2 Sardines

43 Elgin St T2973 6618. Daily noon-2pm & 6-11pm. Small restaurant that has built itself a big reputation for reliable, reasonably priced French food.

Bistro Manchu

33 Elgin St T2536 9218. Daily noon- 2.30pm & 6-11pm. Moderately priced Manchurian food of the hearty stew and dumpling variety - northern Chinese with a bit of Mongolian and Korean thrown in, served in stylish East-meets-West surroundings.

Fat Angelo’s

49A-C Elgin St T2973 6808. Daily noon-midnight. Extremely popular, noisy Italian joint serving up enormous pizzas and a range of pasta dishes. Two people can happily share one dish, making eating here a fairly inexpensive night out.

Golden China

9 Jubilee St T2545 1472. Daily 8am-late afternoon. There’s a small English sign, but don’t expect any to be spoken inside - this isn’t a problem, however, as this small, comfortable Cantonese diner, which has been catering to Central’s office workers since 1963, has a limited menu along the lines of roast duck or roast pork and rice; portions cost $22-30.

Ivan the Kozak

Ground Floor, 46-48 Cochrane St T2851 1193. Mon-Fri noon-10.30pm, Sat & Sun 5-10.30pm. It’s hard to tell if the deadpan atmosphere is deliberate stereotyping, but the food - chicken Kiev, lamb stew, lots of cabbage and potatoes - certainly is. Portions are decent, good value and tasty, but the highlight here is donning a fur coat and walking into the huge freezer for a shot of vodka and a photo.

Jaspa’s

28-30 Staunton St T2869 0733. Mon-Sat 10.30am-10.30pm, Sun 9am-10.30pm. A mix of hearty European and Mexican meals, with a wide vegetarian selection. Ideal for children, as each table comes with wax crayons and a paper tablecloth. Around $100 a head.

La Kasbah

17 Hollywood Rd T2525 9493. Mon-Sat 6.30-11.30pm. Heavy wooden doors open into a redlit, intimate restaurant thumping to the sound of Arabic beats. It’s expensive (upwards of $200 a head) but their honey pastries and lamb stew with dates make it worthwhile.

La Pampa

32 Staunton St T2868 6959. Daily noon-3pm & 6-11pm. Moderately expensive Argentinian restaurant which does what it does - barbecued steak, mainly - exceedingly well. You order by weight, it’s grilled just how you want it, and served with nominal quantities of vegetables.

Lin Heung Tea House

160-164 Wellington St T2544 4556. Daily from 7.30am. This famous place relocated here from Guangzhou (in China) around 1950, and they’ve been so busy since, they haven’t had time to change the furnishings or allow their ancient staff to retire.
Fantastic atmosphere for dim sum, if you like crowded, lively venues with inexpensive food.

Muyu Zigan

26 Cochrane St; no phone. Daily 10am-9pm. The main sign is in Chinese, but there’s a small one in English over the doorway reading “Between Wu =гу”.

Great Shanghai-style snacks, including spicy noodles, stewed Dongpo pork, little dumplings, and marinated cucumber slices.

Portions are small, the idea being that you order a selection. Inexpensive.

Sherpa Nepalese Cuisine

11 Staunton St T2973 6886. Daily 11am-3pm & 6-11pm. Friendly restaurant with an interesting range of vegetarian dishes, and excellent roti (Nepali bread). Inexpensive.

Taichong Bakery

32 Lyndhurst Terrace. Daily early morning-late afternoon. Sells takeaway Cantonese roast pork buns and custard tarts so popular that long queues form as each batch is removed from the oven.

Wyndham Street Deli

36 Wyndham St; no phone. Mon-Sat 7am-11pm, Sun 9am-6pm.

European-style deli offering moderately priced sandwiches, pastas, grills and salads, plus wonderful cakes and desserts.

Good, reasonably priced (for Hong Kong) wine list.

Yellow Door Kitchen

6th Floor, 37 Cochrane St; entrance on Lyndhurst Terrace next to Dublin Jack (see below) T2858 6555. Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm & 6.30-11pm, Sat 6.30-11pm. This refreshing and friendly place offers an authentic Sichuanese menu including unusual items such as bitter melon; they’ll make their dishes as spicy as you’d get in China if you ask. Set dinner at $220 a head will leave you full for a day.