The hottest new openings in Hong Kong and Macau, March 30
Shop 201, 2/F, Shui On Centre, 6-8 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
Steered by head mixologist Mark Lloyd, Wynn Palace's
luxe cocktail bar has revamped its menu with 12 new signature cocktails. The drinks fall across four categories – sours, stirred, twists on classics and modern martinis – with ingredients spanning everything from croissant-washed Cognac to avocado oil. Or put your faith in Lloyd (formerly of J. Boroski across Bangkok, Hong Kong and Shanghai) as he crafts a bespoke cocktail for you, using a four-question approach he's honed over the years.
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South China Morning Post
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- South China Morning Post
The hottest new openings in Hong Kong (and Macau), May 4-10
Yakiniku Sho Yakiniku Sho's Japanese-Korean culinary maestro Shoji Tsugawa features his cross-cultural style of yakiniku, to inaugurate Yakiniku Sho. Photo: Yakiniku Sho Japanese-Korean culinary maestro Shoji Tsugawa is coming to Hong Kong with his cross-cultural style of yakiniku, to inaugurate Yakiniku Sho. Japanese Kuroge Wagyu beef features heavily on the menu, with rare cuts such as the misuji briand and daisankaku steak served omakase-style, alongside Korean bites like tteokbokki rice cakes and kimchi cheese steamed egg. Advertisement Shop 3, G/F, The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, Central Paragon Jack Byrne, manager of Paragon, in the process of making Rosas Milk Punch, topped with a gummy made from upcycled citrus. Photo: Alexander Mak The star of this cosy listening bar oozing with modernist vibes is the vintage JBL Paragon. The sound system held the title as the world's most expensive on the market when it was released in 1957. Bar manager Jack Byrne's easy-going classic twists pair perfectly with tunes from jazz legends such as Charlie Barnet and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. G/F, 41 Peel Street, Central Gourmet Pavilion Congee with lobster, baby geoduck and shredded dry squid from Michelin-recommended Yong Zuo Fish Congee at Wynn Palace's Gourmet Pavilion. Photo: Wynn Palace Wynn Palace's expansive new food hall is bringing it hard with some of the region's most exciting culinary brands, representing a cross-section of almost every cuisine in Asia, all under one roof. There's street food from Chongqing's Zhu Guang Yu Hot Pot and Michelin-recommended Yong Zuo Fish Congee, as well as high-end representation from Leela, Sushi Masa and Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa, to satisfy every craving.
South China Morning Post
16-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for April 17-19
The long-awaited Easter weekend is here! Between Easter egg hunts, egg-themed dishes and extended relaxation in the warm weather, we have a full line-up of guest shifts worth checking out over the course of four days. If you're not flying out for the long weekend, enjoy the local bar scene – world-class concepts from Jakarta, Beijing and even our sister SAR get behind the stick at some of our best venues. Thursday, April 17 Wing Lei Bar x Honky Tonks Tavern Wing Lei Bar's new head mixologist Mark Lloyd is visiting Hong Kong from Macau for a guest shift at Honky Tonks Tavern on April 17. Photo: Handout What: Mark Lloyd, newly minted head mixologist at the revamped Wing Lei Bar at Wynn Palace in Macau, comes to Hong Kong for a gauntlet of guest shifts this Easter weekend. The Scotland native brings a CV of venues from Bangkok, Shanghai and more to three of our most rambunctious venues, hitting Mark Lloyd, newly minted head mixologist at the revamped Wing Lei Bar at Wynn Palace in Macau, comes to Hong Kong for a gauntlet of guest shifts this Easter weekend. The Scotland native brings a CV of venues from Bangkok, Shanghai and more to three of our most rambunctious venues, hitting Honky Tonks Tavern on Thursday, Artifact on Friday and Soho House on Saturday. Visit any of these venues to get a taste of Wing Lei Bar right here on our home turf. Advertisement Where: Honky Tonks Tavern, Pak Tsz Lane Park, 1 Pak Tse Lane, Central When: 7pm-11pm Friday, April 18 Bar Long Fong x Penicillin Penicillin in Hong Kong welcomes Bar Long Fong co-founders Xu and Fan from Beijing on April 18. Photo: Handout What: Heading down south all the way from Beijing are co-founders Xu and Fan of Bar Long Fong, who take over our very own Heading down south all the way from Beijing are co-founders Xu and Fan of Bar Long Fong, who take over our very own Penicillin this Friday! Bar Long Fong is known for its contemporary approach to cocktails, often combining multiple base liquors with unusual modifiers. That includes whiskey and two types of huangjiu with blackened banana and almond for their Banana, Almond & Huangjiu cocktail, or pisco, gin and whiskey with six types of seeds or nuts for their Francis Albert's Daily Nuts – both off their current Simple Drink menu. Where: Penicillin, LG/F, Amber Lodge, 23 Hollywood Road, Central When: 7pm-9pm Saturday, April 19 The Cocktail Club x C108
South China Morning Post
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XO sauce: the international appeal of a Cantonese staple
Inside the sleek, minimalist interior of FZN by Björn Frantzén in Dubai, executive chef Torsten Vildgaard serves a small bowl of XO sauce with the main course of barbecued duck and foie gras. The sauce has deep umami flavours balanced by a caramelised sweetness and a hint of earthiness, a sigh of smoke underneath it all – heavenly when slathered on the pillowy bread that arrives alongside the duck. Advertisement It seems an unlikely condiment to come across in one of celebrity chef Björn Frantzén 's outposts, but as it turns out, XO sauce – a Cantonese pantry essential – first popped up at the three-Michelin-starred, Nordic-Asian hotspot Frantzén in Stockholm, and later at sister venue Zén in Singapore. At FZN, the 27-seater that opened last November at Atlantis The Palm, Vildgaard (who previously headed research and development at Noma in Copenhagen ) makes the XO sauce by finely chopping garlic, shallots, smoked celeriac, chanterelles, red chillies and shiitake mushrooms, then deep-frying them individually. He then adds a reduced kelp dashi to bring everything together, blending it with the spicy frying oil. Along with using it as a condiment for bread, he sometimes uses it in emulsions as an umami booster. Hamachi served with XO sauce at Restaurant Doubek, in Vienna, Austria. Photo: Restaurant Doubek 'We chose this recipe for our opening menu because it complements the main course perfectly,' says Vildgaard. 'Also, it's vegetarian, making it a great option that most guests can enjoy. I'm passionate about dishes that highlight the plant kingdom.' FZN is just one of an increasing number of top restaurants around the world making their own versions of Hong Kong's beloved XO sauce. Although its exact origins remain obscure, XO sauce was created in the 1980s , many believe by an unnamed chef at Spring Moon, at The Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong. The chef named it 'XO chilli sauce', the term 'XO' usually used to describe 'extra old' Cognac having come to represent something considered the best of the best in 80s Hong Kong. The sauce is, indeed, traditionally made with luxury ingredients, such as conpoy (dried scallop), dried shrimp and Jinhua ham from Zhejiang province. Whether a sauce can be classified as XO without these three key ingredients is up for debate. Nevertheless, chefs around the world are claiming to have been inspired by what is surely one of Hong Kong's most influential gastronomic exports. Chefs are experimenting with Chinese cooking techniques and ingredients in new ways, often fusing them with other cuisines to create unique dishes that appeal to a broader audience Torsten Vildgaard However, it's not just XO sauce that Vildgaard is seeing growing interest in. 'Chinese food is gaining more traction outside Asia, especially among chefs,' he says. 'Over the past few years, there's been a surge of interest in regional Chinese cuisines. Chefs are experimenting with Chinese cooking techniques and ingredients in new ways, often fusing them with other cuisines to create unique dishes that appeal to a broader audience.'
