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Award-winning, one-word restaurants such as 'pharmacy' and 'mash' are all the rage in London so when one by the name of 'brown' opened in Happy Valley it caught our attention.

 However, we confess we did wonder whether such a dingy colour seemed the most enticing way to attract the punters through the doors. Our first impressions conjured up images of school stews and 1970s bad-taste furniture.

 With the benefit of experience, we would be the first to say how wrong we were.

 Yes, brown is in evidence from the warm hues of the wooden walls to the silk seat coverings, but this is a restaurant in which the designer has taken care to make it stand out tastefully from the Hong Kong crowd. True, the chocolate-coloured ceramic tiles covering the walls of the rear terrace appeared a little gloomy and the 'brown' salad and soup of the day sounded a tad offputting, but the friendly staff and buzzy atmosphere soon distracted us.

 We first visited brown a month ago not long after it opened when it was a little quiet. Originally intending to just have drinks, we decided to throw caution to the wind and order food, and found the meal enjoyable.

 We came away feeling this would be a welcome addition to the Happy Valley dining scene - an area not well endowed with restaurants.

 On our second outing we arrived on a Monday evening to find the place nearly full - it almost felt like a Friday night. Clearly, word had travelled fast and it had attracted a happy band of locals and Westerners. So it was a pity that when we conveyed our reservation it was greeted with a perplexed look.

 We walked to the terrace to find our table had not been prepared, although the staff quickly laid the settings and we were soon seated and sipping a bottle of Lindemans chardonnay ($310).

 We also had to ask for a menu and the day's specials although clearly, it was a busy night and the staff looked rushed. However, our appetisers arrived quickly - two were excellent, the third average.

 The Italian spring rolls filled with veal sausage and assorted vegetables ($70) were superb. The diced veal filling was succulent, complemented by Chinese mushrooms and wrapped in a light, crispy coating, while the sun-dried tomato sauce added a rich piquancy.

 The potato-and-chick-pea frittata with tahini and avocado salsa was also excellent, with the three thick patties substantial without being stodgy.

 We were less enthused by the smoked salmon ($85), perhaps because it had seemed more generously portioned the first time we ordered it.

 Three bite-sized parcels of fish had supposedly been rolled with avocado, brie and fresh mango.

 No problems with the mango - it made a wonderful and interesting contrast to the smoky flavour of the fish - but the cheese and avocado were barely discernible.

 One of the entrees - the roast spring chicken ($125) - was clearly the winner. It came on a bed of mashed potato which was smooth and smelled intoxicating from the garlic.

 The chicken goujons ($105), though plentiful and generously coated in breadcrumbs, were unremarkable because they just seemed too ordinary, despite the addition of mango chutney and a sizeable poppadom.

 Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the meal was the grilled codfish ($148). It sounded intriguing as it was served with a lobster sauce and caviar. However, the fish was soggy and had been overcooked, though it was mitigated by the saffron rice and a generous portion of caviar.

 We decided to splash out and ordered a bottle of Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc ($395) which, as always, was crisp and sublime. But glancing at the list we felt it would have benefited from a wider selection of more reasonably priced wines.

 For dessert we ordered the plain cheesecake ($55) and apple crumble ($55) - both of which were faultless. There were two slices of the former which were light and not overly rich while the second was notable for its generous lacing of cinnamon.

 Overall, the bill, minus the wine, but including five soft drinks (one of which we did not order) and two coffees, came to a little more than $1,100. With the bottle of wine, it was considerably more and we question whether this represents good value for money.

 Undoubtedly, the restaurant is a relaxing and enjoyable change to Hong Kong's dining scene. It feels a novelty taking the tram up to Happy Valley. The staff are friendly even if the service is a little wobbly - but chances are that visitors will come away feeling like they have paid a premium for it.

brown, 18A Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, Tel: 2891 8558, Open: Sunday-Friday noon-late, Saturday 11am-late 



brown makes its mark