EVEN though the Bostonian has been around for years, I've resisted it because of the ''cutes'' - little one-liners on the menu which are hardly worthy of the food.
The cuisine does not deserve menu headings such as ''Starters and other leftovers (just kidding)'', or ''Poultry (Winged, far removed relatives to Batman)'' or ''Low Calorie Stuffings, in case Jane Fonda should arrive''.
Add to that the crayons and drawing paper for whims and doodles that complete at the table setting.
Taking food seriously, I resisted the Bostonian for many years but loved and frequented the Sunday brunch (which is still going). For a restaurant specialising in American style I was curious about their Cantonese chef, Jacky Li, who had worked with the two previous chefs, both Americans.
And equally curious about their new maitre d'hotel, Roland Jegge. What would an F&B man from the French part of Switzerland know about Maine lobster, Alaska king crabs or Kansas black Angus prime rib? Apparently quite a bit. Having travelled across the States several times, Mr Jegge has a feeling for the food. He may be a bit out of date, since the Cajun food trend died several years ago. But since Hong Kong is also a bit behind, the clients seem to love the moderately spicy food.
Jacky Li has passed the most difficult test with honour. This is poached salmon - and I dare any other restaurant to serve a salmon which is not either crumbly-dry or soggy-wet. The secret, I felt, of his spot-on salmon must be due to the implicit Cantonese knack of cooking just enough, not a fraction more. Li simply laughed off the suggestion, and said he had his own method.
