Café de Paris’ new menu is an impressive collection of French classics. The beautifully presented crab cake starter is the perfect example of Chef Jerome’s skill and eye for detail. Equally delicious is the seared foie gras in light sweet wine, which is creamy and earthy without being overly rich. Desserts also shine and the light and airy floating island is a great way to end the meal. The new menu is absolutely outstanding and you’ll definitely be missing out if you don’t try it. Café de Paris, 23 Elgin St., Central, 2810-0771.

In an attempt to help people cope with the new smoking ban, which came into force on July 1, M Bar and the Captain’s Bar at the Mandarin Oriental are offering cocktails and canapés specially designed to help folk kick the habit, or so they say. I’m not sure if it’s going to work (if smokers could kick the habit by just popping a few quiches, the world would be a much healthier place), but the concept’s cute enough. Chef Uwe Opocensky’s grissini sticks with smoke-infused chocolate and smoked bacon flavoured “patch” canapés win on creativity, even if they don’t help you quit. Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Rd., Central, 2522-0111.

Boca celebrates Spain’s “Running with the Bulls” festival with a promotional beef tapas menu beginning July 6. The Spanish air-dried beef is beautifully flavoured with a light drizzle of olive oil, making it a refreshing starting dish for the summer. Chef Ricardo does his best work with the fork-tender braised veal cheeks. Each dish of tapas has its own suggested wine pairing. 65 Peel St., Central, 2548-1717.

Sha Tin 18 is now open at the new Hyatt Regency Hotel. The upscale restaurant has four show kitchens, each one specializing in a different regional Chinese cuisine. The Barbecue Kitchen does a mean roast Peking duck while homemade dumplings and hand-pulled noodles are plated up in the restaurant’s Shaanxi cuisine kitchen. And after a meal at Sha Tin 18, guests can head next door to the ultra-sleek Tin Tin Bar for post-dinner drinks. 4/F, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, 18 Chak Cheung St., Sha Tin, 3723-1234.

Personally, I like to spend my Hong Kong summers in the cool, air-conditioned comfort of the great indoors but a lot of you healthy, outdoorsy folks probably enjoy doing the whole sunny junk trip thing. If so, you may be interested to know that Thai restaurant Blue Ginger is offering outdoor catering services this summer so you can nibble away on satay skewers and pomelo salad while getting a nice, bronzy tan onboard. 2851-1261.

Central’s got a new Japanese eatery. Izaki calls itself a “tapanese” restaurant, which is fancy lingo for izakaya bar. This two-storey restaurant sounds promising, especially with Chef Miyasako Yukihiro, of former Nadaman and San San Trois fame, working the kitchen. 3-4/F, Soho Square, 21 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, 2543-0505.