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David Evans

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

Tel: 2522 9798

Open: Mon-Sat, noon-2.30pm, Mon-Thu, 6.30pm-11pm, Fri-Sun, 6.30pm-11.30pm

Cuisine: Italian.

Price: Dinner for two was $1,528, including two glasses of wine.

Ambience: With long tables filled with chattering groups, the restaurant has that comfortable New York Italian restaurant feel, yet this is clearly an establishment where the 'string vest and chequered tablecloth' set would be out of place. Owner Harlan Goldstein - a native New Yorker - has created a mixture of fine dining in a pleasing environment without pretensions.

Pros: With  fresh produce flown in twice a week from Italy, the dishes  satisfy the eyes and taste buds. As well as the regular menu, there's a daily specials board, and staff are fully versed in the composition of each dish  and the nuances of the ingredients.

Cons:  In an upmarket restaurant, we didn't expect to see one of the managers  loading food onto plates in the main dining room.

Recommended dishes: From the specials board, the salted codfish cake with tomato salsa ($168, left) was packed with meaty  cod in a dish that often contains too  much potato. The meat on the osso buco gremolata, served with mashed potato, ($360) was so tender it fell off the bone. From the regular menu, the pancetta-wrapped prawns with aubergine caviar and crunchy tomato salad ($178, below) would have been unmemorable, were it not for the sweetness of the tomatoes. The star of the evening was  the veal chop coated in crushed Tuscany breadcrumbs, almonds and arugula, served with sage mashed potatoes and cherry tomatoes ($360). For dessert, the self-proclaimed Kick Ass cannelloni with chocolate sauce and Sicilian blood orange sorbet ($98) might have been a little exaggerated.

What else? A private function room can accommodate up to 12 people with a minimum spend of $12,000.



Tuscany by H