Just before Christmas, Spoon by Alain Ducasse in the InterContinental Hong Kong quietly closed. The restaurant that took its place is another one by the culinary maestro – Rech, the first of which opened in Paris in 1925. Gone are Spoon’s giant utensils hanging from the ceiling, the dim lighting and beige palette. Rech is like eating in someone’s home – less formal than Spoon, with more light. Welcome to the new era of gourmet dining without the stuffiness.

Guests in love seats can sit in front of the windows looking onto Victoria Harbour or have a drink or two by the bar. But that drink won’t be free: tap water is not available; you have to order Badoit water and that will set you back HK$120 a bottle.

Resist, if you can, eating too much bread – they offer many varieties, including seaweed crackers with a delicious concoction of tuna and olive oil, warm toasted country bread, and a seaweed baguette (although we couldn’t detect the seaweed flavour).