Celebrity Life

From a brand new Okinawa-inspired eatery to a revamped Michelin star experience, here’s where to eat in Hong Kong in September 2021.

Awa Awa

Calling all pickle lovers! From bitter melon, celtuce, mango, Hadama spinach & Shiitake mushroom, Awa Awa is not playing around when it comes to pickling fruits and veggies. Each pickled item carries its own unique flavour and when enjoyed all together, offers a contrasting range from the tanginess to the crunch. Additionally, new Okinawa-inspired trendy spot Awa Awa serves a range of dishes that encapsulate the diverse culinary traditions of Japan’s southernmost archipelago.

Awa Awa, Shop E&F, Upper Ground Floor, 42 & 44, Peel St, Central; +852 2178 1838

Giacomo

After spending 20 years working in Hong Kong’s most prestigious Italian kitchens, 81⁄2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana and Tosca di Angelo alum chef Keith Yam recently joined new restaurant Giacomo as executive chef. The concept, located in Causeway Bay, focuses on elegant Southern Italian cuisine and combines sophisticated plating and service with the genuine and bold flavours of the area. Among the chef’s signature dishes are marinated red-prawn Gambero Rosso in champagne tomato sauce with oscietra caviar, and Brittany blue lobster Sardinian gnocchi, made in traditional style with durum-wheat semolina flour and paired with Hokkaido sea urchin.

Giacomo, Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay; +852 3980 3008

G Room Bar & Lounge

G Room, Gaia group’s new dining destination in K11 Musea, brings together western and eastern flavours in a tapas-bar format. With a strong focus on jet-fresh seafood, this unique culinary experience elevates mediterranean classics with southeast Asian ingredients, techniques and flavour profiles, through elegant dishes such as whole lobster paella, abalone Shisho sea-urchin pasta and g room seafood platter.

G Room, Shop 504, 5/F, K11 MUSEA, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2332 6662

Écriture

Two Michelin-star contemporary French restaurant Écriture is offering new thematic tasting menus in tandem with a refreshed interior. In the eight-course Library of Flavours, executive chef Maxime Gilbert and chef de cuisine Héloïse Fischbach take guests on a journey to discover their latest innovative interpretation of French and Japanese ingredients. The Vegetal Menu, on the other hand, celebrates vegetables from around the region and the world in dishes that include a creative version of ratatouille, in which a pineapple tomato wrapped in kombu is oven-roasted to bring out a charred flavour.

Écriture, 26/F H Queen's, 80 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2795 5996

1908bc

Inspired by the comfort dishes found in Chinese restaurants and takeaways around Britain, the new 1908bc is named after the year in which the country’s first such restaurant opened; “BC” stands for British Chinese. Conceptualised by Suzanna Ho, a British-born Chinese of Hong Kong origin who grew up in a family that ran Chinese takeaways, the menu is a collection of old and new recipes that encapsulate the atmosphere and flavours of an era. One of the most anticipated dishes — and a UK favourite — is chip-shop curry, a unique blend of Chinese, British and Indian influences.

1908bc, 5/F, The Pemberton, 22-26 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan; +852 2116 4668

Radical Chic

Radical Chic, a new Italian fine- dining venue helmed by chef Andrea Tarini, has opened on the 101st floor of the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon. Offering a new, “radical” menu that combines innovation, finesse and seasonal products, the venue also boasts breathtaking views and a contemporary ambience. Having worked with culinary legends such as Mauro Uliassi and Heinz Beck, Tarini brings to the city creations like deep- fried frog legs with tomato jam and cappello del prete alla carbonara, which features a special homemade pasta stuffed with pecorino romano, parmigiano, guanciale, black pepper and egg yolk.

Radical Chic, International Commerce Centre (ICC), Shop B1, Level 101, 1 Austin Rd W, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 3618 7880

Sushi Mamoru

Leading Nation has unveiled the group’s first traditional edomae sushi concept. Sushi Mamoru, which means “protect” in Japanese, represents chef Hirofumi Chiba’s 20 years of commitment to preserve centuries-old culinary traditions. The Takumi Omakase includes more than 20 dishes that celebrate seasonality through different points of view, while championing sustainability and freshness. A self- proclaimed fish geek, Chiba brings to the sushi counter a memorable experience that combines preservation and innovation, from hand-blended aged Hokkaido rice to wasabi sourced directly from farmer Keiichi Tashiro in Shizuoka.

Sushi Mamoru, Shop 2G, 32 Oi Kwan Rd, Wan Chai; +852 2133 5700

Moxie

A dish of roasted Jerusalem artichokes with haricot vert, endive and hazelnut bagna cauda can now be enjoyed at arcane collective’s new restaurant Moxie, in Landmark. The menu focuses on a fresh approach to conscious all-day dining, with a selection centred around contemporary pescatarian and vegetarian dishes.

Moxie, Shop 203, Alexandra House, 18 Chater Rd, Central; +852 2718 8211

Dim Sum Library

After the success of its Xiaolong Bao Series, Dim Sum Library is offering four innovative reinterpretations of one of Hong Kong’s most popular recipes, har gau. The renditions comprise: oregano har gau, which is inspired by Mediterranean flavours; aged mandarin-peel har gau, created with traditional Chinese methods to marinate and dry the skins of small mandarins; dill har gau, which uses the popular aromatic herb to bring out botanical notes; and Yuzukoshō har gau, created in collaboration with Japanese restaurant Shiro and inspired by Kyushu culinary specialities.

Dim Sum Library, various locations including Shop 1028B, 1/F, Elements, 1 Austin Rd W, Tsim Sha Tsui; +852 2810 0898

"Where to Eat in Hong Kong in September 2021" is a part of a monthly series, check back every month for more recommendations

The post Where to Eat in Hong Kong This September 2021 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

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Having a child is a life-changing moment, dictating the start of a whole new chapter in life where your priorities get reshuffled and suddenly nothing matters apart from the sleeping (or crying) baby in your arms. This was the predicament Joyce Lau found herself in, who changed the entire course of her career in 2018 to start a new company, NakedLab, to bring quality bedding for her then two-month-old daughter, who was battling serious eczema.

A former architect and now a full-time mother and entrepreneur, Lau tells us about her frustrations with the bedding industry, her belief in the health benefits of bamboo textiles, and how she hopes NakedLab can ultimately bring a family better sleep, health, and mindset overall.

Name: Joyce Lau
Profession: Entrepreneur
Industry: Textiles and bedding
Company size: 8
Startup since: 2018

When did you launch your company and why?

NakedLab™️ was founded in 2018 when I became a mother. When Pia was 2 months old, she was battling a serious eczema situation. With this sudden urgent need to focus more on skin health and sleep health, I struggled as a new mother shopping for quality bedding that didn't break the bank. So many options were overwhelming and unreliable in terms of quality. That sparked my curiosity to find out that the bedding industry was very ambiguous and antiquated. This frustration initiated the beginning of my journey and the birth of NakedLab™️.

Retailers were selling high-end bedding at up to ten times markup, inflating thread counts, and operating on bloated supply chains that added to cost but not quality. I had no background in textiles or manufacturing, but I soon realised just how savvy one can become after spending one year educating myself on the industry, visiting factories, and sampling fabrics.

I discovered bamboo sheets, which have a lot of health benefits. It's not only scientifically backed to make you sleep better because of its thermoregulating properties, but it is also naturally anti-dust mite, anti-bacterial and hypoallergenic. It also feels so silky soft and feels extremely luxurious.

We focus on Oeko-Tex certified BambooSilk fabric, which is free from harmful chemicals although because I insist on the Oeko-Tex certification, it means that the bedding is more easily creased than cotton (which is dipped in chemicals) and has to be carefully handled (cold or low-temperature wash, and no bleach and tumble dry). We started out with one product, which is a pink baby cot sheet for Pia, but have since added kids' bedding, adult bedding, and duvets, which are coming soon.

To me, NakedLab is more than just a shop that sells bedding. Bedding is such an overlooked item at home – it's a household item where we spend most of our hours (the average person spends almost 230,000 hours of their life in bed, that's approximately 26 years!) and it is also the one item our skin has the closest contact with. I believe a good set of bedding gives you not just good sleep, but also the foundation to good health and most importantly for me, a good mindset. And that is the key to a happy home and a happy life. This is what kept me going, it just makes me so happy knowing that I can help make a little difference to somebody’s sleep and happiness because they had a good rest.

Was sustainability a factor for you when you created your line?

I think sustainability is an essential factor in any business nowadays, that’s fundamental. I’m not even going to dive into the manufacturing process, for one simple fact is that bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world, with some species growing up to three feet a day. It doesn’t require the use of pesticides, or any other agrochemicals, nor fertilizer or irrigation, both of which are common in cotton farming - cotton sheets are still the traditional choice of bedding while so many of us still know anything about bamboo bedding.

Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?

Not in a million years! I wanted to be an architect since I was very young, and I have not strayed from that path until now. I was trained in the UK and came back to Hong Kong for a China development project eight years ago.

Your husband is also an entrepreneur. Has he helped you in any way along your own start-up journey?

He is my mentor when it comes to business. He has so much more experience in terms of this entrepreneur journey. I have seen all the downs and I see how he overcomes them and becomes better and better every day. I always say I understand what he is going through, but honestly, I only truly understand now when I became an entrepreneur myself. Your business is like your own baby, it’s so close to heart. Because you build it yourself, sweat and tears. He always says “running a business is all about self-improvement and self-challenge every day”, there’s many more other good quotes from him because he reads so much, he’s the most disciplined person I have ever met. I always go to him when I need advice.

What are some do's and don'ts of starting your own company?

If I can give one piece of advice to the aspiring business owner, I will say: don't try to do everything at once. When you have an idea, you often get overly excited and try to get everything done at once. I think the key is to really do it step-by-step and to try to balance the inside and outside of the business. Prioritizing is super important; try to focus and tackle one hurdle at a time.

You started your business at a time when you still had a full-time job and caring for a newborn. Thinking back now, would you have done it any other way?

I think that was the perfect timing. When I started, it was really just a passion project, I didn't think it would go far. I had a full-time job and a daughter, and a side business was taking a lot of time, especially at the early stages. But I have learned how to hyper-focus, delegate and prioritize. That was something I was pushed to learn when I had so many hats on, and now I think these are the keys to success!

Has the pandemic impacted your business in any way – good or bad?

In a good way for sure. People are now very curious and focus on wellbeing and self-love. People are also staying at home more often, they are more aware of and yearn for good quality products so business is taking off.

What's in the works currently?

Loads of exciting things. In October, we're finally launching our very own 100 percent bamboo duvet – say bye to allergies! In December, we're launching a donation/ repurpose programme with Hong Kong Dog Rescue where we'll be setting up recycling stations at major offices and donating old bedsheets to rescued dogs at their shelter for the winter season.

We're also planning for more colours, mattresses … and in February we're launching an exciting new product that we'll have more information for later. But very exciting things are coming up.

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