Celebrity Life

As Chaumet's CEO Jean-Marc Mansvelt tells us, bringing the house's 240-year heritage into the modern era is an immense task that amounts to a "daily obsession". But if the new pieces in the Chaumet Joséphine collection are anything to go by, the Place Vendôme stalwart is heading in the right direction.

What kind of woman today does the Joséphine collection appeal to?

First, it’s about a woman with a certain character. Because when you choose to wear a tiara on your finger, you’re making a choice of distinction, a choice of character. You’re sending a message to say you’re not like everyone else and you have a certain strength and a certain personality. But also a sense of virtuosity, grace and beauty, because it’s not for women who want to be too provocative.

It’s a way to set your personality. And then of course, there are two major reasons to become a client of Joséphine. On one side, it remains one of the favourite pieces chosen for a bridal purpose. It’s connected to the initial history of Chaumet, the history of the power and love between Napoleon and Joséphine. And Napoleon is known everywhere, that’s incredible. There’s another type of client on the other side of the connection with the pearls, the coloured stones, something a bit easier and more accessible.

This year, Chaumet's creations have also incorporated sleeker, more modern takes on the tiara. Can you tell us a bit about the new high jewellery?

After many creations that were a bit more tiara-like, a bit more decorative, more visible, more baroque in a certain way, we wanted to enrich the collection with new ways to mix and match, and to go for designs that were slicker, with a more minimalist approach, because that’s also the style of today. We have a feeling that clients today are a little more understated, and we have the capacity to create beauty through a fine line, rather than an accumulation. So one of our high- jewellery pieces, which is sort of a V with a stone in suspension, doesn’t shout about its design. It’s all about balance.

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Joséphine collection...

But we don’t mark it that way for two reasons. I always feel that if you start doing anniversaries for everything, then at the end, what’s the meaning in it? Last year, when we did the 240 years of Chaumet, that was slightly different. For Chaumet, our heritage is much longer than a decade, it’s about centuries. Instead, this year, we’re celebrating our connection with the 200th anniversary of the death of Napoleon, which is significant in Europe and in France. We’ve done an exhibition at 12 Place Vendôme that was open to the public which tells the love story of Napoleon and Josephine through 150 different objects, beautiful loans from museums and private owners.

Which piece proved to be the most challenging piece in the collection?

The most discussed and the most debated one was the watch. Because we’re clearly a jeweller, and we’ve focused all our efforts and attention on jewellery. But since a few years ago, we’ve reassessed and repositioned what watches mean for Chaumet. It’s true that with the business of watches within Chaumet, we’ve really tried to be coherent with what the story of watchmaking for Chaumet is as a jeweller. One of our challenges was to look at the market – in the market, 90 percent of watches are round – and nobody’s waiting for Chaumet to create a round watch, because we already have thousands of beautiful options on the market.

We decided on a shaped watch, and it wasn’t very difficult to settle on the pear shape, like an illusion of a diamond. We also faceted the watch’s dial.

How do you balance 240 years of heritage behind a brand and stay relevant at the same time?

That’s really the obsession every single day. How do we continue the narrative, the link to the story? Since the pandemic, we’ve seen clients choose Chaumet because there’s longevity. And so it becomes a daily obsession of ours to convey this message to our clients through different means, including the digital approach, so we can speak to the needs of our audience today. We also go through the traditional channels and have books and exhibitions. I regularly write down on paper in two columns: on one side, how much do we tell the story of Chaumet, and on the other, how do we take a contemporary approach, either through the narrative or through using different tools? I take a step back and ask myself is there a balance? If we’re going too much in one direction, maybe it’s time to rebalance. It’s in everything we do.

The post Double Act: Chefs Ray Choi and Devon Hou of Cobo House on Being a Duo appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

While 2020 has been a very tough year for restaurants and bars all over the world, Hong Kong's resilient dining scene has graced us with some remarkable new concepts. From French comfort food to elevated Indian cuisine, here's our selection of Hong Kong's best new restaurants that opened their doors throughout the past year.

CHAAT

One of the latest additions to the Rosewood Hong Kong's vibrant culinary offering, CHAAT celebrates the bold and authentic flavours of India’s street food, accompanied by cocktails influenced by spice traders. Celebrated Chef Manav Tuli's elevated family-style feast includes a wide selection of snacks, curries, biryanis and tandooris, served in a chic and trendy environment.

CHAAT, Rosewood Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3891 8732

Andō

Helmed by Argentian Chef-Founder Agustin Balbi, Andō’s name and menu are a tribute to Balbi's culinary heritage and experience. In Spanish, the word acts as the present participle – the act of doing, while in Japanese the word alludes to a sense of comfort. The dual meaning reflects the concept behind the restaurant, in which the chef masterfully fuses Japanese inspiration with his ancestral roots. Dishes like the Hamachi with leche de tigre, baby paprika and coriander perfectly represent Andō's unique soul.

Andō, 1F, Somptueux Central, 52 Wellington St, Central; +852 9161 8697

Cobo House

This year, Cobo House reopened as a fine dining establishment helmed by seasoned chefs Ray Choi & Chef Devon Hou at K11 Musea. The concept blends art and gastronomy through seasonal thematic tasting menus. The word Cobo is emblematic of Bohemian lifestyle, and reinforces an unconventional experience where edible art is served and art pieces are showcased for guests to experience and appreciate. Dishes like the a reinvented and elevated version of the classic Peranakan dish Laksa, part of the Spices and Aromas tasting menu, are an examples of the eatery's vibrant and international influences.

Cobo House, 6/F, K11 Musea, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2656 3088

22 Ships

Newly-refreshed Spanish restaurant 22 Ships, helmed by veteran of modern Iberian cuisine Antonio Oviedo, serves rustic and refined recipes that don't compromise on authenticity. From the traditions of the Basque Country to Andalusia, the hearty selection of tapas and main dishes fuses the the homey and bold flavours of a Spanish taverna and the refined plating and service of a cosmopolitan eatery.

22 Ships, 22 Ship St, Wan Chai; +852 2555 0722

jean may

Helmed by chef Tiffany Lo, jean may explores and elevates casual dining à la Français to new heights, finally gracing Hong Kong with a trendy and memorable bistro. At jean may, cosy and insta-worthy interiors are combined with fragrant dishes like the razor clams with parsley and garlic, which showcases its team technique and experience.

jean may, Shop A, 14 Gresson St, Wan Chai; +852 3590 6033

The post Best New Restaurants in Hong Kong That Opened in 2020 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.