At last, a gloriously fat-free French fry. The man to bless for this marvel is Cafe Deco director Martin Allies and the restaurant's owners who approved the very expensive purchase of what is essentially a hi-tech pot. Although he won't say how much it cost, Allies imported German technology which allows the cafe to make crisp French fries without oil. The first of its type in Hong Kong will also prepare other traditionally deep-fried dishes such as spring rolls and samosas. Cafe Deco aims to begin using the machine at the end of this month. The latest technology uses steam and pressure to make the crispy food. Allies swears you won't be able to tell the difference between the real thing and, well, the fake. Your arteries will, though. And so will your bathroom scales. Feting feta We all know the French insist only the bubbly made in Champagne can be called Champagne - despite Australians' insistence on talking about 'French Champagne'. Now the Greeks have joined the French in claiming exclusive rights to the name of feta cheese. The only real feta in the world is Greek, according to new European Union regulations. All pretenders - including those from France and Denmark - have to be labelled 'white cheese'. Feta is made from sheep's milk, or sheep and goat's milk. The cheese is ripened in wooden barrels, skin bags or metal containers, and stored in brine. Hong Kong is going to have to do a little homework before the cheese police swoop. Oliver's says its feta is from Greece but staff aren't sure, while chefs at Bacchus suspect theirs is from Greece, but wouldn't bet their aprons on it. Staff at Seibu are best informed. Their feta, they reply immediately, is from Denmark, France and . . . Greece. Curry in Hanoi Vietnamese officials may have declared war on advertising hoardings and English-language signs, but the culinary culture of the country remains a free-for-all. Curry, frequent travellers to Vietnam tell us, is in vogue in Hanoi at the moment. The trend is led by Hong Kong businessman Rattan Mangharam. Tired of doing without his favourite dishes while on frequent trips to Vietnam, he opened a restaurant called Khazna. Mangharam, a garment trader, shipped in from New Delhi all the decor, some of the ingredients, and chefs and managers for the 80-seat restaurant. The menu is a mix of Indian regional foods, with a Sunday focus on southern Indian dishes. Coffee calling American gourmet coffee chain, Starbucks, is coming to Asia. Its first stop is Tokyo, where it opened earlier this month. Next is Singapore, where the company plans about 10 outlets. No timetable has been revealed for the rest of Asia-Pacific.