Perched above HK on 102f overlooking the dwindling Harbour, The Lounge & Bar is born high in the sky. The afternoon tea for two is good, though not to the point of surreal. The scones in particular are a killer and so are the eclectic mix of sweets. But there was no sandwich and tarts. The view is superb even though HK is shrouded in toxic and choking air. As I watch the choppers flying over a greyish sky and the dazzling array of ferries breaking waves in a crisscross fashion, the sweets beckon on the three-tier silver tray that shines even in the dim sky.

There is little I can criticize about the service - there is no flaw I can find in fact. But the only dent on this shiny armour is - same as what I witness elsewhere in HK - the presence of noisy Chinese/HK 'patrons'. This time they are the noisy housewives, who mistakenly think this place is a neighborhood charchantang, which, true to HK's pride tradition, is not an establishment that requires table manner. In fact anything. They chat to the point of shouting so that everyone in their vicinity can hear exactly when they say.

Save this rather unpleasant encounter, the whole experience is as memorable as it is refreshing. Special credits go to the beautiful manager who toils to bring me to a magnifiicent seat way from the noisy housewives and raucous Mainlanders.

Like many former old Hong Kong establishment, The Peak Lookout is not your old restaurant anymore. Long gone were the colonial days. Much as the new owners would like to re-establish this historical restaurant to its former glory, they have missed, and missed quite miserably, some key ingredients that make up the recipe for fond memories.

Dined there and ordered some foie gras and steak, just the usual set. On this account, The Peak Lookout has made the grade, although not brilliant. Its ambience, inherited much from the previous owners, is very pleasing indeed. It would have been good to slot in the scale of a decent mid-scale dining place.

But my compliment must stop here. To my surprise, I felt I was transported to a Daipaidong housed in the Peak Cafe while dining in this otherwise good restaurant. The green (i.e. young and inexperienced) and vulgar waiters swore loudly in the kitchen underneath the restaurant. Their Cantonese foul language was an annoying noise that brought calamity to the atmosphere of the place. They lacked the attentiveness of their predecessors, behaving rudely and recklessly as they presented dishes or took them away. Poor training may be culprit, and I didn't really care.

I think every owner of an upscale or decent restaurant agrees that waiters/waitresses' service quality does count. If the Peak Lookout listens and improves, I am more than happy to come back. But on this occasion, I cannot give it anything better than "poor".

Fellow Openricers have their comments on this layback restaurant on Pier 7. Thanks to ignoring blocks of concrete, you can't actually view the harbour in this airy, fresh restaurant. What it lacks a sea view, it more than compensates your disappointment by giving you an open skyline of the Hong Kong island.
Here you can try flicker light to your fellow office colleagues who would occasionally look out of the window. You can bathe in the sun on the open terrace outside the restaurant, which, according to some self-proclaimed "ingenious" town planners, is a "public area" enjoying a right of way through the restaurant.
Pier 7 is bestowed with a nice environ which is matched by its spacious and simplistic interior. The high ceiling and tall windows let the space suffuse with an air of comfort and strangely, tranquility.
Now on food. It serves daily lunch buffet. The turn for my visit was lamb carving. I have to say the lamb is of good quality, but still a distance from being great. There is a salad bar with limited choices, but thinking laterally you should thank you are not bemused and it is good for any weight watchers. The veggie is fresh.
Waiters are ok. In fact only minimal service was tendered.
Overall, a good place to sip a cup of coffee and to reduce your waistline.

剛於七月遊覽日本東北，駕車到過喜多方．那是一個小鎮，沒有高樓大廈．那裡出名的拉麵店不少，隨便選擇了內拉麵，店舖沒甚裝潢，但麵好吃到得不了．可能我的友伴漂亮的關係，店員還送了拉麵鎖匙扣給我們．位於附近的會津若松，拉麵水準也真不錯．喜多方的拉麵，多以清湯做底，配較粗身但爽口的面條，以喜多方的山水，加上日本小麥和舖滿碗面的豬肉，不單令人回味，更教人感動．
朋友告知我香港天后開了一間”喜多方”拉麵，身為拉麵fans，當然不能不去．
香港的偽日式拉麵店，可以說俯拾皆是．初到”喜多方”拉麵，不作太大期望．
吃了招牌拉麵，麵條幼幼的，加上豬骨湯底，像九州拉麵多一點．
雖然天后的喜多方不太喜多方，但老板並不欺場．拉麵幼而帶點韌，晶瑩而微滑，頗有九州之風，湯底亦不膩，配菜和豬肉是有心之作．總體來說，環顧香港的拉麵水準，小店的拉麵屬中上水準，相當不錯．知道老板本人也是拉麵迷，這點很重要：他會吃自家麵店的拉麵，水準一定不會差．　　
我把在喜多方拉麵店拍下的數碼照片拿給老板看，笑說如他真有興趣引入地道喜多方拉麵，用喜多方的地道材料，我相信即使一碗拉麵賣到一百元，也會有捧場客，包括香港的日本人，和越來越嘴勺的哈日族．　

夏天快到, 要在沙灘上展示一身肌肉, 或老實點說, 避免有肚腩, 我不得不減肥.
事實和時間都證明, 看openrice對保持健美身材有一定難度, 尤其是見到其他食客令人大快朵頤的經歷, 令戒口比戒什麼都難.
因此, 我到了久違的 Main St Deli, 只點了一道Combo, 有新鮮的沙拉, 一塊細小的beef fillet, 肉質很好也沒有肉根, 添上兩隻有蝦味的king prawns, 加半份lamb burger. 不是太多吧. 我已沒有點甜品了.
隔日走到泳池游水, 在拼命消耗過量卡路里時, 也想起這道豐富的晚餐, 各樣菜式都做得不錯, 餐廳保持水準, 侍應態度很好. 雖然餐廳沒有紐約大街的喧嘩氣氛, 也沒有什麼猶太人或意大利人用餐, 份量也少於美國大街店舖所能吃到的, 始終覺得"fine dining"感覺太重. 也因此, 餐廳的名字有點誤導. 位於一間半高級的酒店內, 它應叫做 "Off the Main Street Deli", 或許更匹配. 當然, 它也比許多紐約大街食店來得乾淨.