Hong Kong is one of the world's best confluences of East and West. It's held prominence as Asia's business capital for decades with big investment banks running operations here. The city is also well known for its vibrant nightlife at Lan Kwai Fong where the street parties carry on until daylight. However, the government has recently been developing the local culture, arts and design scene in an effort to pay homage to its own history as well as promote local talent. Design hubs, heritage complexes and minimal hotels are adding colour and depth to the Hong Kong experience, especially for travellers. Read on to find out how to experience innovative design in this vibrant cosmopolitan city.
Hong Kong: Where To Stay
Synonymous with term design hotels isThe Upper House in Hong Kong成员的首选的酒店和度假村。它conveniently located on the top floors of the JW Marriot tower in Admiralty and exudes a decidedly zen vibe in sharp contrast to the frenetic city below. Designed by renowned architect, Andre Fu, its rooms are made using natural materials and simple audio and visual touches all over the property make for a seamless design experience. Dine at Café Gray Deluxe helmed by chef Gray Kunz who incorporates Asian flavours into a modern European menu (the Tiger Prawn Caesar Salad with Crustacean Mayo is divine). In your down time, take a weekend yoga class in their open-air garden or borrow bicycles to explore the city. Most impressive is that even basic rooms are 730-square-feet and come with harbour or island views, comfortable couches and luxurious bathrooms with walk-in rain showers, dressing areas and limestone bathtubs. All this in a city which is known for its closet-sized hotel rooms!
For those who like to keep their finger on the pulse of things,The Murray, Hong Kong– a Nicollo hotel is the newest design opening in the city. Architecture firm Foster+Partners in conjunction with the original architect, Ron Phillips, renovated an old government office building to create a sophisticated 336 room hotel with energy-saving bay windows and sexy bathrooms featuring smart toilets, sleek bathtubs and their famous “magic glass.” The hotel's F&B offerings are second to none. The lobby bar, Murray Lane, is popular for happy hour while afternoon tea at The Garden Lounge gets booked out a month in advance! The big splash, however, is their brand-new rooftop restaurant called Popinjay's which has a staggering 270 degree view of the city, a show-stopper bar and fine French cuisine. Slated to be Asia's next destination dining venue, skipping the lines at this new restobar will be reason enough to book yourself into this chic hotel.
Hong Kong: Where To Eat
The hottest table in town is undoubtedlyMott 32, designed by architect Joyce Wang. Descending into a basement, this warehouse-themed restaurant has colonial fixtures and an exquisite bar inspired by a Chinese apothecary. "Hong Kong's past is a patchwork of imperial Chinese and colonial British influences," says Wang explaining her vision for the space. Special features include a silk embroidered wall and hanging ropes and chains which evoke the city's history as a fishing village. The modern Chinese cuisine served here is as spectacular as the award-winning interiors. Try the Shredded 42 Days Peking Duck Salad with Almonds and Black Truffle or the delicately flavoured Lobster Har Gau. For mains, their Signature Maine Lobster fried rice is hard to beat. They also have fine selection of premium Chinese teas, cocktails and “Mottails.”
Part of Central's art trail is the Michelin-starredDuddell's, which serves classic Cantonese cuisine and painstakingly created craft cocktails (try the Lotus Blosssom or Perilla). The two storey space is divided into a stylish restaurant, chic salon, members' only library and a lush, 2,000-square-foot garden terrace. Duddell's curates a year-round art program featuring various artists and the August 2018 exhibition ‘The Day The Gods Stop Laughing' has been curated by Beijing-based Fu Yuan. It features work by Guangzhou-born, Vienna-based artist Ye Hui as well as Hong Kong artists Doreen Chan Silas Fong, and Tap Chan who attempts to recreate a scene from a Kurbrik movie with visual symbols and references. The restaurant especially comes alive during their Sunday champagne brunch with a live Peking duck station.
