Dining on sustainable produce is gaining ground in Hong Kong and The Bostonian at The Langham is striving to pioneer the movement in the city with a menu reflecting these principles. Ingredients are harvested from farms that utilise humane fishing and farming practices such lobsters from Maine (HK$438), John Dory from New Zealand wrapped in butter lettuce with water chestnuts and belotti beans (HK$480) and wild red snapper from New Zealand served with sweet potato crawfish risotto and citrus butter (HK$388). On the meat front, there is Australian grain-fed steaks (the cowboy rib eye for example is HK$488 for the 16oz) and Welsh grass-fed lamb (HK$368) as well. Executive chef Mark Banon says, "The new a la carte menu has been created to compliment the produce so dishes are kept simple to allow the quality to speak for itself." With 25 per cent discount on dishes off items ordered on the new a la carte menu, valid from now until May 2010, sustainable dining also got a lot tastier.

The Langham Hotel, 8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: +852 2375-1133.

There's only room for one Cipriani in the world and it's not going to be the famed restaurants by the Cipriani family, an empire established since the 1930s by Guiseppe Cipriani. The High Courts in London just smacked Cipriani London, the celebrity magnet restaurant in Mayfair, for trademark infringement. Hotel Cipriani in Venice, part of the Orient-Express Hotel group, holds the trademark for Cipriani in the UK. In 2006, it sued the restaurant for coat tailing on the hotel brand. The legal battle concluded this week when the court ruled in favour of the hotelier and told Cirpriani London to pony up £1.57 million pounds plus over £6 million from Cipriani International SA of Luxembourg. The restaurant will change its name on April 24.

So what will the fate be for other Cipriani restaurant branches around the world, including the Hong Kong offshoot? A spokesperson for the Hong Kong location in Old Bank Street in Central said the case is restricted to Europe and will not affect the restaurants in New York or Hong Kong. The branch claims operations will continue as normal and its title will remain unchanged. 

It's easy to miss The Backyard because of its unassuming entrance, located on the bridge that connects Langham Place hotel with the shopping mall next door. Already the narrow walkway evokes the feeling of being led into a hideaway. Sure enough, you'll discover a lounge dotted with mango trees and large plants, tucked away from Mongkok's notorious buzz. Zooming traffic below is tuned out by the soothing sounds from The Backyard's waterfall installations. Notable among the drinks is the 20-strong selection of beer: fittingly, The Backyard has a special beer deal (HK$328), which encourages you to sample six uncommon brands such as a Caledonian Deuchard from Edinburgh or strong Belgian ale Pauwel Kwak. Also unique to The Backyard are an offering of pizza slices with toppings such as the "bouillabaisse deconstructed" - featuring sea bass, prawns, mussels and more seafood and topped with gruyere cheese (HK$198 for the large size).

Only open after 5pm from Monday to Friday. Level 4, Langham Place, 555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok. Tel: +852 3552-3250.

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Rumoured to have almost HK$20m invested, the two-storey restaurant D-Diamond has gone under at Elements mall in Kowloon. The swanky venue is known for serving a fusion of Italian and Japanese food in bling-ed out surroundings studded with diamonds from Italian jeweller Damiani. Numerous employees are seeking unpaid wages and have filed complaints at The Labour Tribunal. Joining other restaurant causalities at Civic Square such as Megu and FINDS, which toppled last year, the future of this outdoor dining destination continues to hang in the balance. For most diners who've visited Elements lately, especially Civic Square, this news comes as no surprise as the area is increasingly known for its sparse diner traffic.

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Alvin Leung of Bo Innovation is no stranger to courting controversy and he's certainly grabbed such attention this year with this dish unveiled this month: an edible condom. Originally conceived for esteemed culinary congress, Identita Golose in Milan in which he participated this year, the dish is now available at Bo Innovation, apparently taking inspiration from Leung's, ahem "favourite pastime".

"Sex on the Beach" is a sweet dish revolving around the "condom" made of a mix of kappa and konjac jelly and shaped into form using a cigar tube. The chef, using a pipette, also inserts a mix of honey and Yunnan ham in the centre of the contraceptive-looking dish. It also arrives on a bed of "sand" made from powdered shiitake mushrooms.

Diners won't be as jaw-dropped and aghast when they hear that Yeung has teamed up with AIDS Concern in Hong Kong so that all proceeds of the HK$68 dish goes to the non-profit organisation. "The beauty of this dish is that it breaks the taboo about sex... it also brings together creativity with social responsibility," he says. Free condoms and red ribbons from AIDS Concern will also be available at Bo Innovation throughout 2010.

For more information, go to www.aidsconcern.org.hk; or call Bo Innovation at +852 2850-8371.

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