Hot Plates of '08

1. D17

17/F, Continental Diamond Plaza, 525 Hennessy Rd., Causeway Bay, 3907-0090
Already a cult favorite, this little restaurant within a commercial building is all wood paneling in grays with cozy cushion-laden booths on one side, and a seafood bar and open kitchen with faux-crocodile flooring on the other. Local celebrity foodie Walter Kei is the mastermind behind both décor and menu. His French-fusion fare features lots of raw seafood but intriguing twists abound, like the sweet abalone steak and the ingenious hairy crab dinner set in autumn—which included an enthralling crab-roe spaghettini, while the fiery ginger tea, customarily served with the crab at Chinese banquets, was made into a fierce sorbet.

2. Kun

6/F, Wellington Place, 2-8 Wellington St., Central, 2868-5657
The Happy Valley favorite now has a new branch in Central, right on top of Sushi Kuu, but whereas popular Kuu goes for a more modern approach to Japanese dining, Kun is all tradition. Master Lau used to be the executive chef at Sushi Qube, and was at Tokyo’s celebrated Kyubei as well. His omakase (gimme whatever) course features delight after delight. A must-try is their famous melt-in-your-mouth anago (sea eel). Their claim to utlra-freshness? The owners have sea-route connections to bypass seafood suppliers, so you can’t get fresher than that. Carnivores can go for the teppanyaki circus at the back.

3. Island Tang

The Galleria, 9 Queen’s Rd. Central, 2526-8797
Island Tang is a conscientiously furnished space with a swanky art deco template, by Sir David Tang of The China Club. Antique chandeliers, lamps and old ceiling fans evoke colonial Hong Kong. And while it offers a selection of old-school Cantonese essentials—including excellent and dainty dim sum in the afternoon—there are nevertheless some outstanding offbeat numbers such as deep-fried duck coated with a fluffy taro crust, fall-off-the-bone stewed wagyu oxtail in a light satay sauce, green kale braised with minced preserved vegetables, and the house favorite, honey-glazed black pig.

4. La Loggia Pain Grillé

3/F, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St., Central, 2508-0798
The newest pain grillé in town at the agnès b. flagship store has exquisite interiors by AFSO’s Andre Fu—a hauntingly sexy lounge opens into the adorable “Library” area, whose walls are lined by bookshelves, inspired by Le Fumoir next to the Louvre, one of Agnès’ favorite restaurants. This particular pain grillé focuses on French seafood imported directly from France. Try their Byzantine fresh seafood platter and hearty bouillabaisse. The petit, succulent, tender, juicy mussels in white wine cream sauce are also a must.