The palate of Provence Cafe des Artistes opened its French doors this week, with a menu brimming with the flavours of Provence: eggplant caviar with crisp celery leaves ($70), chicken liver terrine ($75), steamed mussels with garlic ($83). And that's just for starters.
Other dishes include traditional fish soup thickened with garlic mayonnaise ($55), scallop ravioli ($123), seafood spaghetti ($118), sardines marinated with black olive and herb paste ($80), grilled king prawns with sweet peppers, black olive and deep-fried zucchini ($153), and roast rack of lamb with thyme flower and sweet garlic juice ($160).
Located where the old Cafe de Paris used to be, Cafe des Artistes is an Elite Concepts project, which makes it part of the Lan Kwai Fong scheme of co-ordinated development. The cafe also features an open-air terrace area where the old kitchen used to be (Tel: 2526-3880).
Mmm, what a delicious fad Eat dinner where you will, but the latest fashionable thing to do after 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights is to drop into M at the Fringe for dessert.
Michelle Garnaut's newest 'Just Desserts' idea includes a dome of Sauterne jelly stuffed with mango mousse on a bed of fresh mango and spiced biscuits ($74), the perennial favourite, Pavlova ($72), and Turkish delight served with Turkish coffee ($48).
The list of 10 desserts also include aged Cheddar with Madeira ($98), pear and ginger pudding with apple butter sauce and Calvados ice cream ($70), and coffee granita cake with optional whiskey (76).