A SURE SIGN that Hong Kong's economy is booming is the growing trend for boutique cafes. A few years ago shops such as Joyce and DKNY had in-store cafes with a fashionable following - then they disappeared without trace.
The opening of a new agnes b. cafe, Le Pain Grille, in Causeway Bay on October 1 follows the re-opening of the Armani/Bar in Chater House. Adding these two European-style in-store eateries to those already established at Harvey Nichols on Queen's Road and Lane Crawford at Two IFC, it seems that the fashion cafe is making a comeback.
These cosmopolitan up-market cafes, with their Parisian and Milanese roots, are styled to attract the fashion-conscious and those who relish European culture. The agnes b. cafe, for example, is designed for Francophiles. Part of a two-storey complex in Causeway Bay, Le Pain Grille aims to extend the lifestyle-oriented concept of the flower shop and a travel accessory shop.
The interior of the cafe is different from the typical agnes b. decor, which is characterised by a white colour scheme. Le Pain Grille has a cosy French feel with its white lace curtains, hand-painted patterns on the walls and Provence floor tiles.
The menu boasts more than 40 French dishes, ranging from escargots to traditional croque monsieur (that's a ham and cheese toasted sandwich). It also claims to be the first restaurant to serve absinthe - the emerald-green spirit favoured by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and Oscar Wilde.
'Everything in the restaurant is authentic French,' says spokeswoman Joan Chui. 'We don't even have a 10 per cent service charge policy because restaurants in France don't have that.
'The idea came from [designer and namesake] Agnes Bourgeois. She sees the restaurant as a way to promote French lifestyle through authentic French food and she wants to share with Hong Kong people the chic and tasteful style of the French.'