Chain feels a need for speed
American franchise Ruby Tuesday has opened its second restaurant in Hong Kong with a lighter hand on the mayonnaise, more than 250 seats - and an eye on the clock.
One of the novel things about the two-storey outlet, above Mad Dogs in D'Aguilar Street, is the express lunch, which they promise will be on your table in less than 10 minutes.
Served Monday to Friday from 11.30am to 5pm, the quick menu offers 10 dishes for $92-$98. They include soup and salad combos, bagels served with fries and a bowl of soup, vegetarian dishes, and a lasagna and Caesar salad combination.
The self-serve salad bar has also been beefed up to focus on a bigger range of simple ingredients rather than ready-mixed combinations, heavy on the mayonnaise.
Creole cooking African-style Creole cooking of the Mauritian kind will take centre stage at the Grand Stanford Harbour View from Wednesday to June 8, with traditional Sega dancers and musicians at Tiffany's New York Bar. Cafe Rendezvous is where the Creole specialties will be laid on.
Five-star authenticity is provided by Mauritian chefs from Sun International's new Le Coco Beach, the resort chain that created South Africa's The Lost City, host to endless Miss World contests.
Lunch is $135 ($98 for children). Dinner during the week is $235 ($125 children) and $245 Friday to Sunday. Tel: 2721-5161.
Goodbye, it's been FABS Restaurant management consultants FABS is to part company with most of the places they've put on the food map - Pomeroy's in Admiralty and Central, Bacchus in Wan Chai, Wild Orchids in Quarry Bay, and Papillon in Lan Kwai Fong.
However, both branches of Oscar's - in Lan Kwai Fong and Causeway Bay - remain under the FABS umbrella.
The word is that the contracts FABS has signed with investors preclude the company from owning and running its own restaurants, which is what FABS boss Kim Murphy apparently wants to do. FABS says the contracts come to an end around August and will not be renewed.
Top dollar for vintage wines An anonymous buyer has forked out US$225,000 (HK$1.73 million) for seven bottles of 1985 vintage Burgundy - the highest price ever paid for a single wine lot sold on auction. The Methuselahs, each holding the equivalent of eight bottles, came from producer Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. The lot included the six top red grands crus of the Cote de Nuits plus a white Montrachet.
