For all-you-can-eat at under $150 this wasn't bad at all, especially the Japanese pork. It's probably the best all-you-can-eat quality I've had, and the mini grill at the top was pretty cool - Korean BBQ and hotpot cravings satisfied all at once! I'd stay away from the seafood though. The razor clams we had tasted chalky. Also gets quite busy, so I'd book ahead.

I have a thing for tradition and old-school. Recently I've been trying to visit more classic dining establishments in Hong Kong - the kind that in-the-know families have been going to for decades, but would never even consider if you asked them for a recommendation. It seems weird, but of my favourite sources to ask is one of my aunts who works in the film industry. By no means is she the oldest of my aunts (in fact, she's probably on the young side), but possibly because she's always on the lookout for innovative places to film, and is a bit of a foodie (runs in the family), she knows a lot of tucked away nooks and crannies.

It was this aunt who took me to Tai Fung Lau, an almost crumbling Peking-style restaurant known for its authentic cuisine from the capital, including shuan yang rou (shaved lamb), which is what Beijingers call their hot pots (because shaved lamb is almost exclusively what you eat). I love them not just because they serve good food, but also for the coal-fuelled hot pot.

The hot pot is totally old-school, complete with a chimney, which is needed for the charcoal that's burning underneath. It keeps the water (plain water, not soup is used) at a dainty simmer with tiny bubbles rather than a violent boil. It's increasingly difficult to find places that use these pots, even in Beijing.

The tray in the second pic contains the sauces that you get to mix yourself. Start with the sesame on the left as your base, then add splashes/dashes/sprinkles of the other condiments. Next to the sesame is a sort of fermented soy bean paste that has a slight sour/sweet/yeast-like flavour that I'm not too fond of, so I skip that, but I add a bit of everything else. In the teapots there's the usual soy sauce and chilli oil, but also the very fragrant huadiao wine (that's also used to make things like drunken chicken and steamed crab - omg that reminds me of the awesome rendition at The Chairman!). I also add copious amounts of parsley.

Once you're done with the sauces, the waiters (who are about as old as the restaurant and all have very lovable non-Cantonese accents) take the tray away, move the flimsy metal disk away from the middle of the table to reveal the circular pit that the hot pot will go into. The ingredients you put in are up to you - pretty standard hot pot stuff, but their meats are so thinly sliced, you can see through it like a lantern. The curls also remind me of shaved jamon. Mmm...

(see my blog for more: http://www.e-tingfood.com/2010/05/coal-hot-pot-tai-fung-lau.html)

Probably better known as a bar, this artsy, laid back restaurant/bar up the steep Aberdeen St boasts excellent food as well as reasonably-priced wine. Think homely French rather than haute. This ain't Caprice, but it's the kind of place you'd want to be your local. We had a great lamb fillet, grilled medium, with delightful crunchy edges and served on a wooden plank with fried cubed potatoes. Simple but flavoursome. Foie gras was served on a thin slice of pineapple instead of the usual apple, which was interesting and worked quite well. The cheese platter was excellent and the grilled flatbread that came with it divine. We opened a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape, it was probably one of the more expensive bottles on the (blackboard) wine list, but was only around $500. If my memory serves, the least expensive bottle was under $300. A great place to hang out with friends over a casual dinner.

For $30+ it's not cheap and it's not in the best location in IFC (Simply Life, Isola, RED etc have that), but if it's brilliant espresso-based coffee you want, this place can't be beat. On par, or even better than Crema in TST East, also a haunt for in-the-know coffee lovers.

It's now a must-stop on my lunchtime circuit - they do about 4 types of baguettes daily, ranging from about $38-$48. I love the Bayonnais, with dried ham (similar to Italian prosciutto), gouda and rocket, but actually all their baguettes are great. I'm not sure if the bread is made in house, but it's crust and chewy and easy to eat on the go. No seats though - take away only.

They also sell little tarts and a very tempting mini chocolate cake, but at $38 for what I could finish in 2 bites, it's a little steep. Maybe another time.