At last, a hip new spot on the Sheung Wan dining scene – a place called Graze (142 Bonham Strand, 2850-7766) just on the corner of Bonham Strand and Queen’s Rd., serving up some damn tasty sandwiches and international fare for a decent price.
My new mate Claudio Dieli is the new chef at the Mistral. He hails from Sicily and was quick to point out that a real Sicilian menu would be something like this: homemade tortellini with prawns, ricotta cheese and basil risotto with truffle essence, grilled swordfish, and sea bass and sole fillet in an almond and bread stick crust. All this with a Wine Spectator Award Winner at The Mistral, one of the first non-European members of the Buon Rocordo Italian restaurant association. B2, InterContintental Grand Standford, 70 Mody Rd., 2731-2870.
Here’s a tip – when choosing a wine to go with dinner, it's honestly not worth the effort to ask the waitron robot who has never once had a glass of wine on their own; ask the manager instead.
Take a break from your otherwise unhealthy diet and have a mushroom meal at Shang Palace in Kowloon Shangri-la (B/F, 64 Mody Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2733-8754). The Chinese restaurant is now offering a new Yunnan mushroom lunch and dinner menu till Aug 31. I love the sautéed fillet of lobster with chanterelle and water chestnuts ($500) and also the double-boiled chicken soup with morel mushrooms ($100 per person) – the latter is very mushroomy and made me feel healthier afterwards.
Lotus recently launched a lunch buffet, with dishes changing every week. The modern Thai menu will include mainstays of light salads, rich mains and a rotating dessert section. Think shredded chicken and coconut appetizers and the ever-popular green papaya salad alongside a whole range of curries, stir fries and good old pad thai. $120, Mon-Fri. noon-3pm. 37-43 Pottinger St., Central, 2543-6290.