Dishing up unfair comments on Cafe de Paris

I REFER to Harry Rolnick's review of Cafe de Paris (South China Morning Post, January 8).

Despite implications to the contrary, it appears that Mr Rolnick was by no means a regular at the restaurant. This he reveals himself in not knowing that the menu has remained exactly the same since the departure of Maurice and Il-Soon Gardette.

As a regular, Mr Rolnick should have also realised that the Cafe de Paris serves, and always has served, French home cooking, accompanied only by French, not Australian wines.

As for the staff, it's entirely unnecessary in these politically correct times to comment upon their nationalities. After all, we are in highly cosmopolitan Hong Kong.

I have always found the service both friendly and efficient, without the creepiness so endemic in the generally overpriced range of French restaurants around town.

Rather than bemoan what Mr Rolnick sees as lacking in the new patron, perhaps he should simply blame himself for not having been a regular when the Gardettes prevailed. A rare and brave man is Michel Bezardin, for he must, by his mere presence, immediately invite unfair and uncompromising comparisons with the former owner. AMANDA YAU Central Harry Rolnick replies: I believe Ms Yau has missed the point. The article stated that a) Mr Bezardin had indeed taken on a commendable daunting task; b) the menu had not changed, but Mr Bezardin was now about to make some (highly justified) alterations. As to the service, I did relish such unhomogenised cosmopolitanism. A segment of my own ''political correctness'' , if not Ms Yau's, happens to be a delight in diversity.