Push from plastic News of the week comes from Park 'N Shop, which announced yesterday that it will be accepting Visa cards in all its 168 stores. The aim, the supermarket says, is to create an easier shopping environment. Not to mention, of course, the bonus of getting us to spend more with buy-now-pay-later credit dollars. The move comes in response to customer demand, says Logan Taylor, Park 'N Shop's new managing director. From tomorrow, shoppers will not only have to look out for the line with the fewest items, but also for the people most likely to hold them up with card payments. However, the supermarket chain promises to maintain cash-only lines at some stores. Chinoiserie platters THE dinner circuit is abuzz over Gaddi's break with tradition. For the first time in its 42-year history, the French restaurant at The Peninsula has gone the Chinese route. Chef Julien Bompard's menu for the Lunar New Year includes abalone, shark's fin and other traditional high-end Chinese delicacies, prepared and served, of course, with all its usual pomp and ceremony. If anything can take the yawn out of the tired old East-meets-West idea, it has to be the haute cuisine Gaddi's is renowned for. The menu includes consomme of beef with tofu and black truffle ravioli, steamed escalope of salmon with a Champagne and shark's fin sauce, and peach delight with a ginger-flavoured egg white flan. The dinner menu is served from February 19-21 and costs $880 per person. Reservations on 2315-3171. Sweet nothings When it comes to sweets, Asians are among the least likely to be tempted. A recent Euromonitor report detailing confectionery spending puts most Asian countries - except for Singapore and Japan - right at the bottom of the list. In contrast to the Danes, who spend an average of US$213 (HK$1,650) a year on chocolate, sugar and chewing gum, Chinese spend US$1 per year. Indonesians spend 40 US cents a year each, which is even higher than Indians, who fork out 30 cents each on sweet treats during the year. Malaysians were found to spend US$3.60 each, which may be high for Asia, but still very little compared to Germany's US$121.70, Britain's US$120.30 or even Switzerland's US$99.80. Change of phrase Pickwick may have made way for power boats, but some things will never change at one of Hong Kong's vintage pubs - the name and the curry buffet. The Dickens Bar at the Excelsior hotel, which closed quietly on January 2 for a six-week refurbishment, reopens before Lunar New Year with a sporting theme instead of the literary licence it held for more than 20 years. The bar will have new carpet and chairs, but the layout - along with the much-loved curry buffet - remains the same. The jazz band has also made way for Duo Profil, a duo from Quebec. Fine way to shell out There's no getting away from the heart-shaped pasta, chocolate romance and the inevitable Valentine's Day oyster cliches as lovers whip themselves up into a rose-tinted frenzy. Unless you decide to stay home - and order in from local oyster queen Kathy Kingston. Prices are very reasonable, beginning at around $50 for a dozen Olympia oysters from Washington and going up to about $170 for 12 Washington Jumbos. In between are Wescott Belons, Fanny Bay small and medium, Sister Point, and Kumamoto. Clams and smoked salmon are also on the home-delivery list. Call 2314-3926 for details.