Club Camargue is a paradox. On the inside, it feels like a hermetically sealed train station bistro in Europe. But gaze out from the massive windows on the 24th floor and you have a view of the urban cosmos. The decor calls for elevator-music. Instead, there is Gluck, Scarlatti and Michael Nyman for lunch, and jazz at dinner. Instead of meat-and-potatoes meals, Camargue serves French and Italian dishes: some originals, some favourites, and always interesting. A meal can be pricey, up to $500 per person, or a reasonable $165 for the set lunch. The ultimate paradox is that Club Camargue has remained undiscovered to so many visitors. The clientele is usually haute, in keeping with the cuisine. At night, big groups crowd the 15-odd tables, often celebrating weddings or anniversaries. The service is casual, friendly and charmingly apologetic when making errors. I remember one lunch when the dishes came so slowly that I almost missed an appointment, but manager Andrew Smith felt he was doing us a favour. 'We saw that your courses were fairly heavy,' he explained afterwards. 'And our portions are large. So we wanted to give you time to digest them.' Chef Eric Hui, who has been with the restaurant for eight years, rarely goes wrong with his European recipes although it has happened. But because the ingredients are fresh, and Camargue tries to buy the best, they are rare. Some dishes have been truly memorable. One might hesitate at ordering penne pasta with Gorgonzola cheese, since the latter can overcome a dish. Here, the pasta was cooked to perfection, and the Gorgonzola modified with a coating of Parmesan cheese baked on top. It was a harmonic wonder. The Champignons a la Camargue is an almost Chinese creation - a plate of eight or 10 different mushrooms, ranging from big oyster ones to delicate shitake. Several salmon dishes are offered (one in a bubbly Champagne sauce), but few can resist the Salmon Tartar, which is rough-textured but tasty, served with sour cream and toast. I haven't yet had the risotto, but friends claim it to be better than at any ordinary Italian restaurant: moist, tasty, and filled with button mushrooms for extra zing. Perhaps the one quandary of dining here is that while one doesn't feel the food is stuffing, nothing is nouveau or slimming. The pasta platters arrive on a big plate, the variety of breads and rolls are too good to resist, and all main courses add inches to the waistline. Smith confesses Club Camargue is a 'creamy' restaurant, and doesn't deny he loves to make sauces that add extra flavour to the meats. The Tournedos Rossini, for instance, is a tender piece of New Zealand beef, with a neutral sauce. Another time, I had the Magret Canard, slices of duck which were rather bland without the clove-orange sauce. I thoroughly recommend the Dutch veal fillet with a sauce of walnuts and wild mushrooms. The chicken breast is perhaps too lemony, but friends say the king prawns with chillis are excellent. Usually the vegetables are excellent: combinations of bell pepper, baby corn and zucchini are always welcome, along with fried potatoes. The wine list is small but sufficient with French, Italian, Australian and even South African and Chilean selections. Those who like their liquor will order the grapefruit sorbet, which is freshly made and rather tart. But on the plate is an extra treat: a bottle of vodka to be poured into the sherbet at one's leisure. I have seen diners quickly finish the sherbet, then start pouring the vodka into the empty glass, hoping the staff isn't looking. CLUB CAMARGUE, 24th flr, Regent Centre, 88 Queen's Road Central. Tel: 2525-7997; Hours: Noon-3pm, 7-11pm