PALATIAL DELIGHTS At the top of bustling The One is Kowloon's best-kept secret, Zurriola. It's an alluring palatial delight where comidas (meals) are prepared to detailed perfection. In line with the restaurant's avante-garde twist to Spanish cuisine, its sleek interior highlights pockets of iconic décor of vibrant matador paintings and delicate accessories. Alongside the enticing ambience, each table in the restaurant offers a charming harbour view. Chef Pedro Samper's creation - a delightful burst of warm tomato inside a crispy puff bread topped with a modest slice of Iberian ham (HK$320) - was an ideal opener, executed perfectly with an airy crisp that held its own, while the right pop of tomato waited to amuse. The octopus appetiser (HK$230) was a delectable, tender and moist octopus blanketed by a rich potato cream and hints of paprika flavours. Zurriola's main course recommendations included the amadai fish (HK$480), which was flawless with its freshness, enhanced by a tangy apple cider sauce and topped by carefully fried scales with a good and lasting crunch. For meat lovers, the Iberian pluma tender paired perfectly with the port wine sauce and soft cabbage cake bites. Dessert was a sinful plate of rich chocolate bonbons, while a spike of mojito granita with a minty soup and a sweet sorbet was refreshing. Jamie Ferrer ZURRIOLA 18/F THE ONE 100 NATHAN RD TSIM SHA TSUI KOWLOON 2253 7111 WWW.ZURRIOLA.HK GREEK CLASSICS Hear "Greek restaurant", and you probably think of a quaint - maybe even seaside - spot with a blue-and-white awning and artwork inspired by the Acropolis. So it was a pleasant surprise to step inside Souvla, with its red honeycomb panels and rock columns. Add a thumping soundtrack and hip, young waiters, and this does not look like your typical Mediterranean joint. Thankfully, the food follows tradition with favourites including tzatziki, dolmades, gyros and the spit-roasted meat from which the restaurant takes its name. We were smitten by the soft pita (HK$30) paired with smooth taramasalata (smoked roe with lemon and garlic, HK$85). The grilled octopus (HK$225) was tender and nicely paired with tangy fresh greens. It was tough to choose among the grilled and oven-roasted meats. In the end, we were more than satisfied with our brizola (ribeye, HK$385) and slow-cooked lamb (HK$295). Souvla also has a good selection of side dishes, desserts, signature cocktails and reasonably priced wines. Tama Lung SOUVLA 1/F, HO LEE COMMERCIAL BUILDING 40 D’AGUILAR STREET CENTRAL 2522 1823 WWW.CONCEPTCREATIONS.HK DIRECT FROM KYOTO Kyo-Shun specialises in traditional and seasonal Kyoto cuisine, with ingredients flown in daily from the ancient Japanese capital. Featuring minimal, contemporary interiors, the restaurant seats 58, including tables, a sushi bar, a teppanyaki bar and a private room. The bean curd in hot pot (HK$280) is recommended for its Kyoto tofu, which is regarded as the best in Japan because of its fresh taste. The soft-tasting soup is flavoured by seaweed and ingredients, such as Japanese bunching onion. The sea bream fish rice (HK$388) is a signature dish - the rice is cooked inside a Kumoi Gama clay pot, with the soup made from fish head. The dish is fresh and delicious, with no unpleasant fishy taste. For the charcoal-grilled A4 wagyu beef (HK$580), the marbled meat is grilled using binchotan charcoal from Kyoto before it is served in slices. While the beef was tender and tasty, we found it lacked any surprises and was a little cold. There is also a selection of sake, beers, whisky and fruit wines. A glass of house wine costs HK$98. Keith Chan KYO-SHUN L18, THE ONE 100 NATHAN ROAD TSIM SHA TSUI 2426 6111 FRESHLY ITALIAN In a light, airy corner of IFC Mall is the recently opened Milan-style cafe Panino Giusto, serving the freshest and arguably the tastiest paninis in town. All ingredients are flown in regularly from Italy, and the authentic Italian bread and panini are made locally. Seating is outside the cafe, where diners can enjoy panoramic views. Starters include the stuzzico mortadella (HK$68) with premium mortadella accented with pistachio, sweet and sour onions, and warm bread, or the Italiano (HK$88) with cured Parma ham, Praga ham, Bresaola and mortadella. The signature paninis are a must-try. We particularly enjoyed the giusto with Praga ham, mozzarella, anchovy, tomato and mustard sauce (HK$78), and the tartufo with Parma ham, brie, tomato, rocket and alba truffle oil (HK$98). The carpaccio with thinly sliced raw beef, rocket, parmesan, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil (HK$98) is also good. For dessert, try pouring espresso into your vanilla gelato for an affogato al caffé (HK$58). Tracey Furniss PANINO GIUSTO SHOP 3077, PODIUM LEVEL THREE, IFC CENTRAL 2564 7000 WWW.PANINOGIUSTO.HK FLAVOURS FROM CHINA JC Group continues to spread its wings, setting up Pearl Dining House at The One, Tsim Sha Tsui. The Chinese diner offers authentic and home-made dishes originating from Huaiyang, Shanghai, Beijing, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. Connoisseurs can savour delightful Huaiyang appetisers, such as deep fried enoki mushroom with shichimi (HK$38), chilled chicken in Chinese wine (HK$68) and deep-fried golden tofu cubes (HK$38). For a Shanghainese touch, try the braised pork with bean curd sheet (HK$88), sautéed prawns with sweet and sour sauce (HK$98) and crispy curry beef brisket (HK$68). An array of noodles from the north and south are also featured, including the Lanzhou 12 twists (HK$56) - 12 different tastes conjured up from the same dough. Those with a sweet tooth will find the deep fried sesame ball (HK$28), double boiled eight treasure soup (HK$38) and wild glutinous rice roll with mango (HK$28) satisfying. GK PEARL DINING HOUSE SHOP UG221, THE ONE 100 NATHAN ROAD TSIM SHA TSUI KOWLOON 2703 9333 TASTE OF NEW YORK The newly opened Eastside Tavern brings a touch of New York to Tsim Sha Tsui's dining scene. Set just off the main seafront restaurant strip, the spacious sports bar offers a spectacular dining menu packed with comfort food from the Big Apple. We started with the soft-shell crab with lemon sauce (HK$118). The sauce complemented the crab perfectly. We also tried the black Angus beef skewers - succulent steak on a stick - with Hollandaise sauce (HK$148) and the Peking duck rolls (HK$88), which lovers of Peking duck will find disappointing as the pancakes are too thick. For the main course we went for the half chicken and half-slab ribs with French fries (HK$228) and the New York-style BBQ meat lovers pizza, with pepperoni, bacon, sausage, Serrano ham, beef, onions and peppers, which comes in two sizes, eight inches (HK$98) or 12 inches (HK$145). It's a good pizza, with a thin crust and packed with quality meat toppings. There is no dessert menu, but there is usually brownies and ice cream. Tracey Furniss EASTSIDE TAVERN SHOP 29 G/F EMPIRE CENTRE 68 MODY RD TSIM SHA TSUI EAST KOWLOON 2367 8770 EASTSIDETAVERN.COM.HK HOLY COW! This Parisian steak house in the heart of SoHo is inspired by classic Parisian bistros - and yes, they do have red-checked tablecloths. Paying homage to the renowned Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte - which for 50 years has had no menu, only one set meal of green salad with walnuts, steak and fries - La Vache!, which in French means "The Cow!", brings this simple but satisfying idea to Hong Kong. Eliminating the decision-making for one evening sounded good to us as we sipped our aperitifs and tucked into the fresh house-baked baguette and French butter. The green salad with walnuts was plentiful and comes with a zesty mustard vinaigrette. The rib-eye steak comes with a special La Vache! secret sauce, and servers plate two-thirds of the meat with the fries while leaving the other third warming over a burner on the table. For salad and steak, it is HK$258 a head, but do not leave before trying the homemade French pastries. The dessert cart brims with mille-feuille (HK$98), éclairs (HK$78), crème caramel (HK$78) and more. It will be hard to beat this set meal for taste, quality ingredients and price. Tracey Furniss LA VACHE! 48 PEEL STREET SOHO CENTRAL 2880 0248 WWW.LAVACHE.COM.HK TASTY INTERACTION We breezed through Kaetsu, the Grand Hyatt's contemporary Japanese dining outlet, to get to newly opened Western and Japanese-style restaurant The Teppanroom. The cosy, dark room seats 16 around the teppanyaki grill where diners watch chefs create dishes and enjoy an interactive dining experience. Unlike other teppanyaki fare, The Teppanroom offers international ingredients cooked teppanyaki style. We started with the prawn corn wrap with avocado bell pepper dip (HK$120), which was pan-grilled before us, as was the spring chicken with lemon yogurt and flat-leaf parsley served with tomato salad (HK$160). There is a choice of wagyu from A5 and A3 tenderloin to A4 sirloin and Australian sirloin, with prices ranging from HK$480 to HK$620. We tried the sirloin, which was deliciously tender and a big hit with diners. The dish of snow peas, lily bulbs, chanterelle mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tomatoes and palm hearts (HK$120) was light and delicate, while the surf and turf fried rice, green tea and quail egg (HK$90) is not to be missed. For dessert, we went back to the 1970s with a refreshing yet spicy flambé made from pineapple, tequila and black pepper with coconut ice cream (HK$85). Tracey Furniss THE TEPPANROOM M/F, GRAND HYATT HONG KONG 1 HARBOUR ROAD WAN CHAI 2584 7722 HONGKONG.GRAND.HYATTRESTAURANTS.COM SOUTHEAST CHIC While there has been a proliferation of pho and mainstream Vietnamese restaurants in Hong Kong, chic fine dining has been a long time coming. The Hue-style inspired décor of An Nam is by interior design and lighting experts Steve Leung and Tino Kwan. We started with the steamed rice flan in Hue style (HK$80). The texture was reminiscent of Chinese pudding cake (boot jai go), but the crispy pig skin and minced shrimp toppings gave it an added kick. The deep-fried spring rolls (HK$108) did not disappoint, and the barbecued pork with bun vermicelli (HK$108) was impressively succulent and perfectly cooked. The An Nam signature king prawns (HK$328) were fresh and big, but it was the sauce of annatto seed, young coconut juice and fish sauce that made this dish irresistable. The giant clay pot lemongrass clams (HK$188) drew appreciative exclamations. The fleshy clams were so juicy that there was enough for a significant broth. The sweetness of the juice plus the lemongrass flavour made for a heady drinkable soup. The An Nam roasted chicken with sticky rice cakes (HK$168) was a delight, and no Vietnamese meal is complete without a bowl of beef pho (HK$90) and a Vietnamese drip coffee (HK$45). The restaurant also offers wines and cocktails. Winnie Chung AN NAM 4/F LEE GARDENS 33 HYSAN AVENUE CAUSEWAY BAY 2787 3922 STARRING ROLE Gonpachi takes up half of the venue left by Lawry's in Lee Gardens and is an extension of the izakaya restaurant of the same name in Roppongi, Tokyo. Known for its "starring" role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, the restaurant is popular with tourists. The décor offers a pleasant first impression; it's like stepping into an Edo-era Japanese inn with rustic wooden furniture and traditional lanterns. The semi-circle around the podium allows for a variety of seating choices. That should not detract from the culinary offerings, of which yakitori and hand-pounded soba play their own starring roles. The yellow tail (HK$168) and botan shrimp (HK$328) sashimi was fresh and the sea urchin sushi (HK$98) was generous. The bagna cauda (HK$188) piqued our interest; the appetiser was pretty with a box of colourful vegetables, that were blanched and then refrigerated, eaten by dipping into a delicious Shanghai crab roe simmering on a candle-lit burner. The yakitori sticks of ox tongue (HK$68), short rib (HK$98) and tuna belly with wasabi (HK$148) were cooked enough to retain the natural juices. The pumpkin and coconut zenzai dessert ($68) won me over even though I wasn't a big pumpkin fan. Winnie Chung GONPACHI 4/F THE LEE GARDENS 33 HYSAN AVENUE CAUSEWAY BAY 2787 3688 LEEGARDENS.COM.HK HIGH STANDARDS One of three restaurants on the 18th floor of The One in Tsim Sha Tsui, Tapagria is the only one that boasts a huge alfresco podium which offers a breathtaking view of Hong Kong Island's skyline. Opened by actress Carina Lau Ka-ling, the restaurant has an impressive 14-page menu of tapas and a drinks menu that will send sangria lovers into liquor-induced heaven with about 65 concoctions. We eased into our dinner - and our sangria of Bacardi, lime, brown sugar, mint and angostura (HK$330 per jug) - with the Andalusian-style deep-fried baby squid (HK$195). The crispy batter offset the juicy softness of the squid superbly. We were a bit disappointed with the portion size of the scallop wrapped with Spanish bacon, ganchet bean cream and squid ink oil (HK$85), perhaps because it tasted so good. The sautéed Iberico sausage with white wine (HK$65) came in a thick sweet sauce that was a little too overpowering. Two dishes to trumpet were slow-cooked crispy suckling pig with caramelised apple and honey mustard sauce (HK$95) and seafood paella (HK$185). The only complaint was that the paella came in an excruciatingly small portion only fit for one. Winnie Chung TAPAGRIA 18/F, THE ONE 100 NATHAN RD TSIM SHA TSUI 2147 0111 TAPAGRIA.HK