Spaghetti carbonara is a dish of pasta slathered in eggs, cheese and bacon. As carbonaro means 'charcoal burner' in Italian, one idea is that the Italian dish was originally made for miners. Nowadays, it is a hugely popular choice in Italian restaurants around the world.

Try: Caffe Habitu the table, L1, 2/F, Leighton Centre, 77 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: 3579 4050

Molten chocolate cake

A popular French dessert, this is like a mix between a cake and a souffl? There is a dispute over who created this dessert first, but the famous US-based French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is credited with popularising it outside France.

Try: Zoe, G/F, 7A-3 Shan Chuen Road, Happy Valley. Tel: 2892 1166

Greek-ish salad

Ingredients

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 small cucumbers, cut into 1cm slices

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped

1 block feta cheese, chopped into 1cm cubes

a handful of black olives

Dressing

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2-1 clove garlic (to taste), crushed

Method

Place all the salad ingredients in a bowl and blend together gently with your hands. In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Taste for seasoning.

Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad. Enjoy with crusty bread.