Many species of lobster are available in Hong Kong. The most prized - or at least the most expensive - is the southern rock lobster from Australia. The most widely available - and usually the least expensive - is the South African baby lobster. Their textures are very different but both are similarly sweet and succulent. After sashimi and boiled lobster, the simplest method for preparing the meat would be to steam it with garlic and ginger. The ginger gives the combination a high note, while garlic together with soy sauce establishes a rounded platform. When choosing a drink to pair with this dish, be aware that the lobster can be overwhelming - a char- donnay with more oak than fruit will flounder. The right wines depend solely on the strength and quality of the fruit. William Fevre Petit Chablis 2008, Chablis, France This entry-level chablis is stunning and excellent value. The nose is all flint and ripe lemons, which is more a reflection of the vintage than the house style. It is light but delivers rich flavours - and it's long and directed. The wine is the perfect flavour spine to serve with steamed lobster with garlic and ginger. The chablis' pure, heady fruit and the ginger in the dish enhance the succulent lobster's salty tang. Available for HK$127 at Fine Vintage (tel: 2896 6108) Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1995, Epernay, France Dom Perignon ages and nurtures its wines for 14 or more years before releasing them onto the market. This vintage is a typical modern Dom - a little softer, easier and less acidic than the Dom Perignons of the 1980s and before. It's a perfect match for the succulence of the lobster and supporting ginger. The extra ageing in the cellar creates a dry tang that provides a link to the champagne and soy sauce in the dish, making it a seamless, tasty treat. Available for HK$2,165 at Watson's (tel: 2606 8828) Shaw and Smith M3 chardonnay 2008, Adelaide Hills, Australia Shaw and Smith can claim to be innovators in many things. It was one of the first to be commercially established in the now highly regarded Adelaide Hills; it was the first to build a winery based on gravity flow rather than pumps and other flavour-bruising hardware; and this M3 is one of the first truly enjoyable single-vineyard chardonnays from Australia. Subtlety and elegance are hallmarks of the wine. This stylish fruity drop is the perfect match for the lobster dish when the best part isn't the lobster's succulent meat but the coral in the head. As you eat it, you may find that its distinctive taste dances on the palate with the wine's careful oak and deep fruit. Available for HK$289 at Oliver's (tel: 2869 5119)
