Singer-actress Joyce Cheng revels in laid-back ambience and classic flavours at Cecconi's Italian

As our first course is served - two beautifully plated dishes of yellowtail ceviche, fennel, orange and coriander - Hong Kong singer-actress Joyce Cheng whips out her phone. "I'm going to be Asian and take photos of this," she says.

She proceeds to shoot a short video clip on Snapchat, telling her friends and followers what she's having for lunch. "I'm a big fan of good food," she says. "I wanted to order a lot more, but I wouldn't be able to finish everything."

She looks over at my plate and exclaims: "Why didn't you order other stuff? Then we could have shared and tried more."

Cracking jokes at every turn, Cheng is a natural comedian with a hearty laugh. We met for lunch at the newly madeover Cecconi's Italian, located in the heart of Hong Kong's wining and dining scene at 77 Wyndham Street. The new location is accompanied by a brand-new menu that blends traditional Italian favourites and modern dishes selected by award-winning Australian chef Michael Fox, who also heads Cecconi's Italian in Melbourne and a number of high-profile restaurants across Europe.

Gone are the dark wooden beams, cushy red chairs and quirky chandeliers. The second-floor restaurant now boasts natural sunlit interiors, a semi-open kitchen, simple furniture in neutral tones and white brick walls accented with two bold black lines. The space is inviting and laid-back, and according to Cheng, looks like a "work-buddy type of place".

Our second course is a pasta dish - warm and creamy asparagus tortellini with mushroom and aged parmesan. Cheng had shared her earlier appetiser with a few colleagues who accompanied her to the restaurant, but as we start to dig in, she says: "I think I might not share this one."