Veal cigars (HK$120) were the weakest of the dishes, oddly because they were too meaty (some people wouldn’t complain about that, though), which made them heavy and one-dimensional.

The falafel with tahini (HK$50) were also dense but they were made with fava beans, rather than chickpeas, and they had a slight bitterness that made them interesting.

They went deliciously with our favourite mezze of the night: burnt aubergine (HK$70). The refreshing dish was composed of chopped aubergine mixed with peppers and chilli, and had a nice amount of acidity from the addition of yogurt.

Cured Japanese sardines (HK$120) were delicious: the meaty fish fillets came on a tiny piece of toast with pickled onion, although we couldn’t really detect the listed ’nduja.

A special of the evening, beef manti (HK$130), was another winner. The bite-size dumplings had a tender wrapper, subtly spiced filling, and the whole combination of chilli oil, burnt butter and yogurt made each one a delicious mouthful.

We ordered one dish from the “more” section. The kafta (HK$160) were made with “70 per cent spring lamb and 30 per cent wagyu skirt” (so the manager explained). We loved this dish. The two meats had been roughly chopped and the meatballs, which were served with tahini, grilled onions and chopped tomatoes, were light, juicy and perfectly seasoned.

For dessert, knefeh (HK$80) – mozzarella wrapped in kadaif pastry (like finely shredded filo) – sounded as if it was going to be heavy, but it wasn’t. We loved it because it wasn’t too sweet; it had a small amount of orange blossom syrup and chopped pistachios.

Francis, 4-6 St Francis Street, Wan Chai, tel: 3101 9521.

About HK$350 without drinks or the service charge.

While you’re in the area: