The ocean is the inspiration for everything at Dot Cod, from the nautical-themed décor to the menu filled with fresh seafood offerings. Owned by the Hong Kong Cricket Club, the long bar area is the most popular seat in the house, and is favoured by dealmakers for power lunches and happy hours. The main dining room tends to have a fairly high decibel level and tables are placed too close together to have a private conversation – for a quieter meal, request a table in the back dining room.

Fresh seafood is the main draw at Dot Cod and the options are plentiful. Fresh oysters flown in from Australia, Europe and the US are a perennial favorite and the restaurant’s devotion to sustainable seafood is admirable. The cheese soufflé, a heavenly cloud of fluffy egg whites and cheese, is a delicious way to whet the appetite, as are the blue crab cakes made with a generous portion of succulent fresh crab meat and served with a sweet corn and smoked sweet chipotle mayonnaise. The Alaskan king crab legs baked with plenty of garlic butter is savoury and satisfying. Diners can choose from ling, haddock or cod for Dot Cod’s fish and chips, made with a crispy beer batter. The crispy wild Alaskan salmon is a generous cut, but could use more seasoning. Red meat options include Dot Cod’s signature pistachio crusted rack of lamb with truffled pearl barley and a grain-fed black Angus sirloin steak with manchego-olive butter. For dessert, opt for one of the delightfully airy soufflés or the rich and sweet sticky toffee pudding.

The wine list at Dot Cod heavily favours Australian and New Zealand producers, although options from other regions are also available. The Mt. Difficulty ‘Roaring Meg’ Central Otago ’09 Pinot Noir, available by the glass for HK$115, is an excellent choice – smooth and well-rounded.

With the time between courses ranging from 10-25 minutes, a three-course meal could take well over two hours. Service is polite but sometimes a bit abrupt, and servers could use more training on describing the dishes.

Dinner for two will cost about HK$1,200, excluding wine. Given its prime location in the heart of Central, plus the fresh and sustainably caught seafood, this is good value.