JEAN-Pierre Vigato is as sharp a real estate entrepreneur as he is a chef. The Michelin-rated restaurateur, who earns bravos with Apicius, his stylish restaurant in Paris and Manufacture, his brasserie outside the city, kept his finger on the business climate of Paris: offices wishing to escape greedy landlords found some relief in the suburbs. Sound familiar? The lunch bunch in the city or western environs can easily reach Apicius, located in Paris' 17th arrondissement. His more casual Manufacture is situated in the opposite direction, near Porte de Versailles. ''Parisians are funny when it comes to dining. It's psychological,'' said Mr Vigato recently, trying to fend-off jet lag. ''My lunch business (at Manufacture) is very good. But dinner could be much, much better. Parisians won't eat dinner outside of Paris. And I am only 200 metres from the city sign.'' Hong Kong diners are more open-minded, recalls Mr Vigato, whose first visit to the Hilton was in 1986. This return marks his personal farewell to the hotel that will meet the wrecker's ball by the end of next January. For this visit he created five dishes in the flamboyant style of Apicius cuisine, such as fricassee of spring vegetables in balsamic bouillon with parmesan cheese, salt cod with mashed potatoes, olive oil and bell peppers, and boneless pigeon with lentil ragout and truffles. Among the updated classics is pan-fried slices of duck liver with apples and ginger. ''That dish I don't dare take off the menu. My customers won't let me.'' A professed chocoholic who devotes half of his dessert menu to chocolate, he offers chocolate passion, a wicked play on chocolate, puff pastry and fresh passion-fruit. Making its first (and last debut) here is milk ice cream and puff pastry filled with mocca cafe. Besides an a la carte menu, there are set menus. (A four-course dinner with wines at $710 and a $240 set lunch.) The cuisine of Jean-Pierre Vigato continues at the Hilton Grill until July 16. ANYONE for salad bowl trivia? How do you rectify an over-peppered salad dressing? Adjust with sugar or honey; if you really blew it, toss it out and start over. How do you keep salt dry? Since salt absorbs moisture, add a few grains of rice to the shaker. How does mustard function in a salad dressing? It contributes flavour, emulsifies the oil and vinegar and stabilises a mayonnaise. What's the ratio of oil to vinegar in a vinaigrette? Four parts oil, one part vinegar. How do you thicken a homemade mayonnaise? Add more oil, slowly. How do you rescue a curdled mayonnaise? Add another egg yolk. It works as a binder. These helpful facts are just a few found in a newly published book, 100 Great Salad Dressings by Sally Griffiths (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, $120). The recipes can be used for pasta, meats and vegetables as well. The photos by Simon Wheeler and the crisp food styling are as enticing as the recipes are imaginative and versatile. Included are fruit and herb dressings, flavoured mayonnaise and tips about how to flavour vinegar and oils. The book promises no more or no less than the title says. If you want a treatise on lettuces and produce, look elsewhere. Such a tightly focused, no-nonsense book is welcome. Available at Hong Kong Book Centre, Swindon, Commercial Press and Jumbo Grade bookstores. WHAT do ground wattle seed, bush lamb, warrigal greens, buffalo and rosella flowers have in common with sushi and sake? Location. The Hotel Nikko Hong Kong hosts the Australian Food Fair, with guest chef Scott Webster. It opens this weekend for two weeks. IS more really better? What is advertised as nachos with 25 fillings is really a confusion between the fillings and the garnishes. But both are fresh and tempting, and the combination, filling. You select and the chef assembles during happy hour at Gripp's. Nachos come in two sizes: small $38 or large $58. Gripp's is in the Omni Hong Kong Hotel, Kowloon. REMEMBER Eden's Natural Synergy, a natural foods shop formerly in the Prince's Building? They've relocated with two shops in Kowloon. The addresses are G/F, 57 Fuk Lok Tsun Road, Kowloon City. Tel: 382-1413. And, G/F, 26-28 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 368-0725.
