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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
How to navigate some of Asia's best bars, in Hong Kong
Leave your stilettos at home. Sure, Hong Kong cocktails bars can be dressy, but martini nights in this glittering high-voltage city seem to involve either sprinting up brutally steep stairs or standing in long, patient queues waiting for admission. It takes me a couple of days to get used to bar hopping in the mid-levels. There is a clever escalator that takes you up the hill, with a convenient pause at Tai Kwun, where you can sip a relaxed Aperol spritz. But I lose my way frequently, usually distracted by pastry (make sure you pause at Bakehouse for a sourdough egg tart, or three) and boutiques. Inevitably, every wrong turn leads me to yet another steep ladder street. Nevertheless, I am determined to hit some of the spaces that made Asia 30 Best Bars list, announced recently in Macau to try some of the continent's best cocktails. Bar Leone Naturally, I start with Asia's best bar, which turns out to be disarmingly friendly. Ranked second on the World's 50 Best Bars list, after Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico, Bar Leone has been listed as Asia's best bar once again this year. With warm buttery lighting, puddled with pools of flickering candles, the space is cluttered, but by design: I spot a green toy train and retro posters under a disco ball straight from the Seventies. The space hums with conversation, punctuated by the clink of glasses and cutlery. Founder Lorenzo Antinori defines the bar as cocktail popolari, which in Italian means 'cocktail for the people'. Discussing what sets it apart, he says, 'We're not trying to reinvent the wheel at Bar Leone, we're just making sure it rolls well. I think what makes us different than other bars is that we focus on the overall bar experience: quality cocktails and food, a curated playlist, the right lighting, and warm service.' That is evident as I settle into my seat, guided by a chatty waitress. She recommends the olives, which are big, smoked, and juicy. I pair them with an easy Garibaldi, bright with campari and orange. Then dig into warm slabs of focaccia, hefty with mortadella, creamy whipped ricotta and pickled chillies. Lorenzo says his personal favourites on the menu are probably the Filthy Martini and the Olive Oil Sour. Then adds, 'But honestly, the best part of Bar Leone isn't what's in the glass, it's who's around it. The vibe, the people, the community we've built… that's the real magic.' Coa Jay Khan has been called Asia's hottest bartender, and for a good reason. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he started bartending at 18 at a karaoke club, worked in Melbourne and then discovered the charms of Mezcal in Mexico. He ended up launching Coa in 2017, to celebrate all things agave. Coa shot up Asia's 50 Best Bars list, and is currently at No 17, while Jay won the Roku Industry Icon Award this year for being 'The agave evangelist shaping Hong Kong's cocktail culture.' I meet Jay when I am standing in a long and friendly line to get into Coa. As he walks me in, I'm captivated by the bar's seductive, shabby-chic vibe. It's like stumbling upon a particularly juicy secret: pulsing with music, mirrors and frequent peals of laughter. Scrawled across a wall, I read, 'You don't find mezcal, mezcal finds you.' A pepper smash finds me. An assertive agave-based cocktail, blending jalapeno-infused tequila, Cointreau, fresh shiso and capsicum juice, it's herbaceous with an addictively spicy kick. The food is from Chicano, a neighbouring Mexican restaurant. I try their popular Al pastor tacos, generously filled with pork and pineapple, as well as the quesadillas rich with Oaxacan cheese and cool dollops of guacamole. 'When I opened this space, I was quite naive. I was driven by passion,' says Jay, adding that it took a year-and-a-half for people to really discover them. In 2021, however, they won Asia's best bar, and then went on to top the list for the next two years. His secret? Jay's been building a culture, not just creating memorable cocktails. 'We always have something in the loop, we constantly have new things coming up...' He says, adding 'We are trying to activate the community.' Savoury Project Opening this bar took guts. Focussing on spicy, savoury notes instead of the more traditionally accepted sweet fruity flavours, Jay Khan and Ajit Gurung launched The Savoury Project in May 2023, and were quickly rewarded by zooming up the list of Hong Kong's favourite bars, Currently listed as 32 on Asia's 50 best Bars list, the Savoury Project, set in trendy Soho district, jostling with beautiful people, is dominated by a custom-made hexagonal bar that encourages customers to chat with the bartender. Realising that more guests were choosing savoury cocktails, the partners decided to create a menu pivoting on umami. While the menu is short, with just eight signature cocktails (as each one requires hours of prep), there is plenty of variety, from a salty Michelada made with clamato, habanero, pickle and lager, to the deliciously intense Pepper + Corn, heady with mezcal and cumin. 'We char the husk, and that aroma reminds you of Mexican barbeque,' says Ajit. There's also a Temperance section, which includes a nutty Teriyaki freeball, with Japanese white soy sauce, and Seed of Life that includes papaya seeds and ginger kombucha. Ajit says is getting increasingly popular as more people give up alcohol. I am not one of them. He slides across a Chilled Biryani, a cocktail made with ghee, biryani masala, tequila, plum, pineapple and peppers as we chat. It is both familiar, and intriguing. Says Ajit, 'People believe savoury cocktails are like a glass of soup, but they're actually light.' He explains why being 'commercially successful' was not enough for the ambitious partners. 'It's like selling your soul to the devil,' he says, adding that they decided it was time to try something new. 'Not because we wanted to be cool or stand out. We looked at what defines us as founders. You don't want to be too ahead of the curve, but you don't want to be too late either.' I sip on my biryani reflectively. Fortunately, like Goldilocks, their timing and flavours are just right.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong artist turns TCM items into fascinating works of art
Born into a family of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners, Hong Kong artist So Wing-po was never tempted to follow in her parents' footsteps. Advertisement Rather, a creative sensibility emerged from her childhood fascination with the family's TCM pharmacy in Sheung Wan, a space overflowing with herbs, fruit and animal parts. Now, the 40-year-old has gained recognition for transforming those materials and the holistic philosophy embedded in TCM into a distinct visual language. In her hands, dissected and dried cures seem like living entities, appearing in large-scale installations, sculptures and videos in which they hint at, but are also at a remove from, their traditional uses. Take her kinetic installation Sea Ear Hi Hat (2020), made up of over a dozen abalone shells – a material used in TCM to cleanse the liver, also known as 'sea ears' – that she motorised to open and close like hi-hat cymbals. Their uncanny appearance, steady exhalations, resemblance to human ears and known healing properties imbue Sea Ear Hi Hat with an arresting vitality. Sea Ear Hi-Hat (Take Turns) (2025), by So Wing-po, which repurposes the kinetic abalone shells from her 2020 work Sea Ear Hi Hat, is displayed at her current solo exhibition 'Polyglot' at Blindspot Gallery. Photo: Edmond So Since her debut solo exhibition at Tai Kwun in 2018, her ability to incorporate the microscopic in installations that speak to universal concerns has been sought after around the world.
South China Morning Post
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Enter the serial world of Japan-born conceptual artist On Kawara at Hong Kong exhibition
On Kawara was part of a cohort of 20th century conceptual artists, including his friends Sol LeWitt and Carl Andre, who adopted a minimalist visual language that left a great deal of room for interpretation. Advertisement Born in Japan, Kawara produced abstract, radically obscure art, including: a 47-year series of paintings of random dates; a 12-year typed ledger, filed in office binders, of people he met called 'I Met'; a similar series called 'I Went' in which he traced his daily itineraries on photocopied maps and filed them; thousands of postcards sent from all over the world stating the time he woke up the day he sent each one, and; bare-bone telegrams with a single message: 'I am still alive.' Kawara was remarkably prescient in recording his life in a way so reminiscent of how people today constantly check in on social media and share moments that will become an archive of their lives, says Ying Kwok, co-curator of an exhibition of his work at Tai Kwun heritage and arts centre in Hong Kong's Central district. It is the first major exhibition of the artist's work sanctioned by his One Million Years Foundation since his death in 2014, and focuses on his best-known mature works. The backs of postcards from Japan-born conceptual artist On Kawara's series 'I Got Up' (1968-1979), He posted them to friends with a simple message noting the time he got up that day. They form part of the exhibition 'On Kawara: Rules of Freedom, Freedom of Rules' at Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong. Photo: Kitmin Lee Among the items that will be of most interest to Hong Kong visitors to the exhibition are two faded photos of the artist shot from behind as he worked in his room at the Mandarin Oriental hotel during a four-day stay over Christmas in 1978.
Time Out
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Le Bal
As part of the French May Arts Festival, Tai Kwun is bringing a touch of European splendour to the heart of Hong Kong. Over the course of several evenings, head to the main Parade Ground inside the heritage compound of Tai Kwun to see dreamy performances and sumptuous costumes inspired by the Impressionist artworks of Renoir and Degas. Featuring lampshade-like costumes that light up, horse-drawn carriages, stilt-walkers, mysterious dancers, and circus performers, Le Bal transports visitors back to the late 1800s' elegance of La Belle Époque. This era in French and European history was characterised by enlightenment, romanticism, and cultural innovation when the arts, literature, music, and theatre all flourished – and this special performance is a surreal and sublime tribute to French beauty. Entrance to Le Bal is free, so make your way to Tai Kwun from now to 18, where the street performance will take over the main courtyard between 6pm to 6.30pm, followed by 7.30pm to 8pm.
Time Out
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
French Impressionism inspired this surreal, dream-like parade in Tai Kwun
As part of the French May Arts Festival, Tai Kwun is bringing a touch of European splendour to the heart of Hong Kong. Over the course of several evenings, head to the main Parade Ground inside the heritage compound of Tai Kwun to see dreamy performances and sumptuous costumes inspired by the Impressionist artworks of Renoir and Degas. The street parade-like Le Bal is produced by Remue Ménage, a company specialising in visual arts, circus, dance, and puppetry, under the command of founder and artistic director Loic Delacroix, who has worked as a professional circus artist himself – so if there's a group that knows about putting on a transportative performance, it is this one. Featuring lampshade-like costumes that light up, horse-drawn carriages, stilt-walkers, mysterious dancers, and circus performers, Le Bal transports visitors back to the late 1800s' elegance of La Belle Époque. This era in French and European history was characterised by enlightenment, romanticism, and cultural innovation when the arts, literature, music, and theatre all flourished – and this special performance is a surreal and sublime tribute to French beauty. Entrance to Le Bal is free, so make your way to Tai Kwun from now to 18, where the street performance will take over the main courtyard between 6pm to 6.30pm, followed by 7.30pm to 8pm.
