Storm Troopers
hen news broke that the biggest storm in Hong Kong’s history was due to hit on the night of the Tatler Ball, we feared the worst. We thought Super Typhoon Mangkhut would steal our thunder with a pretty wild event of its own, washing months of hard work down the drain. On the morning of our Grand Hyatt party we still didn’t know what time the T8 would be hoisted. Some reports said 10pm and others midnight, so we assumed the majority of our guests would, quite understandably, opt to batten down the hatches and stay safely at home. After all, who’d want to venture out in couture gowns, high jewellery and tuxedos with 180mph winds howling ever closer?
But then our phones started to beep with messages of support from the Tatler community. The overwhelming sentiment from everyone was “The show must go on!” And it most certainly did. Not ones to let a pesky typhoon get in the way of a good time, our resilient guests turned out in full force. Even though we wrapped up early (the T8 eventually went up at 1:10am, so we finished at midnight rather than the usual 2am), it was still an epic celebration that brought together more than 380 of the city’s heavy hitters for a riproaring night we’ll certainly never forget.
For party photos and a full report, including the recipients of our annual Hong Kong Tatler Awards, see page 70.
Going head-to-head with a typhoon was a first (and hopefully a last) for us, but the night also marked another inaugral moment. Hong Kong Tatler and the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong made history by holding the world’s first ever black-tie event to serve a vegan menu featuring plantderived meat made by Impossible Foods.
Our guests were hungry to know more about Impossible’s delicious faux beef, so our managing director and chief content officer Sean Fitzpatrick flew to Silicon Valley to meet the founder, Pat Brown, and discover the story behind this remarkable startup, which is backed by investors such as Bill Gates and our very own Li Ka-shing.
Sean’s interview is just one of a smorgasbord of snackable stories served up in this issue’s special food section (p.158—p.191). Other nourishment for the mind includes the musings of Massimo Bottura, the chef behind the world’s best restaurant, and Clare Smyth, the world’s best female chef, plus a who’s who of Asia’s groundbreaking gastronomes, a guide to Scandinavian cocktails and a review of a hidden gem in Foshan that’s reviving almost-forgotten Cantonese dishes. Feast away!