La Taverna is situated at the end of Ashley Road. Decorated in the style of a trattoria, the space has red curtains, wooden chairs and straw-covered wine bottles hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere is comfortable and cosy - good for business lunches and romantic dinners for two.

'We were the first restaurant in Hong Kong to serve authentic Italian cuisine,' says Lai. 'Our owner is Italian and opened the restaurant in 1969 in Central [it closed in 2002]. This is our second restaurant. We import ingredients from Italy and invite an Italian chef to visit us every two to three years to share his experience with our local chef and give us inspiration. We also have a vineyard in Florence, and produce our own wine.

'All types of cuisines are gathered in this little alley,' says Lai. 'We relied on our loyal customers before, but as more people know about Ashley Road, we have younger and new customers.'

Yokoyama Takashi, owner of Kyozasa Restaurant, opened the izakaya-style pub on Ashley Road

19 years ago. Like the dining pubs

in Japan, Kyozasa is casually decorated, tables are small and crowded, dishes are written on brown paper and pasted on the wall, and the music is Japanese tunes.

Its drinks list offers more than 17 kinds of sake and about 15 brands of shochu (distilled alcohol). 'I often go back to Japan to buy limited-edition sake and shochu, so our wine list is updated regularly,' says Yokoyama. 'Some of my customers like to mix shochu with soda, plum, wasabi and even chilli.'

Yokoyama has the menu printed in Japanese, Chinese, English and Korean, and some dishes have photos, so diners know what they're ordering. 'We used to have mainly Japanese diners, but as the street is getting more popular, we have a more versatile client base,' says Yokoyama. 'My restaurant is quite small, so it gives a friendly and welcoming touch.'

'The trend for restaurants gathering on the same street is appealing for locals,' says Jong Hung-chun, who goes out for fine dining on a regular basis with her husband. 'People can have happy hour, dinner and after-dinner drinks on the same street. It's particularly convenient for people who don't have cars.' Jong does have one gripe: she'd like an outdoor dining area where she can smoke.

The popularity of the street can be a drawback for restaurateurs. 'With this place getting more popular, the rent is increasing rapidly,' says La Taverna's Lai. 'We're lucky. Our owner owns this space, so we have less pressure in running the business. Most restaurants can't afford the high rent and are forced to close down.'

Yokoyama has watched the area change. 'Fortunately, the rent fluctuation has been acceptable. But it's competitive operating an izakaya as there are a lot of similar restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui.'

Ned Kelly's Last Stand is the only bar on Ashley Road to offer live jazz music every night (from 9.30pm to 1am), something it started about 35 years ago. 'We're not much affected by the increasing number of restaurants,' says the bar's supervisor, Rashmi Gurung.

'There isn't any other jazz place around the area and we have loyal customers who come here for good music. We used to have mostly middle-aged clients, but now we have younger customers who recently started to enjoy jazz.'