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.