Lumiere
ifc mall, Central
Cuisines: Chinese, Asian
About
I like this restaurant for several reasons. Located on the third floor of ifc mall (with an entrance that's shared with Cuisine Cuisine, a Cantonese restaurant), it offers good harbor views through huge windows. It has an upbeat, contemporary design yet is reasonably priced, making it a great place to recuperate after dropping loads of cash in the mall's designer boutiques. And it offers a tantalizing combination of spicy Sichuan cuisine paired with Latin American flavors, which comes together so effortlessly under the guidance of chef Shao Tak-lung, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the cuisine served here hails from its own country. Choices (served in individual portions rather than shared as in traditional Chinese restaurants) include appetizers like marinated salmon with tequila and Sichuan preserved vegetables, served on cold bean curd, and main dishes like seared jumbo crab claws with spicy Latin fried rice and pickled chili sauce. Probably the best deal is the weekend lunch buffet, which gives a choice of appetizers and dim sum along with a main course ordered from a menu. Although my main course of lobster in a pumpkin cream sauce fell short, virtually every other dish was spot on.
