Fax your answer to 2564-1244 by Friday, together with your name and daytime contact number.
