Eating out: Wolf

****
The arteries behind Mitsukoshi are always teeming as the fashionable and famished spill out of minibuses, taxis and the MTR to shop and dine it the heart of Causeway Bay.

Among the clutter of shops and restaurants, Wolf stands head and shoulders above the riff-raff and kitsch-cuisine. The shutters go up before noon and don’t come down till well after 2am, but the kitchen door closes at 10 when the bar/restaurant drops the suffix and the music turns up a notch… or two.

Mirrored walls give it a “big” look, but this little join seats 20 people at most and this has forced the establishment to provide quality service and attention to loyal clientele. Although I hadn’t been back to the Wolf for a while (the restaurant provides an excellent set lunch for $58), the staff remembered me well enough to quickly give us a table.

For appetizers, my friend Kristin chose the smoked salmon salad with avocado and crab meat ($88), while I opted for the Parma ham and spinach salad ($78). While the fine slivers of ham were quality and the spinach fresh, it was no match for my companion’s salmon salad. We bore no grudges for the extra minute it took to prepare as we wolfed down slices of salmon wrapped around clumps of crab meat and avocado.

For main course, the grilled duck-breast with orange glaze and pesto risotto ($120) was as mouth-watering as it sounds.

My friend had the grilled rare tuna with tomato and mushroom risotto that included two huge chunks of perfectly cooked tuna. It was wonderfully seared, peppery outside and was beautifully red and rare inside. The risotto was an excellent earthy accompaniment.

The small dessert menu was shortened when the waiter mentioned they were out of the blueberry cheesecake ($42), which I was hoping to try. Artfully presented, every dish we had was a delight. Don’ let the slick look, music and lighting of the place fool you into thinking its just a bar, when its so much more.

With a bottle of Penfolds 128 Shiraz ($328) and the obligatory 10 per cent service charge, the bill for two came to $911.

G/f 1 Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay.
Open: noon – 2am (last orders for dinner 10pm)
$$$

JAH

Walking into Jah, the funky new restaurant opposite what was the Yellow Frog on Peel Street, we noticed how small the tables were - a sure sign this place is more about atmosphere than the food. We were told it was a cyber cafe, but with just two terminals in front of the toilets, it's not the most obvious Internet stop.

As the restaurant was promoting its imported Spanish beer, Sol, we tried the two-for-one bottle deal which was pleasing enough, and started our meal with a chicken Caesar salad ($85).

To my mind, a simple dish made well is the mark of a great chef. Clearly we were testing ours. What we got was lettuce leaves completely soaked in dressing, croutons replaced with two large slabs of garlic bread and four little tomatoes.

For the main course we chose a crispy-base pizza with our choice of topping ($85), and a Jah special - sweet and sour sauce on steamed rice, with a choice of pork, chicken or shrimp ($75-$85).

The base on the pizza was great, but the cheese topping smothered the smoked salmon, olives and pepper. The sweet and sour chicken was mediocre.

Dessert was a complete disaster. Chosen from a display case, the chocolate fudge cake had dried out and the apple pie seemed to be straight out of a box. Both proved unpalatable, but the waitress, after seeing the extent of the leftovers, decided not to charge us.

The bill came to $412 including 10 per cent service charge. Tasteful, if not tasty. Wet your lips at Jah, but skip the meals.


G/f, 20-26 Peel Street, Central.
Tel: 2581 1025.
Open: Monday-Thursday noon-1am; Friday and Saturday noon-2am.
$$