Sampan Seafood Restaurant, 16 Main Street, Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island. Tel: 982-2388. Hours: 10.30am to 10.30pm SUMMERTIME has descended with a vengeance: it's hot and sticky and seems more crowded and noisy than ever, and with one accord the collective mind of Hong Kong island turns to one thing - escape.
Lamma Island is possibly still the favoured destination: it is easy enough to get to - and to return from - while still allowing romantics the sea air and twinkling night skies. And, of course, those seafood restaurants for which it is rightly famous.
The plethora of restaurants brings its own troubles: how to choose where to eat once you are decanted at Lamma Island? First glances give nothing away: all display their wares, still alive, in great tanks; all appear to be full of high-spirited diners and noise levels that assault the ear drums; hygiene is perhaps not all the purist would desire and plastic chairs and tables are everywhere the order of the day.
The Sampan catches the eye for its cheery bistro style trappings - a child's blackboard, red and white check tablecloths - and its proximity to the ferry.
Started up a year ago by three locals, Sampan tends to be frenetically busy on weekends when eight waiters rush around and between the tables with neat upward pelvic thrusts and an air of unabashed disorganisation.
The steamed prawns served here, blanketed in minced garlic, are perfect, and of course, fresh. Squid, too, is perfectly succulent and tender in a crisp, peppery, light batter which suggests a fleeting acquaintance with the deep frier.
Without a doubt, the biggest complaint food-wise is why the bistro theme isn't carried further - the provision of dishes of French bread to mop up the garlicky puddles left behind prawns, or the fragrant soy sauce and ginger broth that cooked a fish, would be an excellent practice.