If there is one thing that people in Hong Kong love more than ramen and queuing, it has got to be queuing for ramen. With the opening of Ippudo, ramen-lovers will have a new mecca to wait in line at. Founded in 1985, Ippudo is a popular Japanese chain started by Shigemi Kawahara that has over 60 restaurants in Japan, as well as other cities such as New York and Singapore.

Ippudo hails from Fukuoka in Kyushu and its creamy pork bone broth and springy noodles has made it one of the most popular and well-known ramen chains in both Japan and abroad. The newest outlet here in Hong Kong's Silvercord in Tsim Sha Tsui is relatively large: that combined with the fact that you are able to wait in line in the air-conditioned coolness of the shopping mall definitely makes this new ramen shop a more palatable option in the summer heat than Butao in Central or Daruma in Tai Hang.

Shop 210, Silvercord Tower, 30 Canton Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: +852 2957-8893.

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While living in a world-class city such as Hong Kong has many benefits, a spacious apartment with ample room to cook and entertain large dinner parties is sadly not one of them. Perhaps that is why private kitchens have taken off with such success here. And now, a new private dining option opens in Mid-Levels. Catered by Buzz Concepts (the group behind the restaurants Bloom and Gusto as well as bars Lily, Fly and Volar), Casa located on the ground floor of ACTS Rednaxela provides a formal dining room complete with candelabras and timber bookcases. More modern amenities include a 50" LCD television, overhead projector, blu-ray player, Sony PS3 and a Nintendo Wii.

Casa seats up to 16 guests and comes equipped with a maître'd as a host and a private chef in the kitchen. The sample menus we have seen range from HK$600 for a five-course "Rustic Italian" menu with clams, grilled asparagus, pasta with sausage ragu, grilled quail and Rocky Road sundae; to a HK$1,200 seven-course "Fruits de Mer" menu with scallops ceviche, stuffed crab, bouillabaisse, asparagus flan, lobster risotto, beef cheek with foie gras and trifle for dessert.

G/F, 8 Rednaxela Terrace, Mid-Levels. Tel: +852 3559-9800.

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- Would en primeur prices come down to a more reasonable level if wine writers delayed publishing their verdicts until the prices are set, wonders Jancis Robinson. (Financial Times)

- The New York Times gives some alternatives to grilling steaks at barbecues this summer, including a watermelon burger. (NYT)

- Lack of self-control means that diners are happy to pay more for less, if it means they can hand the calorie-intake responsibility to someone else. (Time)

- The EU admits current fisheries policy is a failure and implements reforms. (BBC)

- US fishermen claim that low quotas leading to high bycatch are the biggest threat to the ocean, not overfishing. (NY Mag)

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Design hotel Mira in Tsim Sha Tsui has relaunched its stylish cake shop Coco and expanded it into a café and patisserie, becoming a new one-stop shop for dessert lovers and caffeine addicts. Coco's executive pastry chef Jean-Marc Gaucher has created a new range of beautiful cakes, cupcakes and artisan chocolates. Of the new cakes that we have tried, the Jivara Berry Delight - a chocolate milk and wild berries compote - and the strawberry mille-feuilles are our new pastry obsessions.

A regular sized- cake is priced from HK$180 to HK$280 and there are also smaller versions available at HK$32. Coco also provides delivery service to major districts.

The Mira Hong Kong,118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: +852 2315-5566.

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On the same floor as the existing Temptations, StarWorld casino in Macau has opened a new casual restaurant called Temptations Senses. The restaurant will offer classic Continental cuisine, including tried and true combinations such as pan-fried foie gras with caramlised apple and lobster bisque with Armagnac. Meat-eaters will enjoy their braised wagyu beef cheek in red wine or prime cuts of meat such as the Australian rack of lamb.

Temptations Senses is open for dinner daily from 7pm-10pm.

16/F, StarWorld Hotel and Casino, Macau. Tel: +853 8290-8688.

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