Silvermine Beach Hotel's rebirth

The new owners of the Silvermine Beach Hotel certainly didn't waste any time reopening it.

I guess, in the hotel industry, every day of closure translates to hundreds of thousands in lost revenue.

They seem to have breathed new life into the place, if the buzz at the buffet is anything to go by.

If this upward trend continues, we may just give the place another chance. That suckling pig really looks too good to miss.

Best onion bhajis in HK

In case you think I'm a total dining curmudgeon after my last post, here are the best onion bhajis in Hong Kong.

Freshly made, totally yummy and only HK$20 for three (I think Gordon used to give four but inflation, ah well...) from Bombay Cafe.

And yes, those legs are pretty good too.

Non restaurant review

Buffalo Wilbur and I love to support the local restaurants.

But I'm afraid you're not going to be getting a review of Casa Brasil anytime soon – not if these are the prices they're charging.

Wine is about HK$65 a glass. That's almost as much as some Soho restaurants are charging.

I'm sure the food is good and will probably justify those prices but we don't have that type of money to spend on a non-special occasion.

Pity really because I do like the idea of a hearty Brazilian meal. (And in case you're thinking this is some pathetic attempt to eat for free or something, no, I don't do that. That's why I prefer to stay anonymous and write about stuff I genuinely like.)

If you want to know what the food tastes like, Lantau Link has been there and posted their comments.

Pizza party

We thought pizza would be a perfect lazy Sunday lunch and what better place to get it than at the newly opened restaurant, The Kitchen?

The place is so laidback that you can basically order the pizza you want and, if they don't have the ingredients, someone – most likely Avi – will pop over to the supermarket to get some.

They make the dough themselves so it tastes really fresh. I love the thin crust so much I can eat just that on its own.

Our meal of two pizzas and a coffee came to HK$185 (there's no service charge – and no cash till yet for that matter).

Be warned, though: each is slightly more than 1 foot in diameter and can easily feed two.

We over-ordered so now have enough for dinner with something for tomorrow's lunch pack too. But it was good pizza so I'm not complaining.

More eats coming our way

Things are progressing in Mui Wo. The restaurant beside BEA now has a name – Casa Brasil – while the Italian one on the ground floor of Scenic Crest has a bar and is painted a nautical blue.

Looks like they're aiming to open in time to catch the summer crowd.

Can't wait. Hopefully, we will be tucking in to churrascaria and pizza soon.

Buffalo Wilbur's new happy place

Buffalo Wilbur has been frequenting Deer Horn (Tel: 3484-3095) for lunch these days because he loves their freshly-made pasta. The other day, he went for lunch and kept quiet about it so he could persuade me to go there for dinner too.

But I think I could get used to the place, wobbly boards and all. Because the prawns with grapes and almonds is to die for. The spice adds a zing to your tastebuds, which the seedless grapes cool down. Owner Pushpa says it's her bestseller, along with the fish and chips.

I feel hungry just talking about it. Well, I certainly know what I'll be having for dinner tonight.

Yummy teppanyaki

I love Japanese food and have been bemoaning the fact that we don't have a Japanese restaurant in Mui Wo. I know, I know, I'm totally spoilt... seeing as we already have an Indian, an Italian and a Turkish in addition to the local food. But hey, I'm a happy bunny now that Pui O Delicious (Tel: 2984-2298) has opened.

We first saw it emerging from our usual walk to Pui O (it's just across the road from the water buffalo viewing gallery). But it opens only for lunch (noon to 3pm) and dinner (6pm to 11pm) and we usually hike after lunch. So we didn't try out the place.

Then I saw its flyer in the Thai massage place and it strengthened my resolve to try it out. So, the next hike we took, I sneakily delayed it by so long that we finally arrived in time for dinner.

I'm glad we did. The chef, who is local, trained in Japan so the food tasted authentic. They have a teppan so you can watch your food being cooked – as in a traditional teppanyaki joint. And the grill gave a lovely smoky flavour to all the dishes.

The prices, while not dirt cheap, was reasonable. The dinner set is about HK$350 for two people. We had lamb, golden mushrooms, pumpkin and sweet potato tempura and rice and it came to HK$211. Everything we cooked to a T.

We will definitely be back. Maybe this time, I won't need to drag out the hike to persuade Buffalo Wilbur to dine in Pui O.

Pui O Delicious: G/F, 15, Lo Wai Village, Pui O