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Paggie Leung

1/F Cosmopolitan Hotel, 387-397 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai

Tel: 3167 7833

Open: 6.30am-1am

Cuisine: There are two menus, one listing modern Chinese specialities, including some with  expensive ingredients such  as bird's nest and dried seafood; the other has western dishes such as sandwiches  and pasta.

Ambience: The dining hall is glamorous, with huge crystal chandeliers and ceiling-to-floor windows allowing diners  views  of the busy streets.

Price: Cheaper than we expected, probably because the   servings are large, which made us  full quickly. It's about $170 per person  plus 10 per cent service charge.

Pros: Delicious and sophisticated food  at reasonable prices.

Cons: We expected better service,  but enthusiasm and smiles  were often missing.

Recommended dishes: We picked most of our dishes from the Chinese menu because it was more attractive, and the western  one didn't have the same  range of choices. Steamed rice with diced abalone and chicken served with abalone sauce ($118, above) was one of the best dishes of the evening. The chicken, mushroom and abalone served on the rice were  cut  into precise shapes, giving the food a sophisticated appearance. The rice had  an aroma of lotus leaves and the sauce  was quite salty when tasted alone, but not when eaten with the delicate abalone and chicken. Other dishes stood out, too. The deep-fried sliced chicken with prawn toast and salty ham ($160 for a half-bird) was tantalising. The chicken skin was crisp and a golden brown, and the meat was juicy and tender. We also liked the sauteed sea cucumber with leek ($120). The only item from the western menu we tried was the dark chocolate mousse with vanilla sauce ($52), which tasted slightly bitter.

What else? The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle to Hong Kong station, and to and from Times Square.



La Maison de l'Orient