Sweet taste of Jamaica in DB

Hemingway's by the Bay

Hong Kong's Caribbean Coast may be in the western New Territories, but Discovery Bay is where the real West Indian action is, at least in a culinary sense. It is also a welcome addition to that remarkably diverse entity that is DB Plaza dining, which now features cuisines from the Korean peninsula to the Cayman Islands.

The first thing that strikes one about the recently opened Hemingway's by the Bay (Shop G09, G/F, Block A, DB Plaza, Discovery Bay, Lantau Island, 2987 8855) - or 'Bar Grill Barbecue' (as it calls itself) - is its superb location overlooking Discovery Bay's beach and the gentle arc of Tai Pak Bay. With about half its tables alfresco and employing a breezy and zestful colouration in maritime hues - aquamarine, jade-sea green and Jamaican sunshine yellow - Hemingway's presents itself as much a destination restaurant as a DB family standby.

Fringed by newly planted palms on a stretch of reclamation that is now one of Lantau Island's most elegant promenades, and usually thronged by relaxed-looking diners, Hemingway's is inviting and intimate, especially when its spicy aromas waft towards the pier as the lights of Disneyland and Tuen Mun glint through the sunset.

Hemingway's menu and standards are getting more self-assured by the day.

For this barbecue aficionado, the most impressive entree was the barbecue jerk salmon from The Grill (HK$98), which comes with a memorably crunchy corn and black-bean salsa and roasted okra. Salmon may not be the most West Indian of fish, but Hemingway's treatment delivered an exotic treat of many textures and flavours. This dish struck me as being worthy of a five-star hotel eatery.

Also notable was the mixed seafood pasta - Tuscany meets Trinidad - an amply proportioned entree that constituted excellent value at HK$125.