I (quite) like Lucy's

I’d heard a lot of good things about Lucy’s in Stanley: delicious food, great atmosphere, creative menu etc etc, so I decided to check it out last night.
They’ve gone for a Tuscan theme decoration wise which, in my humble opinion, doesn’t work; the place is in danger of looking like JD Weatherspoons meets the Home & Away set. Bad lighting, even worse wall stenciling and a tacky palm tree to round the whole look off. I was feeling slightly nauseous when the waiter handed me the menu, but once glance at that was more then enough to convince me to stay.

The menu is a great size, you choose from five or six starters and main courses and there’s a separate pudding list. You’re not overwhelmed by choices so the simple, well thought out food really stands out (which is lucky given the decoration scheme). Starters include a deliciously fresh mozzarella, courgette, almond and grape salad with a fig tapenade ($90) and char-grilled squid and white bean bruschetta ($85). There was a tomato and thyme braised lamb shank on the main course menu ($200), along with falafel with tomato salad and pita ($170) and seabass with spicy chickpeas, aubergine and pomegranate couscous ($210), which I strongly recommend.

Feeling very full we still pushed on to the puddings; I went for a fantastic rhubarb and raspberry crumble and my friend opted for a pecan and ginger tart. Both were excellent. They also have two and three course set menus at $240 and $280.

I feel a bit sorry for the girls who get taken there for cosy dinners à deux. Although Lucy’s offers delicious food and wine it isn’t exactly the romantic dinner date destination I’d imagined. Well, perhaps if you’re Alf and Alsa and living happily in Summer Bay, but this is Hong Kong and there are hundreds of romantic hotspots to choose from. For a girly dinner or a good food fix I’d go back, but I won’t be angling for a hot date there any time soon.

Lucy's - G/F, 64 Stanley Main Street, Stanley. Tel: +852 2813 9055. Look for the side street to the right of Deli France, the restaurant is up there.

Mama Mia!

For deli fans like me the thought of twenty five types of salami, ham and pâté equals serious salivation. Add to this a whole ream of cheeses, including delicious taleggio and pecorino, grilled artichokes, broad bean salads and gently fried dover sole and you've got an elbow-jabbing, taxi-chasing, must-see attraction on your hands.

Il Bel Paese (I visited the Caine Road branch, but will be hurrying to Wanchai and Happy Valley as soon as I've finished scoffing my current batch of San Daniele) is one such Aladdin's Cave of deli delights. They've got shelves stacked with wine, olive oil (and I mean the good stuff), balsamic vinegar, pasta, tapenade, pesto, lentils, butter beans, chickpeas, capers, porcini mushrooms, truffles, peppers and more delicious Italian treats than I've seen since I set foot in Hong Kong. There's a fresh fruit and veg counter and, should you so desire, Florentine ceramics you can pick up too. The best part is that it's all a lot cheaper than the likes of CitySuper, Great and Olivers. Hooray!

They also prepare food to eat-in or takeaway. On the menu are salads such as Caesar ($32) and Tuscany bean with tuna ($28), cheese platters (from $72), cold cut platters (from $65), pasta dishes (from $48 - $58), fish ($52), meatballs ($52), sandwiches (from $30) - and we're talking the fiocaccia and ciabatta kind - and puddings (from $29). They can also cater if you're planning a party. The smells from the kitchen were delicious and I'm sure the food would do Mama proud.

Happy Valley: 23 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2868 2818
Mid-Levels: G/F, No.85 Caine Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2549 8893
Wanchai: G/F, No.25 Queen's Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2804 2992

All hail Aqua Luna

Fancy living the life of a Tai Pan or sipping on a sundowner like a colonial conquistador? Well, if you're in Hong Kong it's easy, book yourself straight onto the Aqua Luna junk and cruise the harbour in serious style. Departing from both Central and Tsim Sha Tsui the junk runs daily from 13:30 to 22:30 and gives you unrivaled views of Hong Kong's harbour from a spectacular vantage point.

With its iconic deep red sails the Aqua Luna, a traditional Chinese junk, is an experience not to be missed. On arrival you're handed a complimentary glass of wine, beer or a soft drink, and invited to lie back on one of the comfy sofas and enjoy the views. There are more photo opps than you can shake a stick at and you're guaranteed to be the envy of all your friends once they see your snaps.

The junk was painstakingly built by an 80 year old craftsman and is known in Cantonese as Cheung Po Tsai. The eponymous Cheung Po Tsai was an infamous nineteenth century pirate who terrorised Hong Kong's waters. No pirates to be seen these days, but if you book yourself onto this water bound beauty you're guaranteed to feel like you're the one who's found all the treasure.

Book online here or call +852 2116 8821. Booking is essential.

A sheep worth following

The Black Sheep restaurant in sleepy Shek O is a Hong Kong favourite. Bursting at lunchtime with beach lovers, locals and hikers alike its pizzas, seafood, fresh globe artichokes and homemade lemonade are enough of an attraction to make the 30 minute journey from Central more than worthwhile.

Although you can feel much better about gorging on their gastronomic treats after having hiked the Dragon's Back or done a few lengths up and down Shek O beach, dinner at The Black Sheep (without any of the outdoor activities) is a real treat and much recommended.

Once the sun sets the restaurant is an even more relaxed affair than usual; lit up with bizarre planetary mobiles, glittering disco balls and overlooked by a temple it is a pocket of calm and tranquility, the like of which is usually only found on far flung beaches and in hard-to-reach havens.

There are far fewer diners in the evening, which means that the service is much faster and the staff more attentive. I even got a 20% discount off the food because the waitress recognised me as a regular. I'll definitely be flocking back.

The Black Sheep - G/F, 350 Shek O Village, Shek O. Tel: +852 2809 2021

It's a wrap

It can be tough to find a decent piece of wrapping paper in this city, but I stumbled upon a treasure trove this morning in the most unlikely of places.

I was buying envelopes (of all the exciting things) at the Yat Cheong Paper Co. on Lyndhurst Terrace when I spied lots of pretty handmade wrapping paper on display. Choose from paper studded with dried flowers, deep blue paper with marbled streaks, greens, pinks and lots lots more. Now I just need something gorgeous to wrap up...

Yat Cheong Paper Co - G/F, 26 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2815 8466.

Va Va VROOM!

I've never been much of a driver and it was with some trepidation that I agreed to a racing night at the Sideways Driving Club in Central. Tucked away on Chancery Lane Sideways is a virtual racing centre and, in short, a total boy heaven.

Lining the walls are thirteen shiny simulators that on first sight look decidedly more dodgems than David Coulthard, all hooked up to a big screens on which the virtual race plays out. After having donned a rather unattractive pair of "racing socks", Grand Prix wannabes squeeze into the small cockpits, which are (apparently) as much like a real Porsche racing cars as is possible.

After a short briefing from the owners you're let loose on the machines and sent to trial the track before the real racing begins. The driving is a lot more adrenaline fuelled that I'd imagined; if you're in any way competitive seeing your friends whizz past you on your plasma screen, witnessing large scale pile ups at every corner and revving up before the races begin really gets your heart pumping!

The evening is broken down into three parts. The first race is three laps, with a one lap qualifier; the second race is five laps with an obligatory pit-stop and a three lap qualifier; the third race is three laps in driving rain with a one lap qualifier. Yuktai, one of the club's owners, can complete a lap in 1min30secs, her boyfriend, co-owner and ex-professional racer can do it in about 1:20. The fastest in our group sped round in about 1:36 and I was left trailing behind at 1:43.

Between each race there's as much pizza, wine and beer as you can stomach, which must make Sideways one of the only places in the world where you're encouraged to drink and drive.

Sideways' owners Yuktai Chan and her boyfriend own a trading company, which is where they work by day. Needless to say however, Sideways is rapidly overtaking to become their more profitable venture. They cater for individual racing, group racing, tuition and corporate events. Yuktai says that it's fast becoming a popular party venue, and they can even bring their simulators out to other events around the city. They've got some heavyweights behind them too, professional racing car drivers pop in whilst in Hong Kong to practise for upcoming competitions. I think I might hang out there more often, a girl never knows when she might bump into Lewis Hamilton.

For more information on rates and packages click here.

Sideways Driving Club - LG/F, 1 - 2 Chancery Lane, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2523 0983 / email: racing@sideways-racing-club.com.

Loving your Laksa

Laksa lovers look no further. I've checked out Pasar, both in Wanchai and in Central, and am happy to report that they serve up a superlative bowl of this spicy, aromatic comfort food.

The Laksa Supreme (with prawn, fish cakes, squid balls, tofu and egg) costs $68, and you can also opt for Laksa Special (shrimp, cockles, fish cakes, squid balls and tofu) at $48 and Laksa with Singaporean Chicken for the same price. If you're a veggie don't despair, the staff at this friendly joint are happy to omit the meat and fish and prepare a morning glory, tofu and beansprout stuffed version to make sure you don't miss out on this creamy delight.

If Laksa isn't your thing there are plenty of other Singaporean dishes on the menu, from beef rendang to fried carrot cake with shrimp to grilled sambal stingray (much recommended by a friend). They also do lunch and afternoon tea sets if you're on a budget.

Central location - 2/F, Yu Wing Building, 64 - 66 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: 3693 4448

Wanchai Location - 97 Johnston Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Tel: 3168 2057