Another day, another lunch in SoHo

As I walked along Elgin Street this afternoon looking for a new place for lunch, I came upon a new restaurant that had just opened the day before. The owner beckoned for me to enter, and seeing that they probably needed my patronage desperately in these hard times, I decided to oblige. La Luna is yet another Spanish restaurant in this stylish food street off SoHo in Hong Kong. The interior decor was warm and earth-toned, but didn't suggest anything Spanish about the establishment, so I was hoping the food would be the highlight.

I ordered the set lunch, consisting of a tuna salad, and a roasted chicken. Both dishes were well prepared, but nothing spectacular, in fact, they tasted a bit like standard hotel fare. But then again, this was lunch, perhaps dinner would be a whole different matter altogether. It's unlikely that I'd return though, if I wanted Spanish, there are better options in SoHo.

Pho Lemon needs more zest

I stumbled upon this little cafe along Elgin Street one afternoon when I had a craving for a bowl of Vietnamese Pho beef noodle soup. They were promoting several 2-course set lunches for HK$88 each, and I chose the steamed rice paper rolls as the appetizer and the Pho as main course. The steamed rice paper rolls were soft and thinly wrapped around minced prawn and pork and mushroom, accompanied by a sweet and spicy fish sauce.

It was very delicious and I almost wanted to order another round. The Pho main course on the other hand, was a bit of a letdown, mainly because it was rather bland and lacking in the usual aromatic beef flavor one expects from a traditional bowl of Pho.