Situated on Calle Paseo de Larios in the heart of Torre del Mar is the Chinese restaurant Hong Kong. It may look like many other Chinese restaurants, of which there is a proliferation on the Costa del Sol, with its traditional, red Chinese lanterns hanging outside but enter the Hong Kong and you immediately see why this restaurant has become not just talk of this town but since its sister restaurant sharing the same name, Hong Kong is now making culinary waves in nearby Torrox Costa.

The Hong Kong is one of the oldest Chinese restaurants on the Coast with owner Mrs Zhen opening his doors fifteen years ago. A truly culinary family, Mr Pan runs the Torrox branch and his sister is also a restaurateur based in Nerja. The chef at the Hong Kong heralds from Wenzhou on China's eastern coast, a beautiful city well known for its sea food. The food in the Hong Kong however is from all over China.

The décor inside the restaurant is sumptuously oriental. You enter the main dining area through an exquisite carved archway with dragons climbing the columns and other animals and plants vying for space. The restaurant has a spacious dining area which can seat up to 100 people and on the walls, mirrored fans create the illusion of even more space. Beautiful Chinese square lanterns made up of thousands of small panels painted with rural Chinese scenes provide the lighting. The much revered dragon is in evidence all over the restaurant with screens and carved columns depicting these deities of the east in various poses.

Our party of three were greeted warmly by the restaurants staff and once seated and drinks ordered we were treated to some Sesame, Prawn Toast. Crunchy and very tasty with a slightly soft centre, this starter was great to whet the appetite. Next came one of the house specialities, Cantonese Dim Sum. Served in a bamboo steamer they were fresh and light, all with delicious fillings. Soy sauce was the perfect dipping accompaniment to the Dim Sum which we all enjoyed tremendously.

For our main course we enjoyed Peking Duck. Crispy duck has always been one of my favourite dishes and the Hong Kong certainly didn't let us down. An apple had been delicately carved into a perfect duck and placed on the serving platter along with sliced apple and onion to fill the pancakes along with a thick and fruity plum sauce. I had never had crispy duck pancakes with apple as it is normally served with cucumber but the combination of the juicy apple with the succulent duck was superb.

We also enjoyed Cantonese King Prawns, all four of which were enormous. The special sauce topping them was a delicate blend of oriental spices and the prawns themselves were cooked to perfection. Again, the presentation was lovely, this time an elegant bird had been carved expertly from a carrot. To accompany both dishes we enjoyed special fried rice and crispy seaweed, both of which were of the highest standard.

Throughout the meal, the Hong Kong's staff were friendly and attentive but never intruding and the ambience of the restaurant reflects the professionalism of its owners and their wealth of culinary experience. The other diners seemed to be a mixture of both tourists and residents and they formed a cosmopolitan group, all obviously enjoying this little piece of the orient. With the second Hong Kong already attracting a dedicated following, the Hong Kong is one restaurant not to be missed for once you have been, you too will become one of the converted!