Beijing

Spring at Yi House

Eating at Yi House at Grace Beijing in the 798 Art District is always an escape from the hustle of tail to tail traffic and the smoggy cityscape. This spring, Chef Christian Hoffman has come up with a menu that will please almost everyone. It includes king prawns with crisp garlic and mixed grilled vegetables with tabbouleh, and a spring chicken served with a four-bean stew with chickpeas, kidney and lima beans and French beans. The surprise, however, comes from Grace Beijing's young pastry chef Jack. His towering meringue and ice cream confection is Bombe Alaska without the pretentious flames, but it is the mixed berry compote in a white chocolate shell that will steal your heart. - Pauline D. Loh

Yi House Restaurant, Grace Beijing, 798 Art District, 2, Jiuxianqiao Road, Beijing. 010-6436-1818

Hong Kong

Rustic pizzas

Piccolo Pizzeria & Bar has expanded its rustic pizzeria concept to Wan Chai. The neighborhood eatery serves thin-crust pizzas and hearty pastas. New dishes created to celebrate the opening of the Wan Chai venue - traditional fritto misto features piping hot and crispy deep-fried seafood; hearty Italian seafood stew made with a tomato-rich base and fresh seafood; baked fish made with fresh wild-caught white fish baked in a light white wine sauce with clams, cherry tomatoes, potatoes and garlic. - Donna Mah

Piccolo Pizzeria & Bar, 22 Tai Wong East Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. 852-2824-3002

Bespoke bakery cakes

Ms B's Cakery welcomes spring with a selection that will dazzle the eyes and tantalize the sweet tooth. With names like Kaleidoscope, Food of the Gods, Spring, and OMG!, the cakes can all be made to order with two days advance notice. They are made using quality ingredients they source globally and are visually gorgeous. Spring is with a rich strawberry and French vanilla buttercake sprinkled with pink Himalayan rock salt and topped with a hand-crafted sugar butterfly. The cakes are HK580 ($75) for 500g. - Donna Mah

Ms B's Cakery, 39 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong. 852-2815-8303

Easter brunch

Easter is all about the egg and what better way to celebrate than over an egg-cellent brunch at the Grand Central Bar and Grill. Try the classic Eggs Benedict or the hearty All Day Breakfast with two eggs any style, bacon, pork sausage, roasted potatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, grilled tomato and English muffin. For those with a sweet tooth try the fresh-made Belgian waffles with fruit and whipped cream. For the children, there is a Smarties menu which includes a sundae, and just Smarties with jelly and custard. Traditional hot cross buns are also available. - Donna Mah

Grand Central Bar & Grill, R001, 3/F & Roof, Civic Square, Elements, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. 852-2736-4888

(China Daily 03/31/2013 page14)