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Celebrate the Enchanted Wonders of Christmas at Island Shangri-La

Island Shangri-La ISL Christmas 2021 - Hero shot Featured

Pomellato isn't your typical fine jewellery brand. It prides itself for being different, for being bold and for being authentically, and fiercely, Milanese in its design and philosophy. This festive season, if you're looking for a gift for yourself or for the independent women in your life, you've come to the right place.

"Pomellato is about the beauty of being yourself," says CEO Sabina Belli, and wearing Pomellato can convey "a sense of power, independent, strength." The brand was created in 1967, at a time when women's rights were being affirmed. It was the dawn of a new era for new power, bringing to light a new generation of youths, women and creative minds.

Pomellato's founder was Pino Rabolini, who frequented the Brera's Bar Jamaica in Milan, an epicentre of progressive thinking for all artistic fields. When he established Pomellato, it brought a fashionable revolution to fine jewellery and was an integral part of the Milanese design renaissance.

Pomellato Nudo collection
The minimalist Nudo collection embodies Pomellato's spirit to be bold and different

Today, the brand carries on this independent spirit. While the world of fine jewellery can still be quite conservative, Pomellato is paving the way for jewellery that speaks directly to women who prefer to buy their own jewellery, and prefer jewellery pieces that liberate, rather than show off wealth and status.

With their unconventional yet timeless designs, Pomellato jewellery pieces are sure to excite the receiver, be it your closest women friends and family, even yourself.

Read on to discover the latest collections from Pomellato.

Nudo – gifts for the sophisticated woman

Pomellato Nudo collection
Pomellato Nudo jewellery in the brand's vivid colour palette

Take the Nudo collection for example, which debuted in 2001. At a time when ring settings tended to be more elaborate and traditional, Pomellato reduced the ring design to its bare essence, presenting its vivid coloured gemstones in its purest, most tactile form. The first collection featured vibrant hues of garnet, aquamarine, peridot, iolite and red tourmaline and enjoyed instant success all around the world.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CV8OgFrsxgp/

This year, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Nudo Chocolate collection is born, bringing us a few new delectable designs.

The Nudo Chocolate collection is inspired by cacao sweet treats. Set with moonstones and brown diamonds on warming 18K rose gold, the rings, earrings and bangles are a departure from Nudo's usual colour palette, evoking a more subtle and sophisticated touch.

Iconica – gifts for the audacious woman

Pomellato Iconica jewellery for 2021
Pomellato Iconica jewellery for 2021

Design is at the forefront of the new jewellery pieces in the 2021 Iconica Collection. In sinuous gold, crafted in homage to Pomellato's origins in goldsmithing, the Iconica bracelets and chunky rings are sculpted from rose gold or white gold, with hand-carved diamond settings in the shapes of Pomellato stars, triangles, droplets, diamonds and squares.

There is also a precious colour parure in the collection, featuring a new "chain link" earring and a new hoop earring that comes with Pomellato's signature gemstone colours set in rose gold.

Catene – gifts for the fashionable woman

Pomellato Catene - inspired by the brand's goldsmith heritage
Pomellato Catene – inspired by the brand's goldsmith heritage

Catene, meaning chains in Italian, naturally features chain-inspired jewellery for the young, fashion-forward customer. Chains have always been a fashion staple, and have been at the very heard of the Pomellato story since the beginning. Founder Rabolini was the son of a Milanese family of goldsmiths who specialised in chain and ring-making. His Gourmet chain, when he debuted it, became the first fine jewel to be considered a fashion accessory.

Pomellato has mastered the technique for making supple chains, no matter whether they're stacks of chunky chokers or tiers of draped, gem-set chains. A long sautoir would require 16 hours to craft, while more elaborate gem-set versions could take up to 170 hours of meticulous work by Pomellato's craftsmen.

Pomellato Catene collection
Chain-inspired jewellery was one of the Pomellato brand's first designs back in 1967

The timeless design makes the Catene collection the perfect daily essential with a Milanese sensibility. Composed of bracelets, rings and earrings, the collection features dangling and mobile chains in the Gourmette (curb chain) link style, which moves with the wearer as she goes about her day. The collection comes in rose gold with or without diamonds, or in white gold with diamonds.

Playful, sophisticated, stylish and timeless, each Pomellato jewellery piece is an embodiment of each individual's personality and style. It's sure to be a gift you would love to gift and receive.

The post Celebrate the Enchanted Wonders of Christmas at Island Shangri-La appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

How Hotels Are Revamping in a Time of Crisis

Four Seasons lobby

People may be travelling less — or not at all — but the hotel industry remains innovative, with several properties taking the opportunity to raise standards and revamp offerings aimed at both travellers and local clientele. We find out what's new at Hong Kong's old guard.

There are many instances when words in different languages don’t necessarily carry the same meaning and this is particularly true for the word “crisis”. In English, it means a period of intense difficulty but the Chinese characters – wei ji – translate as danger and opportunity. It’s a telling sign of this city’s mentality from all perspectives: consumers are still spending – now more so than ever – on fine dining, rare wines, unique experiences and staycations. New properties are still in the pipeline and, for the more established hotels, the time for an overhaul is now.

Walking into many local hotels today, you’d hardly suspect they’ve been impacted at all. People still queue
up for afternoon teas at lobby cafes; there are month-long waitlists for top hotel fine-dining restaurants and staycations are still very much sought after. We might be short on overseas travellers but there are so many of us here in the city who used to travel regularly and are now taking the opportunity to discover Hong Kong’s hospitality scene for ourselves. And what an exciting time to do so, with the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong and Island Shangri-La transforming themselves with newly renovated rooms and experiences, while the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and the Upper House have gutted out dining rooms to bring us brand new food-and-beverage concepts.

The Four Seasons Hong Kong

Four Seasons suite, designed by Remedios Studio
Four Seasons suite, designed by Remedios Studio

The Four Seasons has just completed the second phase of its transformation, with newly renovated rooms and suites, and two new F&B concepts. The first major renovation project since the hotel opened in 2005, it was a momentous occasion.

To bring the vision to life, Four Seasons enlisted the help of two Hong Kong-based international design firms. AB Concept was in charge of creating a new lobby for the Four Seasons, as well as designing the new Gallery café and Argo bar, an exciting new offering helmed by Lorenzo Antinori. Remedios Studio took over the responsibility for overhauling the accommodation.

For Ed Ng, co-founder and principal of AB Concept, defining the vibe of a hotel starts from the entrance.
A bespoke set of nine pendant lights at the door brings a new warmth to the area. The seating area is also raised to better define the flow of the lobby. What really caught our eyes, however, is the new café Gallery, with its handmade floating crystal sculpture by Czech glassmakers Lasvit, providing diners with a sense of privacy without obstructing the view of the bustling lobby. “We saw this as an opportunity to create a new hub in the heart of the financial district of Hong Kong for both business and leisure meetings where guests can enjoy the lobby’s spaciousness and an abundance of daylight,” says Ng.

Argo
Argo

As for Argo, Ng says it was one of the toughest briefs he’s ever been given, as the space had to cater for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and happy hour, right through to nightcaps. AB Concept took a neo-classical approach with a conservatory concept, the highlight of which is the bar area, a structural column that extends to the ceiling, like a church organ, where the pipes would open up to reveal the rarefied spirits that are housed within.

“I always feel the backdrop wall of a bar needs to be a focal point,” explains Ng. “In its previous incarnation, the bar was situated at the far end against a wall, but I always thought that Victoria Harbour is the perfect backdrop, so we used a structural column in front of the large windows as a form to host the bar itself, with the stunning harbour view behind.”

According to Ng, the shift in hotel design post-pandemic is not so much a physical change but rather
a psychological one, as people move towards casual comfort, rather than white-glove luxury. “This pandemic has made it official, proving that formality doesn’t translate to a high standard of luxury or even productivity,” says Ng.

Details in the suite

This vision of new luxury is shared by Peter Remedios of Remedios Studio, the firm behind the Four Seasons’ new rooms and suites. Remedios found himself particularly drawn to the design philosophy and silhouettes from the Ming Dynasty, calling that period “the highest form of furniture design in all of China”.

“As a designer, if you take a Ming piece and you try to simplify it, you’ll find that you probably can’t, without losing the character,” says Remedios. “It’s very pared down to the essence of what creates its look. And that’s actually my philosophy at Remedios Studio: how do you create something that captures just the essence, nothing superfluous? We don’t need to overdo the look. I think that’s how to achieve a timeless elegance.

In his redesign, Remedios felt strongly about embracing Chinese values as part of the design, though in a way that’s sophisticated and instinctive. “You don’t create a pastiche of something that looks Chinese, because that’s kind of silly,” says Remedios. “I don’t like the notion of Hong Kong being East meets West.”

Instead, Hong Kong was about old meets new, brand-new buildings next to heritage sites, a juxtaposition that Remedios has thoughtfully put into every room and suite. Traditional Chinese landscape paintings are incorporated into wardrobe doors, and patterns inspired by vernacular Chinese architecture are used on the alcove, with glassware and porcelain carefully placed on open shelving that mimics classic Ming furniture. The “new” comes in the form of contemporary designs like the chaise longue and the dining table in the living room, the bar that lights up like a beautiful jewellery display, and the tech – indispensable light controls, coffee machines and other things that make us feel at ease.

The Island Shangri-La

Premier Harbour View Suite
Premier Harbour View Suite

The Island Shangri-La too, is undergoing the second phase of its renovation project, which will see more room redesigns and an improved Horizon Club lounge. So far, the hotel has renovated three floors for its Horizon Club rooms and suites, comfortable and spacious rooms in neutral palettes that frame the views of the harbour. The new rooms are built with the needs of the modern-day traveller in mind and enhanced to provide a sense of space that can be adapted to guest needs, from elegant day beds to multi-functional in-room pantries and versatile desk tables that can serve as both for dining and as a meeting table.

Helming the rooms’ redesign is renowned French interior designer Tristan Auer, who has married understated style with old-world elegance, an aesthetic that’s always been a characteristic of the Island Shangri- La. It’s hard to miss the 16-storey-high landscape silk painting, Great Motherland of China, that dominates the atrium of the hotel. Said to be the largest silk painting in the world and a wonderful piece of heritage, the work is in full view for all staying guests.

Island Shangri-La’s beloved restaurants Petrus and Lobster Bar remain relatively untouched, however, spearheaded by the acclaimed Uwe Opocensky, who’s now executive chef for Shangri-La hotels. Along with Petrus’ head chef Romain Dupeyre, Opocensky has reinvented the French fine-dining restaurant’s classic dishes and given them all a refreshing and contemporary twist, while the restaurant space retains its ornate old-world charm.

The Upper House

Andre Fu Suite
Andre Fu Suite

Just a stone’s throw away from Island Shangri-La, the Upper House has gone for something else entirely. After 10 years of success with Café Gray Deluxe, the hotel closed down the space as part of its ongoing evolution and reopened with Salisterra, a Mediterranean-focused restaurant that highlights sustainable creations, utilising bold and bright vegetables, chargrilled meats and fish, and hand-made pasta, created by London-based chef Jun Tanaka and chef de cuisine Chris Czerwinski.

And instead of revamping its rooms, the hotel has redesigned a single suite only, renaming it the André Fu Suite in tribute to the original architect of the hotel and housing his latest collection of decor, homeware and tableware. The suite was designed as a space in which guests can be sociable and relax, and allows for private and more intimate events, which couldn’t have come at a better time than now. There’s a dining table that seats 18 and is serviced by the Salisterra team and a dedicated spa area with twin massage beds.

Done up in Fu’s signature palette of neutrals and mineral-blue tones, the room is a soothing oasis in which to rejuvenate or to entertain. Fu was inspired by Japanese Zen gardens, a theme that’s prominent in both the suite and his latest André Fu Living collection. In a previous interview, he told us that the juxtaposition of Art Deco patterns and Japanese Zen gardens is a cross-cultural aspect that he’s experimenting with at the moment.

Salisterra
Salisterra

Salisterra, however, is a bright and vivid evolution, bringing in rich colours of terracotta orange, mud burgundy, mineral blue, dusty turquoise and golden caramel. The design is mid-century and geometric, incorporating a large five-metre-high chandelier made with more than 80 glowing glass lanterns in the main room. One of our favourite areas is the bar lounge, nicknamed the “green room”, which brings in furnishings in high-gloss racing-green lacquer and vivid Pevla stone.

General manager Kristina Snaith-Lense says that the hotel is constantly refreshing and innovating its space
to enrich the guest experience. “The plan to create a new dining experience at Level 49 and the André Fu Suite had actually been in the pipeline for some time and weren’t a result of the pandemic,” she says.

The local clientele has always been an important segment for the boutique hotel, and working with homegrown brands and local ambassadors has long been part of the mission. “If anything, Covid-19 has reinforced the importance of those relationships with old and new friends,” says Snaith-Lense. The Upper House has a constant rotation of local F&B concepts in the lobby, such as Matchali, Cookie Department, Teakha and Mother Pearl, and has also converted a guest room into a fitness studio, where workouts with local fitness personalities are held.

The Mandarin Oriental

The Aubrey
The Aubrey

We can’t speak about hotel transformations without touching on the Mandarin Oriental, which has also completely revamped its restaurant offerings, closing Pierre to make way for a renewed Man Wah, its time-honoured Chinese restaurant and the Aubrey, an eccentric Japanese izakaya in collaboration with Maximal Concepts. The Aubrey has made a buzz and quickly become a top spot in the city for drinks and quick bites, but unique experiences keep on coming. The Aubrey’s bar programme is managed by Devender Sehgal, who has recently created the Omakase Cocktail Bar, a drinks-led experience that puts lesser-known liquors and sparkling sake at the forefront, paired with light snacks for a truly rarefied experience.

New rooms, new restaurants and bars, new experiences – crisis or not, it’s an exciting time to be in hospitality.

The post How Hotels Are Revamping in a Time of Crisis appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The Top 5 Staycations in Hong Kong’s Most Luxurious Hotels

staycation hong kong

By now, your bosses and colleagues have probably seen more of your abode than you would've ever expected to show them.

With many of us working from home these days, meetings held over video conferencing apps the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams have become the new normal. Inevitably, this means letting colleagues into our residences — albeit virtually — and having them catch glimpses of it via our backdrop. Depending on where your workspace is located, this view could range from a boring blank wall to windows or cluttered bookshelves.

Your makeshift office may not be the most glamorous, but there are several easy interior design tricks that you can employ to quickly jazz up the background of your Zoom calls.

Textiles and cushions

If your workstation of choice is the couch or bed, all it takes is a few snazzy throw pillows wrapped in eye-catching fabrics and prints to provide visual interest in the space behind you. Consider dressing your cushions in the Armani/Casa Exclusive Textiles by Rubelli collection, which is inspired by modern art — specifically works by Henri Matisse, Vasilij Kandinskij and Paul Klee.

It showcases striking colour blocks embellished with embroideries, ikat details and intertwined motifs. These are available in various patterns and shades ranging from pastel to neutral hues. More details here.

Houseplants and greenery

interior design zoom calls
Fiddle leaf fig. (Image: Flora Houses)

Adding houseplants to your home office will help the space look less spartan and bland. Smaller plants like cacti, succulents and spider plants can be displayed on shelves or tables, while larger ones such as philodendrons, snake plants and ZZ plant (Zanzibar Gem) can be placed on the floor to break the monotony of blank walls.

Online plant retailer Flora Houses offers a wide variety of houseplants that will thrive indoors and are generally low-maintenance. Its range includes Japanese fir, fiddle leaf fig and Bird of Paradise. The store provides free doorstep delivery with a minimum spend.

Artworks and paintings

interior design zoom calls
Small Yellow Flower Pot by Micke Lindebergh. (Image: Odd One Out)

Perhaps houseplants may seem like too much of a commitment, or you simply don't have green fingers. This is where paintings and art pieces make an easier alternative. You can simply hang a couple of them on the wall that constantly forms your video call backdrop.

An Andy Warhol or Basquiat will certainly impress your co-workers, but your art doesn't necessarily have to be expensive or by big name artists. Consider procuring artworks instead from indie galleries such as Odd One Out, which boasts an array of creations by local and international printmakers and illustrators. We can't take our eyes off the above acrylic painting by Micke Lindebergh, which is titled 'Small Yellow Flower Pot' and features colourful blooms accented by quirky squiggles and bright hues.

Statement ornaments and furniture

interior design zoom calls
Dancing Circus Crane from Lala Curio. (Image: Lala Curio)

Inject a dose of quirk into your meeting setup by peppering your background with assorted decorative items and statement furniture pieces. These can be anything from figurines to colourful tiles and dramatic room dividers.

Our go-to is Lala Curio, which is a whimsical wonderland of objets d'art such as brass monkey sculptures, cloisonné birds, and, one of our favourites — an adorable trio of cranes adorned with rock crystal feathers and perched on crystal balls.

Wallpaper

interior design zoom calls
Christian Lacroix Oiseau Fleur wallpaper. (Image: Christian Lacroix)

Why settle for one specially curated work area, when you can turn your whole room into an Instagram-worthy space? Wallpaper is a bold and easy solution — if every wall in your room is clad in beautiful prints, you can essentially park yourself in any corner and still have an envy-inducing Zoom backdrop.

Designer wallpaper has seen a resurgence in recent years, and we're obsessed with Christian Lacroix's exquisite Oiseau Fleur vinyl wallpaper, which depicts vibrant botanical and bird motifs against a silk effect embossed base. It comes in two colourways of pink and grey.

(Main image: Brina Blum/ Unsplash; Featured image: Christian Lacroix)

The post The Top 5 Staycations in Hong Kong’s Most Luxurious Hotels appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Chef Uwe Opocensky’s Epicurean Elevation at Restaurant Petrus and Throughout Island Shangri-La

It’s recently come full circle for German-born chef Uwe Opocensky and his 15 years in Hong Kong. His stellar reputation at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong for more than nine years saw him overseeing all culinary operations at the hotel, where he made a deep impact with his menus at Mandarin Grill + Bar, and as the launch chef of The Krug Room – with his super-imaginative take on fine dining.
After his Mandarin stint, Opocensky became executive chef of Beef & Liberty restaurants, redefining the gourmet burger purveyor’s menus in Hong Kong and mainland China; while in this position he also launched his own cosy Sheung Wan restaurant called Uwe. Then, in September, he returned to the hotel world, to become executive chef at the Island Shangri-La.
But it’s not only been a return to the hotel industry, Opocensky explains at the Admiralty hotel. “I started my career in Hong Kong at the Aberdeen Marina Club, which is managed by Shangri-La, so from that point of view it’s a full circle – as the group owner [Robert Kuok] said when he saw me here, ‘Welcome back home!’
“In life, I think you figure out things you’re good at and what you prefer to do – and hotels is more my field,” says Opocensky. “It’s a field I know pretty well and I feel comfortable to be back in it. There are obviously a lot of challenges in the market at the moment, but the hotel group is embarking on an evolution towards where they see hospitality heading and I’m very excited to be part of this."

Although Opocensky visits each of the Island Shangri-La’s eight food operations – including the coffee shop (Café Too), Japanese (Nadaman), Cantonese (Summer Palace) and western (Lobster Bar & Grill) restaurants – once or twice a day, since coming on board in September, a significant focus has been on honing one of Hong Kong’s grand dames of classic French dining: Restaurant Petrus.
So what exactly is Opocensky’s vision for the restaurant with him now at its helm? “Petrus has a classical approach and I want to take this further, with a commitment to quality,” he says. “We’ll always be steeped in French cuisine, which is in the restaurant’s nature; focus will remain on seasonality – and I want to bring in really unique ingredients and experiences, but in as simple a manner as possible, so that people don’t see how much work we’ve put into dishes but let the ingredients shine.

[caption id="attachment_204590" align="alignnone" width="1427"] Uwe Opocensky[/caption]

“A plate of food is an expression of what you are as a restaurant. I’ve introduced a lot of new cooking techniques – fermentation and others – to the restaurant, so I’m glad and lucky that the kitchen team here adapted to these very well.” Opocensky’s 33 years of experience have exposed him to some innovative styles that he can draw from in a way that best befits Petrus; the most edgy he was involved in was kitchen time at both Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in the UK and Ferran Adria’s El Bulli in Spain: two the world’s most influential contemporary nerve centres in recent culinary history.
At the time of writing, lunch menus presented options of two to four courses, with two selections in each course; dinner comprises three to five courses, with three listings to select from in each. Each course option also has at least three meticulously prepared components. Menu descriptions are brief, allowing the notably warm waiting staff to elucidate more fully. and with most courses served tableside from a serving trolley, it’s often Opocensky himself or Chef de Cuisine Bjoern Panek (who previously also worked at Uwe) who add not only a touch of culinary theatre to the proceedings but also elaborate on the dish ideas and sources of the often very special ingredients.
Take the dish simply called Beetroot, for example. The vegetable itself is grown in Hong Kong and is the second harvest of seeds from a producer called Row 7, the brainchild of US chef Dan Barber, multi-awarded for his two Blue Hill restaurants, who collaborated with vegetable breeding and seed specialists. Opocensky serves it three ways: first as a northern- Italian-inspired sliced, cured, smoked and air-dried bresaola, with slices arranged so that it appears like a rose, atop a thin layer of soft goat’s cheese; accompanying this are charred wild pepper leaves (foraged in Hong Kong) suggested as small wraps in which to contain the beetroot, as well as melba toast with beetroot purée, salad leaves and herbs, and a side salad smattered with freeze-dried beetroot powder.
On the dinner menu is the dish known as Prawn – of course, there’s so much more to it. “We have a beautiful red prawn from Spain,” the chef explains. “We grill the heads and keep the rest raw. On the side we serve a [prawn] garum, which is an old way of fermenting – it was invented by the Romans; we do this in-house in a whisky barrel and it takes about six weeks at 58.6 degrees [Celsius] – we have to be very precise.

[caption id="attachment_204591" align="alignnone" width="1475"] Opocensky's minimalist dish called Prawn[/caption]

“Another ingredient that’s all about simplicity is in our Potato dish. It’s a Hokkaido potato, which took me seven years of knocking on a farmer’s door with a bottle of sake to get it into Hong Kong. I got it for the first time last year – in Japan, it can take a really long time to secure ingredients; I’m going back soon to see him, to make sure we have a supply for next year.
“It’s all about relationships. I’ve got an organic farmer in the UK who went to Japan to get a special kind of deer – sika deer – and brought it back to organically rear it in the UK; and we take all six that he produces each year.” I try this and the meat is sweet – neither as dense in texture nor as robust in gamey flavour as some venison; Opocensky serves it with tart red cabbage based on his grandmother’s recipe (“though she might not like what I’ve done with it,” he says with a laugh), and a creamy savoy cabbage.
While Opocensky may be known for modern ingredient-led cuisine, via some whimsical experimentation at The Krug Room, his foundations were in a very traditional domestic repertoire. “I got into cooking through my grandmother and mother,” he recalls. “In Germany it’s a very big family tradition at Christmas time to bake cookies – kids would often be around while this went on at home to get a few sweet tastes during the process, but my family had other ideas for me – they thought I should help to make them, and from that point really I’ve never looked back. Since then my life has always been around the kitchen. And from when I was about 12 or 13, after learning more cooking from my mother, I was crystal clear that that’s where my future would lie.”
We live in an age where chefs are expected to come out of the kitchen and interact with the diners, which Opocensky embraces, but we’re also accustomed to seeing critical comments appear on social media. “There’s a lot of debate about how chefs should act towards criticism and anything else,” says the chef. “I think it’s better to hear criticism – or that someone’s really enjoyed something – face to face, rather than read it on social media when it’s already too late to react to praise or negative feedback.
“In life, nothing is perfect. In the kitchen and in service, we get a one- time chance to get it right. But sometimes, we can slip – a customer and chefs or waiters have to accept that. If something isn’t perfect in the kitchen I won’t let it go out and that might mean someone needs to wait; we’ll say, “Sorry, we just need a little more finishing on your dish, you’ll just have to wait another 10 minutes please ...” and we’ll have immediate feedback from the table – which is better than, say, a diner waiting with no explanation who might post about this on social media. It’s all part of hospitality – dealing with people’s emotions at the time.”
While it may be early days for Opocensky, one very strong vote of confidence already secured for his morphing Petrus was the awarding of a Michelin star in December’s new Hong Kong and Macau guide for 2020. Expect more such accolades to follow.

 

The post Chef Uwe Opocensky’s Epicurean Elevation at Restaurant Petrus and Throughout Island Shangri-La appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Uwe Opocensky Joins Island Shangri-La as Executive Chef

It's official: newly appointed Island Shangri-La Executive Chef, Uwe Opocensky, will oversee kitchen operations for the luxury hotel's eight restaurant and bar offerings. This includes the Lobster Bar & Grill, Nadaman, Michelin-starred Summer Palace, and of course, Hong Kong's treasured haven for haute cuisine Restaurant Petrus. Here, Opocensky will play an integral role in leading the team and spearheading a new culinary direction at the French fine-dining restaurant.

[caption id="attachment_171878" align="alignnone" width="2268"] Prawn | Spanish / Red / Garu, / Grilled Bread Supplement 188[/caption]

The German-born chef's culinary career spans over three decades in which he began as a young apprentice in Germany. He then trained under revolutionary Swiss chef and restaurateur Anton Mosimann in London. Soon enough, he was cooking for royalty and heads of state, before moving on to work with the Shangri-La Group from 2004 to 2007. Starting first as the Executive Chef at the Shangri-La in Kuala Lumpur, he relocated to Hong Kong and held the same role at the exclusive Aberdeen Marina Club. During this time, he also completed a six-month stage at Ferran Adrià's legendary restaurant El Bulli which helped to spark his fire for creative, contemporary cuisine. This was followed by a nine year stint as the executive chef at Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental in 2009.

[caption id="attachment_171880" align="alignnone" width="1984"] Beef | US / Brandt / Calotte / Truffle[/caption]

More recently, some of us will remember Opocensky from his eponymous restaurant, UWE, which he ran alongside the Beef and Liberty restaurants. It was here that his culinary style and philosophy really pushed through. To him, food should be exciting and experiential, thus he will now encourage guest and chef interactions through personal explanations of dishes and guéridon service.

[caption id="attachment_171877" align="alignnone" width="2268"] Beetroot | Organic / ‘Bresaola’ / Goats Cheese / Wild Pepper Leaves[/caption]

On his return to Shangri-La, Opocensky stated, "it is a great pleasure and honour to return to the Shangri-La Group and to be given the chance to lead and evolve the culinary direction of such an iconic establishment."

With a clear vision to modernise Petrus -- while upholding heritage, elegance and charm -- Opocensky will make use of innovative techniques to breathe new life into the menu. He adds, "we focus heavily on seasonal, fresh ingredients, bringing diners an elevated dining experience at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong."

 

The post Uwe Opocensky Joins Island Shangri-La as Executive Chef appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Summer Make-up Tips from Alexa Bui

A quick look at the simple things Alexa Bui does to make our model look simply stunning. PS: It doesn’t hurt that the face we're working on is the gorgeous Alison Chan El-Azar. 

The post Summer Make-up Tips from Alexa Bui appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

What was the last meal on the Titanic?

Chef Ricardo Chaneton of Restaurant Petrus recreates the doomed liner’s final menu.

The post What was the last meal on the Titanic? appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Editor’s Picks: Hong Kong’s Best Desserts

Here at Prestige Towers, we like to indulge, so who better to recommend your next dessert? Find out what's got us going back for seconds.

The post Editor’s Picks: Hong Kong’s Best Desserts appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Two luxury spa & wellness places in Hong Kong

Two luxury spa & wellness places in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is such a busy and crowded city that you have to find secluded places for making a break, a kind of cocoon where you can pamper yourself and just relax. I am going to highlight two great locations for luxury spa lovers, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong Spa and Island Shangri-La Health Club. Finding a luxury spa in Hong Kong is quite easy,…

The post Two luxury spa & wellness places in Hong Kong appeared first on The Luxe Insider.

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