The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong is bringing guest chef Motoo Takazawa of Hanagatami restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Osaka to cook in The Cafe from Monday to February 3. In addition to the Japanese dishes offered on the lunch buffet, Takazawa will also be making an eight-course kaiseki menu of seasonal dishes for $688 plus 10 per cent at dinner and a three-course set lunch for $288. On January 26, Takazawa will teach a class on Japanese cooking; the two-hour course includes lunch and costs $980. For reservations phone The Cafe on 2877 6666, ext 8311.
DaLuca Cucina Italiana in Central features game on its menu starting on Monday and running until the end of February. The dishes include pheasant terrine with pistachios and herbs served with rhubarb compote, marinated wild duck breast salad with orange saffron ginger jus, pan-roasted guinea fowl with grilled vegetables and goose liver sauce, country-style rabbit stew with home-made truffle bread, and grilled marinated fillet of ostrich with rosemary, garlic and chilli. DaLuca is at 46-48 Cochrane Street, Central, tel: 2544 6346.
Zeffirino Ristorante at the Regal Hongkong Hotel in Causeway Bay will host a five-course Frescobaldi wine dinner on January 24. The menu includes red beetroot ravioli with butter, sage and poppy seeds, paired with the Danzante Merlot 1999 and pigeon and rosemary risotto with merlot sauce, served with the Lamaione 1998. The Luce 1997 will be served with the main course of pan-fried marinated sirloin of deer with deep-fried apple, redcurrant and green pepper compote, and the Vin Santo del Chianti 1995 with the dessert of walnut and pear tart with Tuscan cantucci cookies. The dinner is $680 plus 10 per cent; tel: 2837 1799.
If you like Va Bene in Lan Kwai Fong, you have just 10 days to eat there before it closes for a month-long renovation. The restaurant will be closed from January 28 to February 28, and will have new lunch and dinner menus starting on March 3. Until January 24, guests can enjoy a six-course dinner featuring shellfish paired with Veuve Clicquot champagne, which is $990 plus 10 per cent. The menu includes appetisers of gratinated Mediterranean scallops with giant white asparagus and balsamic vinegar and royal shellfish salad on a bed of sauted artichokes and red semolina. Main courses are spaghetti baked in foil with seafood and bottariga in tomato sauce and sauted lobster with goose liver medallions with fresh porcini on deep-fried capellini pasta. The dishes are also available a la carte and during the promotion Veuve Clicquot champagne is $120 per glass and $720 per bottle. Reservations on 2845 5577.
Aqua in Central has a new 'sun-soaked Mediterranean brunch' that features warm weather dishes such as antipasti platters ($98 per person, minimum of two), focaccias ($80 with a choice of two fillings) and a create-your-own pasta, which lets guests choose their own pastas and sauces. The brunch is available Saturday and Sunday. Aqua is at 49 Hollywood Road, tel: 2545 9889.
