Amina² Cuisine could probably be better described as an unpretentious Italian private kitchen than fine dining. It offers hearty and, generally, tasty - if not 100 per cent authentic - Italian fare. Situated in a residential block in one of the busiest parts of Causeway Bay, Amina² Cuisine is a haven away from the madding crowds with just five tables seating 24.

The restaurant is an offshoot of Amina Cuisine in Tsim Sha Tsui, which is best known for its fresh oysters. Amina² Cuisine also offers freshly shucked oysters off the main menu, but its mainstay is a five-course menu of daily specials, which you can pick from a limited but respectable selection with prices around HK$650 to HK$700, depending on your main course. There's no corkage charge.

We tried the Alaskan king crab meat with lemongrass and cucumber jelly tower, and the foie gras terrine with Iberico ham and apple salsa. The layers of tomato, cucumber jelly, crab meat, topped with sprouts and a dollop of caviar gave each mouthful an interesting texture, and the apple salsa was a good foil for the heaviness of the generous helping of foie gras.

After a thick lobster bisque, it was foie gras again - this time panfried and served with pineapple marinated with marsala. The foie gras was fried to perfection, and considerably less oily than many we have tasted. The tiger prawn and chorizo couscous crispy roll was too similar to Chinese spring rolls to be more of a hit.

The Hokkaido scallop risotto is a regular speciality. The risotto was aromatic and pungent and each taste elicited a burst of flavours from the cheese and sauce. However, the rice could have been a little more al dente. But the M9 wagyu beef with beetroot mash, wild vegetables and Himalayan salt was the piece de resistance. The unmarinated meat was tender and juicy but went surprisingly well with the beetroot, or even just the salt.