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PRICE GUIDE

The price indicators below are based on Hong Kong dollars per person at a meal.

$$$$ Over $700

$$$ $400-700

$$ $200-399

$ Under $200

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HONG KONG ISLAND

Catering facilities on Hong Kong Island run the gamut from Michelin-level restaurants to pavement cafes offering Asian fusion, to an embarrassment of ethnic cuisines – from Indian and Spanish to Shunde and Japanese.

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CENTRAL

Central offers a diverse range of dining exper-iences covering everything from cha chaan tengs (tea cafes) and affordable ethnic food to Western restaurants that boast celebrity chefs.

AMBER Map Modern European $$$$

2132 0066; www.mandarinoriental.com/landmark;7th fl, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Rd Central; lunch from $500, weekend brunch $348; 6.30-10.30am, noon-2.30pm Mon-Fri, 11.30am-3pm Sat, 6.30-10.30pm Mon-Sat; MTR Central (exit G)

This restaurant, which boasts two Michelin stars, used to attract much expense-account dining. Now with fewer customers due to the recession, the dusk lighting from the hanging organ pipes looks almost sad. But the service is still flawless and the food, including the Dungeness crab (in five textures and at four temperatures), still of an exceptional standard.

CAPRICE Map Modern French $$$$

3196 8888; www.fourseasons.com/hongkong;Four Seasons Hotel, 8 Finance St; set lunch from $380; noon-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm; MTR Hong Kong (exit E1)

In an age when celebrity chefs compete to design the most inscrutable menu, the one here (set dinner from $1280) is capriciously straightforward. Yet comprehensibility hasn’t hurt our enjoyment of dishes such as beef flank with cauliflower gratin in red-wine sauce. The artisanal cheeses, delivered weekly from France, are arguably Hong Kong’s best. Illuminated floors add a funky touch to the opulent decor.

INAGIKU Map Japanese $$$$

2805 0600; www.fourseasons.com/hongkong; Level 4, Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance St; lunch from $200, dinner from $600; 11.30am-3pm, 6-11pm; MTR Central (exit A)

Inagiku is, in a word, perfection. It’s one of the best (and priciest) Japanese restaurants in town, with tasteful interiors and harbour views to boot. The kaiseki (traditional many-course meal) showcases seasonal ingredients that are impeccably prepared and artfully presented. Fans claim the branch at the Royal Garden ( Map; 2733 2933; 1st fl, Royal Garden Hotel, 69 Mody Rd; MTR Tsim Sha Tsui East, exit P2) is even better.

L’ATELIER DE JOëL ROBUCHON

Map Modern French $$$$

2166 9000; www.joel-robuchon.com; Shop 401, Landmark, Queen’s Rd Central; 7.30-10am, noon-2.30pm, 6.30-10.30pm, no breakfast Sat; MTR Central (exit G)

Indulge your taste for variety at the Chef of the Century’s red-and-black workshop. Nestled in the bottomless bread basket is an assortment of three-bite wonders; the tapas ($250 to $400) are out of this world, especially the foie gras mini-burgers; and there’s a 70-page wine list. Despite its two Michelin stars, L’Atelier insists this is not haute cuisine. It’s not untrue – it serves breakfast ($280).

PIERRE Map Modern French $$$$

2825 4001; www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong; Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Rd; lunch $360; noon-3pm Mon-Fri, 7-10.30pm Mon-Sat, closed Sun; MTR Central (exit F)

The godfather of fusion, Pierre Gagnaire, flaunts his revolutionary cuisine in the city that embodies the concept. The menu is an edgy and provocative affair; dessert might be a caramelised rocket salad – and it works. Dithering gourmands should try the tasting menu ($1488). The decor, with portholes and chandelier, reminds one of a cruise liner, especially when the harbour view is added.

ISLAND TANG Map Cantonese, Dim Sum $$$

2526 8798; www.islandtang.com; Shop 222, Galleria, 9 Queen’s Rd Central; set lunch for 2 from $596; noon-10pm; MTR Central (exit D1)

With its stunning art deco interior à la 1930s Shanghai, Island Tang could easily have been the kind of restaurant where, as the