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Time to celebrate

Janine Stein

Eat 1995 food but pay 1990 prices. The retro rave at Il Mercato is part of its fifth anniversary celebrations today and tomorrow. Prices have been slashed by an average of 40 per cent, with garlic bread at $20, Parma ham and melon at $60, and fettuccine with a smoked salmon sauce at $75.

Lemonade with kick The last bastion of liquid innocence is under attack. Brewers are targeting the soft-drink market with a lemonade that has a 4.8 per cent alcohol content. The new alcoholic lemonade has taken off in Britain in a big way. Named Hooper's Hooch, the drink was launched this summer by Bass. Faced with a shrinking beer market, the company says it has to 'find other ways to capture the imagination . . . some youngsters may never develop a taste for beer'.

Nouveau bouquet If it's the third Thursday in November, it's time for Beaujolais Nouveau. The place to taste is at Pacific Wine Cellars Bar in Seibu from 6pm-8pm. But more novel are the British wines that can be tasted on November 22 as part of its series of tastings. 'No, this is not a joke,' says Diane Bolton of Pacific Wine Cellars. 'The technology of wine-making coming out of Britain is growing rapidly.' Both tastings cost $100.

For art's sake Macau artists get free wall space and the Portuguese enclave's newest cafe gets free decor. The double-storey O Barril at 14 Travessa De S. Domingos is run by the same group behind Bolo de Arroz across the path. The one-card menu is so Portuguese it needs translating. Delicacies include intestines, codfish, chicken, pork and pudim. Prices range from $12 for chocolate mousse to $54 for beef.

Tips and dips Va Bene is bringing its flavours home with a range of bottled secrets designed to make the lazy cook look good. The Lan Kwai Fong restaurant has finally launched its long-talked-about range of pickles, sauces and dips, including garlic and artichoke dip; pickled red and yellow peppers; shiitake mushrooms and pesto sauce.

Bad bean ban THE coffee kings have spoken: rid the world of bad beans. At the recent World Specialty Coffee Conference in Italy, representatives agreed that even with their elastic definitions of gourmet coffee, there was no room for poor taste. But that, apparently, doesn't include beer-flavoured coffee, which is perfectly acceptable to the cafe aristocracy.

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