Celebrity Life

Hong Kong-native chef ArChan Chan adds her take on modern Chinese cooking to the brand new chapter of long-time Black Sheep Restaurants institution, Ho Lee Fook.

Here in Hong Kong, Chinese restaurants are everywhere you look. That is not to say that they should all be thought about as a singular entity, though. Each and every location — be it your local neighbourhood dim sum tea house or a long-time, generations-run establishment — posits a unique character and style of its own. There's the ones you visit for an authentic taste of regional cuisines, others for the sake of tradition. Then, there are the ones you head for when in need of a good, celebratory atmosphere.

One particular venue with an identity louder and distinctive than its usually pared-back peers is Elgin Street's very own Ho Lee Fook, recently reopened with a brand new look.

In the beginning

During its infancy back in 2014, Ho Lee Fook, self-proclaimed as "a funky Chinese kitchen", was patronised more for the dynamic ambience that bellowed throughout the venue. It was the glamorised edition of the traditional Chinese jaau lau (酒樓; Chinese banquet restaurants) experience; a new wave of modern Chinese cuisine, fitted with stirring theatrics from the roaring, fired-up woks at the open kitchen upon entry and the gleaming row upon row of golden Lucky Cats waving in synchronised motion.

Of course, this was just the beginning for one of Black Sheep Restaurants' longtime local favourites. Ho Lee Fook continued to see many successes: christening beloved signatures like the Prawn Toast x Okonomiyaki and roast wagyu short rib that many have made the special trip for, snaking queues with two hour wait-times and the maintenance of a long-time status — at least in restaurant years — as a reputed institution of Cantonese cuisine, one that also knew how to have a great time.

A brand new chapter

Now in its second evolution, Ho Lee Fook, followed by a brief but transformative closure and welcoming of head chef ArChan Chan, presents a 2.0 version of the restaurant, one that stays true to its affinity for grand visuals and interactive experiences (yes, the dragon dance still makes occasion appearances). It is, however, also matched with a revamped menu of modern Chinese flavours that preserve tradition. In the restaurant's own words, the brand new Sean Dix-designed space is a destination inspired by both "faint memories of wild nights out" and "familiar Mom's dumplings".

Loyal patrons will recognise the enthusiastic Lucky Cats, which are joined by gilded fortune cookies also statued at the entrance. The brightened up interiors are doused in deep jewel-toned reds and plush velvet, sidled against a gold mirrored ceiling and striking Chinese motifs that span from Mahjong-tiled walls at the exterior to wallpapers that reference Chinese patterns typically sewn on traditional qipaos worn by Chinese actress Lin Dai, and vintage artworks by celebrated photographer Cang Xin. Nostalgic '80s Canto-pop bops and classic hits reverberate within the intimate dining room, now pulsating with cheerful nostalgia.

As for the renewed menu, it is an impressive showcase of Hong Kong-native chef ArChan Chan's culinary journey that began in Hong Kong before transversing for 14 years through notable kitchens in Australia and Singapore before finally returning back into the city. It's an especially symbolic homecoming for Chan, who, while gained skills and knowledge in ingredients and cooking techniques overseas, longed for flavours closer to home, which she logs in her first cookbook, Hong Kong Local. Ho Lee Fook, then, came at a perfect moment to the stage for a spotlight exhibition of both Chan's heritage and learnings.

"This is the first time I will really be cooking the food I love, in the city," Chan muses. "When I first started out, cooking wasn’t really seen as a career, but rather something my grandma did when I was growing up. Entering college and taking my first internship was what really opened my eyes to the profession; it was difficult, but it taught me that I enjoy the pressure of cooking and that I enjoy seeing the guests happy. Seeing them appreciate the work that we do and the experience that we give them is really what makes my day and the thing that made me continue on down this path."

New to chef Chan's menu are wok-centric classics (her choice cooking tool) including the Hong Kong-signature Stir-fry King (小炒皇) of cuttlefish tossed in garlic chives, yellow chives and chilli with crispy anchovies and cashews; prawn roe stirred noodles; XO cheong fun with toasted sesame and yellow chives. Among her roast specials: honey-glazed Kurobuta pork char siu authentically grilled over charcoal (not to be missed!) and the Ho Lee Duck. Chef Chan credits her most meaningful addition to the new menu to the Live Razor Clams, a personal favourite from her childhood, and the classic cheesy lobster e-fu noodles, which she expertly elevates with seaweed butter.

Changing perceptions

At the core of it all, Chan reiterates that it's not as superficial as simply ideating a signature dish or finessing renewed interpretations of old classics.

"For me, there are a few words that are very important principles: respect, care, fairness and honesty. It is how I treat food, my kitchen, my team and our guests that is what we need to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves with this restaurant," she explains. "It is this idea that we can change their perception of an ingredient or dish into something they truly enjoy that makes it meaningful for me."

Ho Lee Fook is open from 6-11pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays; 6pm-12am from Thursday to Saturdays. Reservations can be made here.

The post What’s New at Ho Lee Fook 2.0? Chef ArChan Chan, a Full Revamp and a Very Tasty Hong Kong Classic appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Shanyan Fok Koder and Richard Bassett explain how a Hong Kong art entrepreneur joined forces with a former special-forces soldier to launch a health and mental wellbeing app, Mentor360.

"Mental health and mental fitness are universal concerns," says Shanyan Fok Koder. "And regardless of your demographic, social status, your job or your age, it’s something everyone has to deal with."

Shanyan Fok Koder & Richard Bassett on Mental Health App Mentor360

The Mentor360 app dropped on World Mental Health Day in October, the cumulation of the last 20 months of work and conversations (usually across continents over Zoom) between former military man Richard Bassett and worldly art advisor Koder. A month later, I’m sitting with both in a North London café talking over slices of pizza.

Their app, they hope, offers everyone a holistic 360 guide and framework to “finding your formula” for mental and physical wellbeing. It uses a hybrid approach, with a core layer of clinicians and professional Mentors and then celebrity Ambassadors (who’ve publicly shared meaningful life stories) critical for building noise and momentum.

"I’d been in the military for a long time. And there were a couple of incidents in my life that made me want to create something," Bassett, the CEO, explains. "Firstly, it was my father committing suicide. Then my son had a bit of misdirection. And several of my friends in the military had PTSD issues or adjustment disorders."

"The biggest issue is why people wouldn’t come forward and say they’ve got a problem?” he asks.

“Unlike some apps, we’re not trying to get people hooked. Come on to it when you need it”

— Richard Bassett

The answer often lay in culture, lack of education or concerns about privacy that prevent many from seeking help. With that came Bassett’s idea of creating an app that functions as a “non-judgmental toolkit” with content validated by experts – who include coaches, performance psychologists, mental health-specialising nurses and a clinical psychologist.

Basset’s link with Koder came when his best friend, ex-special forces colleague and TV star Jason Fox, sat next to a pregnant Koder at a charity fundraiser for Born (which researches to prevent premature birth) in late 2019. As the pair talked about their passions for mental health and children’s wellbeing, the connection to Bassett’s idea became quickly apparent.

"Foxy told me that I have to meet his friend, Richard, who’s building this app," Koder recalls. "I was always wanting to support things that are very meaningful and close to my heart … and now Jason is actually our key mentor. The partnership between Richard and I was almost like two parts of a jigsaw puzzle come together."

Although some might go to the app for help with stress, trauma or even resources to help with suicidal feelings, Mentor360 is designed specifically as a three-dimensional offering that will also encourage fitness, workouts, performance and meditation or more clinical matters.

"We wanted to maintain the human factor as a constant throughout. So it feels like somebody has given you some advice rather than some process-driven machine learning," Bassett adds.

The co-founders might come from two different worlds, but the unlikely partnership speaks to the ubiquity of the issues at hand. Bassett’s 25-year military career saw him being appointed the first ever Command Sergeant Major within the UK Special Forces military group. "It was at that stage where I was asked if I wanted to run defence,” he says. “At that point, I thought, I’ve kind of had my fill of the military now, it’s time to move on."

Koder meanwhile grew up in Hong Kong and the UK as the daughter of Li Ka-shing’s "right-hand man" Canning Fok, carving out a career in the arts and taking over her family’s impressive collection. As a female art entrepreneur and mother, her challenges would be different.

"When I had the misfortune of losing three babies to miscarriage and dealing with that emotional fallout, it led me to want to support this as a cause," Koder divulges. "If there’d been something like this app available to me, I don’t think I’d have suffered as much as I did emotionally. It’s a topic that’s still very taboo, even in this day and age … and while you eventually find your own community, at the very beginning, you do feel very alone."

Both were clearly driven towards the app through deeply personal experiences. Bassett saw first-hand how soldiers who’d done several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered – his best friend, Fox, had left the forces with PTSD. Perhaps machismo or fear of institutional repercussions meant that the issue was often ignored or hidden in the military – but he hopes that Mentor360’s holistic approach can gently lead people to explore mental fitness alongside physical performance too.

The male-female perspectives of the pair offer a well-rounded, powerful tool. And while the wellness space is already crowded, Mentor360 stands out by being so broad, human-focused and non-prescriptive.

There’s been exciting traction too. Since its launch, the app has been downloaded in more than 176 countries, with the UK, the US and Australia leading. British schools have reached out and it’s one governance board away from being trialled within the National Health Service (NHS), which means added clinical risk management in the app. That has been an important validation, says Bassett, "especially when an institution like that has picked it out from a huge spectrum of apps on the market today."

Covid-19 and lockdowns have helped throw light on mental health, taking the conversation more mainstream. The timeliness has hit home; as Bassett says, “there’s a lot of people now struggling with the transition between Covid and normality”.

Koder tells us that the plan is to serve individuals but also institutions such as the NHS and the military. There’s also the option of “white labelling” it, so the app can be packaged and tailored to certain industries or corporate employees. In the future, might they look more global, with different languages and translations? Absolutely, the pair say, but they’re taking it “slow and steady”. There’s been interest from American corporations and Koder says that she’s keen to push into Asia very soon. Although going truly global might mean translating for languages, cultures and tone, as well as working with diverse psychologists, it remains a future ambition.

Mentor360 may be extra helpful in cultures where mental health is still relatively taboo. As Koder says, "I think, coming from our Asian culture, it speaks volumes to me – so much of our culture is about still performance or hiding a lot of what you’re feeling."

"Unlike some apps,” Bassett adds, "what we’re not trying to do is create a hook or get people hooked. Come on to it when you need it, and if you don’t need it for a while because you’re good, you can just put it away … We’re starting to see those patterns in the trend analysis."

To get a little personal, I ask what works for them individually to keep a healthy mind and body. Bassett’s formula revolves around daily exercise, time with the family, dogs and good sleep – even the occasional glass of wine on the sofa in front of a crackling fireplace. Koder’s happiness hacks centre around motherhood, being content and at peace in her skin, and looking at life with a certain romanticism: "I always love to see the poetry in my day,” she says, "and I think it’s important to just pause throughout the day, check-in and acknowledge that I’ve achieved these things and I should be proud of myself, rather than just rushing on to the next thing."

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At his newly opened restaurant Estro, Antimo Maria Merone pushes the boundaries of Neapolitan dining. We talk to the chef about his country’s cuisine and its bold evolution beyond the peninsula.

Entering Estro, chef Antimo Maria Merone’s new restaurant in Central’s Duddell’s Street, you’re transported into another dimension. Clearly influenced by art, a millennial aesthetic, auteur movies and, in a very subtle way, the chef’s hometown of Naples, the spacious dining room looks like no other restaurant in Hong Kong.

However, don’t expect to find Amalfi lemons on the tables or pseudo-vintage chairs from traditional trattorias of the 1960s. Instead, Merone worked with celebrated designer André Fu to create a space that takes inspiration from the elegant salotti (living rooms) of the 19th century. Fu reimagined this concept by adding contemporary furniture, eccentric wallpapers and a dash of cosmopolitan elegance, which you’ll also find in Merone’s haute Italian menu.

Merone is part of an avant-garde of Italian chefs who are trying to redefine the meaning and evolution of their cuisine around the world. Although he strongly believes that what he’s doing at Estro isn’t unique, he’s determined to show the diversity, adaptability and fine-dining potential of Italian food. Beyond comfort and simplicity, which made the cuisine from the peninsula one of the most popular and well-known in the world, there’s indeed a lot more to explore.

Merone talks here about Italian cuisine, the meaning of authenticity and the concept behind Estro.

Chef Antimo Maria Merone on Estro

Tell us about your career.

I started cooking professionally when I was 25, which is pretty late. I had a 10-year gap from some of my colleagues because I studied finance first and decided to follow my passion later. Professionally, I started cooking in Berlin. Then, prompted by my family, I went to Alma [cookery school] to study Italian cuisine. After that, I worked for Philippe Léveillé at Miramonti l’altro, and that’s why I moved to Asia because he opened a restaurant in Hong Kong and I came here as his head chef. In 2014, I started working with chef Umberto Bombana and moved to Macau in 2015 to helm Otto e Mezzo Bombana there, where I worked for six years. Estro is my first personal project. My wife, who’s a local fashion designer, was heavily involved in the aesthetics of the restaurant and came up with a lot of details that make the restaurant what it is.

What’s the idea behind Estro and how long did it take you to finalise the concept?

Estro is a dream that has been in my drawer for a long time and that luckily became reality. I’d been thinking of opening my own space for a while but I didn’t even know where to do it. I was in Macau and I couldn’t even visualise my restaurant. Last year I got stuck here in Hong Kong because of Covid and I started thinking that maybe it was the right time to focus on what I wanted to do and to start working on a concept or a business plan. I put down some ideas and I started to visualise what I had in my mind in terms of the aesthetics of the space, the food I wanted to serve and the story behind the restaurant. I also started to talk to potential investors and I created a small deck.

What I wanted from the beginning was a strong sense of heritage. I’m from Naples and even though I’ve spent more than half of my life abroad, it’s still the place that has a special place in my heart and it always will. The idea was to create a restaurant with Naples in its heart and the rest of the world in its mind. I’m proud of my origins and they represent a big source of inspiration, but at the same time, they’re not limiting my creativity of the possibilities of what I can do and explore.

Estro, which means inspiration in Italian, is diverse. Yes, we’re trying to refine some historical dishes but we’re also trying to use ingredients that don’t exist in the South of Italy and, taking it out of context, we approach it in a Neapolitan or completely different way. I want the food to be essential, evocative and it has to represent me. I’m not saying Estro is special or unique, but it’s distinctively mine.

Talk us through the restaurant’s design and aesthetic.

I had several meetings with André Fu, who designed the space and did an amazing job. I basically gave him some references about Napoli, the old town and the aristocratic salottos typical of the 19th century, located in huge apartments with high ceilings. We have some retro-chic elements, wallpaper and other references to that. All these inspirations have been reimagined through the eyes of André, a local designer who translated this for Hong Kong. He said before that the space is inspired by my character, which he considers to be eclectic.

Do you think Estro could work in Italy?

Yes, actually. The approach is contemporary and it could also work in Naples. Of course, the connection between the market, the dishes and the idea behind them is always direct. So, maybe, it could be even easier for me to serve this food there, because some dishes are really a click into your memory. If you’re a kid from the South, you’ll instantly recognise the inspiration behind these reinterpreted dishes in a second. Here, it’s different. I’m telling a story that most people are experiencing for the first time. If I were in Italy, I’d probably use more Asian ingredients and influences, because it’s part of my story and who I am.

Do you think the perception of Italian cuisine as fine dining is changing?

Absolutely. And I’m super happy to be part of this era in which Italian food is kind of evolving. Not the food itself, but the conception of what Italian cuisine is and what can be done with it. Outside of Italy, it’s been extremely difficult for my colleagues who came before me to change the perception most people have of our cuisine. There are very few examples of people who’ve been successful in trying to push the boundaries of Italian cuisine outside of the country.

One is definitely Luca Fantin in Tokyo, who’s been doing it for 10 years. He’s pushing and pushing to change this conception and show how diverse, complicated and interesting Italian food can be. It’s really hard and reductive to summarise our cuisine to, say, 10 comforting dishes that everyone loves. There are so many regional differences and dishes and ramifications inside each region.

What’s even more fascinating is that, while we have an ancient history, Italy is a new country. We’ve been unified for 160 years. Each area has a very different history and therefore culinary tradition and heritage. Nobody has ever written an encyclopaedia of Italian food where everything is categorised and classified. Italian cuisine isn’t codified like French cuisine is, for example. There’s a fascinating micro-diversity that gives countless possibilities. Even the concept of authenticity is very diverse depending on where you’re from and your experience.

How do you find the balance between tradition, innovation and telling a story in each dish?

The line is very thin. What I try to do is to keep the initial flavour of it alive and intensify it, to go into its roots to clean it up. With the first bite you need to experience the original flavour. I think the most important thing is to really push the intensity of the flavour to its full potential.

Can you talk us through one dish that represents your philosophy and Estro?

Our Genovese, which at first I thought was too rustic to put into the menu. It’s a super-traditional recipe from Naples, our ragù. What we do at home is to cook the pasta with the sauce and then use the meat afterwards as another dish. Here at Estro, I don’t cook the meat with the onions. The roasted onions become a jus and then, separately, I cook a short rib. This reminds me of the traditional sequence of eating it in my family, served in a small single bite.

This is the first restaurant you’ve opened as chef-founder. Were you scared before launching Estro?

Yes. A restaurant like this is a big investment. I’m turning 40 and I kept thinking, “This needs to work out.” Then there were all the expectations when we opened the restaurant. I was scared that we weren’t ready, that we weren’t where we needed to be. I think, in the end, I’m very satisfied, I think we opened at a time when we were ready to deliver the concept in the right way, in terms of service and the food we serve. Of course, there are still things we’re working on.

What are some of your favourite restaurants in Hong Kong?

VEA by Vicky Cheng, Caprice and Yardbird.

PHOTOGRAPHY ALISON KWAN

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Before you hastily wave goodbye to 2021, celebrate with good friends and a grand feast for a proper sendoff to a wildly underwhelming year.

You know, 2021 was supposed to be the year where everything went Back to Normal. It didn't. How naive we all were. Instead, we sat through a rollercoaster ride of border restrictions — opened up (yay) before quickly shut again (boo) — 14, then 21 days of quarantines at home and hotels, and lots and lots of QR scans and temperature checks.

But what we did discover while anchored in the city is that new restaurants were the one thing that got us through. They never stopped opening! We went beyond the two usual stops on the Island Line to explore new venues and cuisines far and away from home. So with a final goodbye to 2021, and a hopeful look-ahead to 2022 (please, let us go somewhere; anywhere!), celebrate New Year's Eve with a memorable dinner at the many venues that helped sate our appetites this last 12 months.

Where to celebrate New Year's Eve Dinner in Hong Kong

Écriture

To mark an occasion as rare as the welcoming of a new year takes one very special location indeed. New Year's Eve only happens once a year! And that's a location like two-Michelin star Écriture where stunning views are only rivalled by an even more stunning array of dishes prepared by chef Maxime Gilbert and chef Heloïse Fischbach. The seven-course New Year's Eve dinner menu is a complete showcase of the restaurant's refined take on contemporary French cuisine, and includes roasted giant Brittany langoustine, Brittany live sea urchin prepared like an egg cocotte with caviar, Normandy scallop shaved with winter black truffle and a whole roasted rack of beef that's finished off over smoky binchotan.

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

Margo

Chef Mario Paecke of Margo prepares an eight-course dinner of decadence in bidding adieu to 2021. The modern European brasserie serves up a classic menu coupled with delightful contemporary twists the likes of a Fukuoka snow crab cocktail concocted with green asparagus and seaweed brioche, roasted pork belly with Brussel sprouts, muscat grapes and violet mustard and an Alexandre Polmard beef tartare topped with cep & white onion purée. To finish, chef ends on a sweet note with a German holiday tradition: bratapfe — baked apples served with vanilla custard.

Margo, Shop 6, G/F, The Galleria, 9 Queens Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2130 7731

Osteria Marzia

If counting down to the New Year is typically done in a seaside locale of some sort, the lack of travel this holiday season means very inventive alternatives. Osteria Marzia is one such location, evocative of coastal Italy with airy interiors and sea-fresh produce which includes Seppia, cuttlefish prepared with pistachio di Bronte, Fine de Claire oysters and a dedicated Catch of the Day, set to stun and surprise with bright Italian flavours. The meal rounds out with a decadent Foresta Nera Flambé — a fabulous way to see out the end of the year, I'll say.

Osteria Marzia, G/F, The Fleming, 41 Fleming Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; +852 3607 2253

Rajasthan Rifles

The Peak will be having New Year's excitement of its own, with celebrations at Anglo-Indian mess hall Rajasthan Rifles kicking off at 9pm beginning with a grand feast starring all of the venue's beloved comforts: Tandoor-cooked lamb chops, lobster garlic butter fry and a Calcutta-style Asian sea bass curry, Macher Kalia. Also served around the room, free flow of any of your go-to beverages, with anything from Pimm's Cups to G&Ts and flutes of Champagne. Swing out the evening with tunes from the live band just in time for welcoming 2022 toasts.

Rajasthan Rifles, G/F, The Peak Galleria, Hong Kong, +852 2388 8874‬

Hue Dining

Not only will you be seated with a front-row view of Victoria Harbour (no fireworks this year, sadly), you'll sit with a sweet serenade by way of professional accordionist Nazar Tabachyshyn's stunning live music performance. Dinner comes in either three- or four-course seating with chef Wilson Leung's take on modern Australian cuisine of fresh seafood and quality produce, including saffron risotto with scallop and edamame, Carabinero prawns, Australian Grade 9 Mayura wagyu sirloin, banoffee cheesecake and the entrance of a glorious cheese trolley filled to the brim will all sorts of tasty treats.

Hue, 1/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong;+852 3500 5888

Roji

If you're counting down to 2022 at Roji, fantastic choice. Not only is the Central hideaway izakaya throwing a grand New Year's Eve soirée to farewell 2021, you'll also be dining with some of the venue's latest seasonal serves: Crispy-fried chicken skin with a miso mayo dip, Polmard beef tartare and a personal favourite (which I gushed endlessly about in one edition of our weekly Best Bites), Mentaiko udon, coated in rich, creamy ginger-garlic dressing sprinkled with mentaiko pollack roe. The dinner, available in two seatings, will also come with a welcome glass of Moët & Chandon Champagne but we recommend going for the list of special-made cocktails, including the flavoured Highballs, which I also enthusiastically raved about here.

Roji, G/F, 20A D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong; +852 +852 9884 0704

La Rambla

When it comes to the final minute of 2021, you'll probably think back on the the past 12 months, flipping through all the best memories had. But no need to flip so far — just remember this delicious Catalan meal at La Rambla you had just a few hours ago. Staying true to a memorable feast, the eight-course menu includes a selection of cuisine favourites like fresh tomato on toasted crystal bread with a drizzle of olive oil, a unique Hokkaido uni doughnut served with miso mayonnaise, foie grass mi-cuit and a hearty Boston lobster paella, topped with the classic trio of clams, squid and mussels.

La Rambla, Shop 3071 -3073, Level 3, ifc mall, Central, Hong Kong; +852 2661 1161

Bacchus

The secret to successful New Year's celebration? Good food and lots and lots of wine. A wish that is sure to come true at the newly opened Bacchus on Hollywood Road, which prides itself on its very extensive list of fine wines. Naturally then, the seafood-centric, six-course New Year's Eve dinner comes paired with a thoughtfully curated selection of vinos, set to highlight the exquisite flavours of the venue's Asian-inspired French cuisine. Caviar is, of course, in attendance, but so are some very extravagant serves: Russian Red Merus king crab leg, French Brioche Perdu, Japanese sea urchin and grilled Atlantic turbot in a decadent Champagne-caviar sauce.

Bacchus, 3/F Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong; +852 3750 5200

Giacomo

On the flip side of New Year's Eve extravagance, there's comfort. Time spent with nearest and dearest all wrapped and warm as you anticipate an exciting welcoming to another new year. Giacomo's New Year's Eve menu is a six-course dinner celebration that allows you to do both: Southern Italian comforts made with intent for complete indulgence. Foie gras with chestnut emulsion. Royale oysters topped with caviar. Mayura beef tenderloin with winter black truffle. Then the hearty, home-style pastas by executive chef Keith Yam: Brittany blue lobster Sardinian gnocchi, tagliolini with mushroom jus and Alba white truffle. A wonderful end and beginning to the years.

Giacomo, G/F, 8 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; +852 3980 3008

Cornerstone

When the clock strikes 12 on 31 December, all that matters is you, you loved one and the kind of celebration you share to toast a year just had and to be had. An intimate dinner prior is sets the scene, then. Cornerstone, with its sleek interiors and cosy seating, presents a perfect setting along with a delicious menu representative of chef Neal G. Ledesma's sophisticated plates that manage to comfort. For New Year's Eve, the modern bistro prepares a four-course menu topped with smoked ricotta raviolo, pan-seared wagyu rump cap and celeraic risotto, before finishing with a modest yet very indulgent banana cake topped with dulce mousse and a drizzle of caramel.

Cornerstone, G/F, 49 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

LPM Restaurant & Bar

Now don't be mistaken, LPM Restaurant & Bar might be known for its fresh and bright French-Mediterranean serves but it doesn't mean it's a reason not to dress up. The restaurant encourages you to with the welcoming of 2022, and set the theme of the evening to the glamorous setting of Studio 54. So find the glitziest sequins dress you own and shimmy your way to the restaurant's H Queen's location. The menu itself is a true dedication to LPM's coastal flavours, devised by head chef Maurizio Pace. Except crowd favourites like the scallop tartare and grilled pink sea bream, grilled "Black Onyx" sirloin steak and a comforting sun-dried tomato pesto spaghetti topped with squid. Of course, it not a complete LPM experience without the glamorous cocktails, with a choice of four for the evening. The Criquet de Milly of white cacao, peppermint liqueur and coconut sorbet, in particular, will be a delightful end, with flavour profiles similar to an After Eight mint.

LPM Restaurant & Bar, Shop 1, 1/F, 23-29 Stanley Street, H Queen's Central, Hong Kong; +852 2887 1113

Zuma

When it comes to throwing grand affairs, you can count Zuma high upon the list. The contemporary Japanese izakaya in infamous for its free-flow brunches, which marks yet another return on New Year's Eve with the Yashoku Night Brunch. The premise is same as usual, with free-flow dishes and drinks including sake and beer and addition entry to the countdown party later on in the evening.

Alternatively, Zuma has also put together a less raucous New Year's Eve Dinner for sophisticated celebrators. The menu is a curation of venue highlights from Japanese wagyu tataki with white truffle shavings, grilled Gillardeau oyster, crispy Mazara red prawn and, of course, decadent spoonfuls of Kristal Zuma Caviar.

Zuma, Level 5 & 6, Landmark, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong; +852 3657 6388

NYE Steak Rebellion

Something with a lil difference than your usual glitz and glam New Year’s Eve celebration. Steak Rebellion at The Factory is all about great food and great atmosphere. And with a twist of an immersive dining experience too; this year, dress to theme of "Gangs of New York x Sweeney Todd". 

A five course dinner that begins with caviar and shots of vodka, just before you've fully recovered, the dinner also comes with a complimentary bottle of quality wine to sip alongside fresh oysters and dry-aged steaks. With the pulsating beat of live musicians at the venue, it's the perfect scene for a fantastic welcoming to 2022.

The Factory, 16A Kwai Bo Industrial Building, 40 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong; +852 9085 1817

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