IN the musical chairs of restaurants and restaurateurs in Hong Kong, Mozart Stub'n has withstood the ravages of time - and greedy landlords. Nine years and holding, it still accommodates 34 and hasn't moved from its cosy niche on Glenealy. In a city wherebigger is better, it has never lost its neighbourhood feel or identity.
The business card says fine Austrian cuisine. But, if you stretched that to Alpine food, Switzerland and Germany wouldn't feel snubbed. Traces of those cuisines overlap on the menu, endowed with veal, beef and chicken.
On a recent visit, all the seating was filled. Co-owner Walter Adelmann, tie-less and pullover casual, was seating guests. He assured us the booth requested when I made the reservation would be ready in 15 minutes. In the meantime, bar stools were corralled and the bartender gave us a taste of hospitality with some well-made drinks. The conversation flowed and his estimation of time was right on target.
This is low-key Alpine at its warmest, minus the kitsch. With the wood, the simplicity of the furnishings and decor, the only addition secretly hoped for is a glowing fire and a few snowy boughs, framed by frost-encrusted window panes. No such luck. Diners must supply their own memories of Christmas in Europe or icy climes elsewhere.
Nothing is overdone at the Mozart Stub'n - the Stub'n is short for Stuben (a small room for eating and drinking) - especially the Yuletide season trappings. Such deftness is refreshing; so is the confidence to remain a small, friendly restaurant where service and hospitality are as important as the food.
The owners don't pretend to be everything to everybody. Ernest Ruckendorfer, from Linz, Austria, and Vienna-born Adelmann, veterans of the hotel business, resist the high-pressured, neon shrill of Christmas by forgoing the fixed price menus, promises ofgifts and a visit from Santa. The modest Christmas tree and a few genuine wreaths get the message across. None of us could recall our last visit, more than a year ago, but the memory was of a pleasant dining experience with nothing outstanding. When the evening finished, we left feeling happy, content and well taken care of. Was it our mood, we wondered, the Scotch or four ravenous appetites? It didn't matter. We wouldn't wait a year or more for the next visit.