Sai Ying Pun is just a five minute bus ride from Central and Soho, but until recently, it was a culinary Siberia. Then the O Cafe Gallery opened on Bonham Road. It's a spacious, high ceilinged restaurant, filled with an eclectic collection of artwork, all for sale. An enormous egg-shaped light fixture hangs from the ceiling; it would look out of place in a smaller setting, but because the dining room is so large, it doesn't dominate the space.
The menu is small - three starters, three salads, two soups, three pasta dishes, and six main courses. I chose angelhair pasta with smoked salmon in dill sauce ($68) for my starter, and rack of lamb ($140) for my main course, while my guest had a four course set dinner ($188). The waitress presented us with a nice selection of rolls - poppyseed, sundried tomato, and squid ink topped with parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, the bread was served with foil wrapped butter pats.
My guest's first course of escargot with spinach in cream sauce under puff pastry was flavourful and not too rich. My pasta should have been served at the same time, but didn't come until my guest was halfway through with his second course of zucchini soup - and even then I had to request it. Fortunately, it was worth the wait. The pasta was slightly overcooked, but the light sauce was perfect with the salty flavour of the fish.
My friend's main course of salmon came with a thick, creamy dill sauce that was too rich for the fatty fish. My lamb should have been trimmed of the gristle and bone at the base of the rack, which made it difficult to cut. The meat itself was tender and flavourful. It came with an unappetising congealed portion of potatoes and onions in a brown sauce.
We ended with a pineapple pie a la mode ($50) but it had too many walnuts which overwhelmed the fruit. The bill for two, with two glasses of mediocre wine, was $598.
G/F, 62 Bonham Road, Tel: 2549 2828. Open: 11am-midnight. $$$
