One Bar, an elegant restaurant and bar in One Exchange Square, is plagued by a problem that afflicts many good restaurants. At lunch it bustles with hungry suits and lunching ladies, yet it has trouble attracting the dinner crowd. Why? After having dinner at One Bar recently my dining companion and I could only come up with one reason – the location.

While Hong Kong has many diners with sophisticated palates and full wallets they suffer inertia when it comes to venturing too far, and this location may just be too far from the buzz of Lan Kwai Fong and Soho.

What other explanation is there if all else is spot on - the food is consistent and of quality, the décor is sophisticated and tasteful, and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable.

The only other reason that I can think of is that the set dinner option is not popular with diners. The selections at One Bar however are extensive and the food is good, as is expected of all of the Cafe Deco Group restaurants. 

The set involves an unlimited selection from the buffet for starter and dessert and a choice of nine entrees. In addition, there is a small a la carte selection including daily soup, four grill options (rib eye, salmon, sea bass and Cornish game hen) and five side dishes.

We went with the set. There was a generous and varied selection of starters such as sweet juicy shrimps, succulent crab legs and melt-in-your mouth tuna sashimi. The winner was the goat's liver pate ingeniously topped with beetroot juice. The texture was light and creamy and the addition of the beetroot elevated and broadened the taste. My dining companion loved it and she doesn't normally eat liver.

Other choices included mixed leaf salad and condiments, salmon sashimi, mussels, a selection of cold cuts, pasta salad, tomatoes topped with beans and pesto, a selection of grilled antipasti vegetables, and excellent stuffed olives. Choices will vary depending on what is fresh and available.

For entree we were tempted by Lamb T-bone Steak with Rosemary Infused Red Wine Sauce, Pan-Fried US Scallops with Spaghetti in Rich Tomato Sauce, and One Bar's Signature Ravioli with Lobster Sauce and Parmesan, but we decided on Grilled Wagyu Beef Skewers with Osso Bucco Jus, and Crisp Fillet of Black Cod with Ginger Bearnaise.

Although slightly overcooked, the beef had a wonderful flavour and texture, which was complemented by the rich sauce. The star of the cod dish was the sauce, which was served with lemon. The addition of lemon juice to taste gave the sauce balance and it was in perfect harmony with the cod. 

In both cases the sauce was served separately, a nice touch especially for those health-conscious diners. It also reflects the quality of the produce – it is good enough to be eaten sans sauce. We also had a side of French beans, which had that suitably squeaky texture that results from being perfectly cooked.

The dessert selection included fresh fruits, chocolate cake and a tempting selection of sweet treats.

A reasonable selection of wines by the glass is available and the manager was able to recommend several options that worked well with the dishes we ordered.

At $248 (plus 10%) per person this is excellent value for the amount and quality of food we tried, and I can recommend the restaurant as a great place for a girlie catch-up, or informal dinner with friends.

by Vicki Williams
vicki@womguide.com