IT HAS still to open fully, but already people are talking about it. They mention the spotlight on their glasses of wine, the sleek white tablecloths, the front that now opens on to the street, and, of course, those Philipe Starck chairs. The greasy food has been jettisoned, as have the red checked tablecloths.
The place? Tapas bar La Bodega, which has quietly been packing them in on Wyndham Street after a total revamp. Few noticed, however, that the hype is absolutely diner made. Not one press release has been issued, not a single advertisement placed.
People come because their friends had a good time here, and that, to the owners, is the best kind of advertising there is.
'We just didn't want it,' they say. 'We wanted people to come, and, if they like it, to recommend it to their friends. All the hype, the publicity, the advertising, it just didn't work for us.' This is something of a theme with the New Restaurateurs.
'Our business has doubled in a market that is going backwards,' says Rosemary Lee, of Wyndham Street Thai. 'What works for us is making sure our customers are happy, making sure we are doing the best food we can.' La Bodega and Wyndham Street Thai are not along in letting the salmon have its say. And it is not only those with the money to go Starck-raving mad that can revel in such self-imposed reticence.
Stalwarts such as Mozart Stub'n on Glenealy have long been convinced about shutting up and letting their food do the talking. Newcomers Le Fauchon on Staunton Street and Mr Goodies in Wan Chai are also in on the trend.
The Austrian Mozart Stub'n, which consistently makes it into lists of Hong Kong's best restaurants, has been around for 11 intentionally low-key years. 'We don't want to be flashy,' says founder Ernest Ruckendorfer.