more fragile. Rounding off the selections are pistachio cranberrycookies and chocolate diamonds. Pistachio-cranberry cookies are cutcookies bejewelled with bits of green and red. The crunchiness fromthe nuts is quickly offset by the tartness of dried cranberries. Thechocolate diamonds are intense with cocoa, but crumble quite easilywith a salty finish. Phoebe’s Treats cookies are available at Phoebe’sBakery on Aberdeen Street, with gift box sets of four or eightvarieties. Cookies by the tins are also available at CitySuper outlets.For more information please call 2815 6678.

The new cookie shop at Windsor House, Cookie Galerie (Shop G15,G/F, Windsor House, 311 Gloucester Rd, Causeway Bay, 3481 3865),is launching a new line of palmiers, also known to many as ‘butterflypastries’ and flavoured from chocolate to dried blossoms. Theexclusively seasonal cherry blossom palmiers ($100) neither tastelike the blossom nor have bits of the blossom in them. Chocolatepalmiers ($75) are a plain palmier dipped in a blended sweetchocolate mixture. Floral notes lovers will have better luck with rose($75) and sweet osmanthus ($75), as the dried blossoms are visibleinside each palmier against a darker coloured ‘line’ of filling. Thetaste of rose is more significant, much like dried rose blossoms fortisanes, while sweet osmanthus is a Chinese addition that takes onthe favourite golden flower’s floral sweetness.

Cookies are also available at Cookie Galerie. The Tea Box ($98)features 36 cookies of eight flavours, some exclusive – like lavender,green tea, oats and figs, which tastes similar to an oatmeal raisincookie only more gooey and with honey sweetness. Nuts Talk ($88)is a nut-themed cookie box with cashew, sesame-linseed and pecanwhite chocolate cookies. The sesame-linseed cookies have awonderful crunch, while the pecan-white chocolate cookie is notbaked, but contains rice crispies and toasted pecan nuts with whitechocolate. With a healthier approach, cookies at Cookie Galerie areless buttery and on the plainer end of the flavour spectrum. Sold inbox sets, cookies and palmiers are both available at the shop with2-3 days in advance, an occasional flavour or two available at theshop for walk-in customers.

An oyster bar has opened in the midst of the business district inQuarry Bay. The Codfather Oyster and Seafood Bar (23 Hoi WanSt, Quarry Bay, 2856 5000) features a simple menu, with selectionsof 10 to 15 oysters a day. Served raw on a plate of ice, or cooked inways like Oyster Kilpatrick (additional $10), the oysters are shuckedon demand. A notable dish in the small selection of menu items isthe Codfather oyster chowder ($58) in an avocado green. Don’t bealarmed with the colour, as oysters from the United States arecooked in white wine before being pureed and added into acombination of fish stock, bacon, vegetables and cream. Theresulting soup takes on a yellowish green colour from the pigmentinside the oysters. The soup pairs up perfectly with a nice piece ofbread. Oyster po’boy sandwich ($78) is crusty bread with lettuceand tomatoes as a base filling, followed by a remoulade sauce madeprimarily with cayenne pepper and red bell peppers for its orangecolour. The sweetness in the sauce goes well with the crusty deep-fried oysters. Each bite is an explosion of briny juices from theoysters and crunches from the bread. Each po’boy sandwich is

served alongside fat cut fries and a small salad on the side. Asidefrom oyster dishes, The Codfather also serves beer-battered codfishand chips ($98) and other mains on rotation each day.

Footiefood

At the Manchester United Restaurant Bar (32-34 Lock Rd, Tsim ShaTsui, Kowloon; 2366 4880), the ground floor is for souvenir hunters,while the 2nd floor is the restaurant space. Equipped with moretelevisions than an ordinary sports bar, the Man-U Restaurant Bar isa tribute to the legendary football team. Some menu item namesrelate to the team activities and are themed on European andcontemporary cooking. The Asian Tour salad ($68), for instance,features a combination of pomelo, mango chunks, salad greens, withshrimps and mandarin segments that are too obviously from a can.The dressing is made with a herb yogurt, but the most prominenttaste comes from the mint chiffonade that tops the shrimps. Thefresh ingredients of fruit and shrimps go well, while the yogurtmakes the salad a satisfying treat to begin a meal.

The linguine ole’ vongole ($148) features linguine cooked in a brothmade with olive oil, white wine, fish stock, and juices from NewZealand littleneck clams. The clams are slightly sandy and the brothitself is too heavily seasoned, as if the al dente linguine has beencooked in brine instead of a herb broth. Golden era juicy veal rissole($228) is a wonderfully crusted golden brown veal patty, juicywithin, served atop a blend of vegetables with mashed potatoes oneach side. The roasted Australian rack of lamb ($298) is a bigportion, with three chops and a quenelle of Pico de Gallo heavilyseasoned with cumin and chillies. The standout star is the braisedred cabbage, whose sweetness and tartness are equally balanced fora taste that is just wonderful. The Manchester United Restaurant Barhas a friendly environment good for enjoying football games amonga crowd of fans gathered around snacks and beer. Don’t expect finedining, though, as the raves are more a tribute to the football teamthan to the food served.

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