European, Moroccan or Japanese food? Try them all at Lumi in Admiralty

“Should we go for Italian or Japanese?” my guest asked as we were looking over the menu at Lumi. He missed a few other cuisines we could have tried, including Moroccan, French and Spanish.

Such a wide variety of cuisines is usually a very bad sign in a restaurant, but to our surprise, there was not a single dish that we disliked.

When did dim sum turn from a family affair into a hurried and antisocial meal?

Lumi – by chef Kihachi Kumagai – replaces Cova in Pacific Place. It’s an open-air space, and it is impossible to forget that you’re dining in a shopping centre, with passers-by looking curiously at what’s on your plate.

In addition to à la carte, there’s a good value nightly four-course set meal, with the price (about HK$450 to HK$500) determined by the main course you choose. My guest decided to have this.

The seafood soup had an excellent broth chock full of fish, scallops, shrimp and octopus. The mixed mushroom fettuccine looked dry and dull, but the wide ribbons of pasta with a light but flavourful sauce that had just enough chilli to make it interesting.

The almond-crusted rack of lamb (HK$480) was really delicious; although it was overcooked (in my opinion, not his) to medium, the meat was moist, with a delicate hint of curry in the crust.

I ordered from the à la carte selection. Shabu shabu wagyu salad (HK$190) had thin, tender slices of rare beef laid over iceberg lettuce, cucumbers and radicchio in a really delicious sesame dressing (there was a little too much of it, though).

My main course of Toyama shrimp linguine (HK$200) was the best dish of the evening. The tiny whole shrimp scattered on top had been deep fried and were delicately crisp; the tangle of pasta held chunks of larger shrimp and shreds of cucumber, while pieces of endive added a nice bitterness.

The apple mille crepe with lemon cream was light, the thin crepes were layered with a lemon cream and topped with glazed apples.

Lumi, Shop 301, Level 3, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, tel: 2918 1313.

About HK$435 per person without drinks or the service charge.

While you’re in the area

Commissary restaurant in Admiralty – a slice of Southern California

First impressions of Hon10 in Admiralty – relaxed, casual Japanese