Paris catch
This open bistro aims to give people a taste of Paris - along Staunton Street - with its inviting decor of pale pistachio walls, mirrors and French posters along with Gallic tunes in the background. Executive chef Renaud Marin's menu features classic French dishes, with most of the ingredients sourced from France. Some of the starters could be shared, such as the foie gras creme brulee which makes the smooth sinful treat a touch sweet and crunchy, topped with poppy seeds that should be spread on toasted sour dough. Presented in a small glass container is the smoked salmon and capers rilette, that's again spread on sour dough. A classic of six Bourgogne snails are cooked with finely diced parsley and garlic butter. For mains, the whiting topped with croutons and capers is excellent, while the traditional rabbit and foie gras in pastry is hearty. The bagna cauda seems more like a side dish to share, as raw vegetables are dipped in a warm anchovy truffle sauce. The wine list features a majority of wines from France, including 10 boutique vineyards. BC
La Marmite
46 Staunton Street, Soho, Central
2803 7808 WWW.AQUA.COM.HK
Currying flavour
If you can look past the vivid terracotta walls and strange fabric jellyfish-like lampshades, Rana Raj makes a pleasant spot to watch the world go by while tucking into some classic dishes from across north India. While the menu is fairly brief, there should be something for everyone. The fish finger Amritsari, strips of fish in batter, tasted better than it looked - the fish was tender and flavoursome, dipped into a tangy sauce. The vegetable galouti kebab was nicely dry and spicy. The saag paneer, cottage cheese in spinach gravy, was enjoyable while the butter chicken came with more of a curry gravy than the smooth sauce of butter chicken served in India. There is a short, reasonably priced wine list with options from around the world, including the Middle East. VB
