bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

AGAVE TEQUILA Y COMIDA

33 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2521 2010

Cuisine: Mexican

Specialities:  Cactus salad

Wine list: 10 from New and Old Worlds

Average food cost: $130

Opening hours: Sun-Thu 5pm-2am; Fri & Sat 5pm-4am

Remarks: Top tequila bar featuring 150 tequilas, plus Mexican dishes served in lava-rock stone bowls. Be prepared to get plenty of lime and salt on your hands in a classy cantina.

BACI PIZZA

1/F, 1 Lan Kwai Fong, Central

Telephone: 2840 0153

Cuisine: Italian

Specialities:  Pizza

Wine list: Over 40 choices, mainly Italian

Average food cost: Lunch $160, dinner $210

Opening hours: Noon-2.30pm, 7pm-11pm

Remarks: Baci's casual dining cousin with a large range of authentically thin crust southern Italian-style pizzas and a good selection of pasta dishes. Ideal for an informal lunch or dinner.

BAMBOO

4/F, The Plaza, 21 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2804 6009

Cuisine: Singaporean and Malaysian

Specialities: Satay, laksa

Wine list: Over 40 choices from around the world

Average food cost: Lunch $120, dinner $300

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-11pm

Remarks: A mixed bag of Southeast Asian cuisines, including staple dishes from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, served in a slightly more upmarket setting than is usual for them.

CAFE DES ARTISTES

1/F, California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2526 3880

Cuisine: French

Specialities:  Foie gras, escargots, French duck breast and leg confit

Wine list: Over 70 choices

Average food cost: Lunch $150, dinner $300

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 7pm-10.30pm; Sun 7pm-10.30pm

Remarks: Having moved up a floor and changed chef, Cafe Des Artistes has undergone something of a transformation. Superb Provencale-influenced classical cooking.

CALIFORNIA

G/F, California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2521 1345

Cuisine: Californian/modern American

Specialities:  Fajitas, gilled Norwegian salmon, house-smoked duck fettuccini

Wine list: Over 25 options, mainly American

Average food cost: Lunch $130, dinner $360

Opening hours: Mon-Thu & Sun noon-2.30pm, 5.30pm-11pm; Fri-Sat noon-4am

Remarks: One of the first Lan Kwai Fong restaurants, California still serves good burgers but has also moved on to more sophisticated Californian food and no smoking dining. A sign of the times.

CO CO CURRY HOUSE

G/F, 8 Wing Wah Lane, D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2523 6911

Cuisine: Malaysian

Specialities: Curry, teh tarik

Wine list: N/A

Average food cost: Lunch $70-$80, dinner $150

Opening hours: 11am-3pm, 6pm-12.30am

Remarks: This Central retreat for lovers of the spicy side of life is popular with Malaysian expatriates. The'pulled tea' show adds a welcome element of cultural cabaret to the experience.

INDOCHINE 1929

2/F, California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2869 7399

Cuisine: Retro Vietnamese

Specialities:  Fried fish Hanoi style, salt and pepper soft-shell crab, grilled rare beef

Wine list: More than 100

Average food cost: Lunch $100-$130, dinner $250-$300

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-11pm

Remarks: The interior design takes you straight back to the French colonial era in Vietnam, and the menu offers a modern interpretation of traditional Vietnamese favourites.

LA BODEGA

44 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2524 7790

Website: www.igors.com

Cuisine: Spanish

Specialities:  Tapas, paella

Wine list: International choice of white and red wines and champagne

Average food cost: $100

Opening hours: Sun-Thu 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat 5pm-2am

Remarks: With Catalonian-style decor and a Dali-inspired wall mural, La Bodega serves modern Spanish cuisine, including a famously good paella, and tapas to partner a truly great wine list.

LUX

Upper G/F, California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2868 9538

Cuisine: Contemporary grill

Specialities:  Steaks, seafood, chops, ultra-thin pizzettas, real tortellini with tarragon

Wine list:  International wine list

Average food cost: Lunch $80, dinner $360

Opening hours: Noon-3pm, 6pm-11.30pm

Remarks: A highly fashionable Lan Kwai Fong restaurant and bar serving reasonably priced continental cuisine and an extensive list of wines and cocktails. DJs and dancing 'til late.

RIVE DROITE RIVE GAUCHE

2/F, 29 Wyndham Street, Onfem Tower, Central

Telephone: 2525 1681

Website: www.rivedroite-rivegauche.hk

Cuisine: French

Specialities: Steaks, seafood, foie gras, snails, grill tuna steaks, confit of duck legs

Wine list: 43 French wines, with nine by the glass

Average food cost: Lunch $108, dinner $380

Opening hours: Mon-Thu noon-3pm, 6pm-11pm; Sat & Sun 6pm-11pm

Remarks: French restaurant meets stylish bar with an outdoor garden. The food is old fashioned in the best sense of the word, and very true to classical Parisian tastes.

THAI LEMONGRASS

3/F, California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2905 1688

Cuisine: Thai

Specialities:  Curry, Thai BBQ lamb cutlets, steamed chilli-lime whole Mandarin fish

Wine list: Over 45 choices

Average food cost: Lunch $120, dinner $300

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-11pm; Sun 6.30pm-10.30pm

Remarks: An atmospheric room in which to enjoy authentic Thai cuisine, with a slant towards dishes from the north. Don't miss the pomelo salad with seafood or the roast duck in red curry.

THE ANNEXX

4/F, California Entertainment Building, 34-36 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2877 9779

Website: www.theannexx.com

Cuisine: American

Specialities:  Canadian crab cakes, lamb fillets with sweet potato, green-bean salad, roasted garlic puree and mint yogurt

Wine list: Includes 24 wines by the glass

Average food cost: Lunch $95, dinner $190

Opening hours: Mon-Thu noon-midnight; Fri & Sat noon-2am

Remarks: Traditional American home cooking with a modern twist is the inspiration for this relaxed, friendly restaurant with an extensive list of wines by the glass. There is an outdoor terrace.

TOKIO JOE

G/F, 16 Lan Kwai Fong, Central

Telephone: 2525 1889

Cuisine: Japanese

Specialities:  Sushi, sashimi, rock shrimp salad, beef tataki

Wine list: Over 20 types of sake, over 10 wines

Average food cost: Lunch $160, dinner $360

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-11pm; Sun 6.30pm-11pm

Remarks: Traditional Japanese cooking is given a twist in this well-established Lan Kwai Fong outlet, now in its tenth year.

VA BENE

G/F, 58-62 D'Aguilar Street, Central

Telephone: 2845 5577

Website: www.vabeneristorante.com

Cuisine: Italian

Specialities: Pasta, seafood, desserts

Wine list: Large range of Italian and international wines, plus grappas

Average food cost: Lunch $200, dinner $500-$600

Opening hours: Noon-midnight

Remarks: This elegant Italian restaurant has long been a favourite among socialites who hang out in Lai Kwai Fong, but gourmets come for the fine northern Italian cuisine. Good for leisurely dining.



Listings - Lan Kwai Fong