It’s a relaxing spot and the dishes are a treat. They come in small portions and there are many to choose from.

We ordered a few dishes with drinks, but the food arrived first.

Galician octopus (HK$128) was nestled in a smooth potato-based sauce seasoned with paprika and decorated with edible flowers and salad leaves, making it both pretty and delicious.

Next came the white and green asparagus (HK$98), a few stalks of each chopped into manageable pieces that came with wild mushroom ragout and garlic chips.

We liked the meatiness of the lamb cutlets that were cooked slightly past our requested medium rare, and which were seasoned with Madagascar salt and spices (HK$148). However, the accompanying aubergine purée was bland.

Last to arrive was smoking raw salmon (HK$138), which arrived under a glass dome. When the dome was lifted, a whiff of smoke quickly dissipated into the air and didn’t have enough time to infuse itself into the salmon. The salmon didn’t have much flavour, although flecks of sea salt lifted the taste along with the sour cream, dill and shallot sauce.

For dessert, the avocado nougat parfait (HK$88) sounded intriguing. On the plate were two small pistachio-coloured popsicles, although they weren’t cold. The dessert wasn’t too sweet, and had a slightly creaminess from the avocado and crunchiness from the crushed nuts. It came with apricots that were poached in honey.

The drinks list is creative, but on the sweet side. We tried I’m Hallucinated (HK$98), a rum-based cocktail that had an orange hue thanks to the citrus and passion fruit, while the non-alcoholic Inception (HK$90) was flavoured with pple and rhubarb.

1/F Renaissance Harbour View
Hotel Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2802 8888