Tables To Anticipate

The next year is looking bright with fresh new openings and projects in the world of F&B—here’s what was on our radar as we went to print

New restaurant

openings

Bibi & Baba 1-7 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

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Taking over the Ham & Sherry space on Ship Street, Wan Chai, is an exciting new destination dedicated to the pleasures of Peranakan food. Opened by JIA Group in collaboration with PasirpanjangBoy, Singapore’s vibrant pink-haired duo known for both their makeup and culinary skills, Bibi & Baba is a fresh take on Nyonya gastronomy.

Smoke & Barrel 1/F-2/F, Wyndham Mansion, 32 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

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Created by chefs Chris Grare and Arron Rhodes of Kinship, Smoke & Barrel is their second project and is dedicated to the grand old tradition of Texas-style smokehouse barbecue, cooked over hickory wood—think juicy slabs of brisket and sticky ribs. The restaurant took over the space vacated by Björn Frantzen’s The Flying Elk and is helmed by former American Club chef Christopher Tuthill.

Tempura Uchitsu 45/F, Four Seasons Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong

Global Link, the restaurant group that operates Central’s Sushi Saito, Ta Vie, Muni by La Bombance, has imported yet another Japanese staple from Tokyo. The celebrated Tempura Uchitsu resides in a restaurant space adjacent to Sushi Saito on the 45th floor of the Four Seasons Hong Kong and is the first international outpost of the twoMichelin-starred original.

Zoku and Lucciola 330 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

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The Hari, a new luxury hotel, is due to open in Wan Chai by the end of 2020—inside, two high end restaurants will offer contrasting culinary experiences. Zoku (“clan” in Japanese) features a formal dining area with booth seating, a bar lounge and a terrace bar to enjoy everything from robata grilled dishes and tempura to sushi, while Lucciola focuses on regional Italian favourites in a relaxed space.

The Last Resort

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Described as a “crumpled love letter” to the dive bars they loved before, The Last Resort in Soho is a project by Black Sheep Restaurants’ founders Christopher Mark and Syed Asim Hussain. Serving comfort food designed by Ho Lee Fook’s Jowett Yu to soak up the drink, the bar is the antithesis to an upscale hotel cocktail lounge.

Bakehouse G/F, 5 Staunton Street, Central, Hong Kong

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Gregoire Michaud’s popular bakery-cafe is finally expanding with a second branch in a central location—hopefully relieving the epic queues that continue to form outside the Wan Chai original—and there is a retail brand in the works.

Penicillin and Dead&

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Roman Ghale and Agung Prabowo, founders of award-winning bar The Old Man, launched their newest project Penicillin in the autumn together with their partners Katy Ghale and Laura Prabowo and architect-designer Betty Ng of Collective. The sustainability-forward bar is one of the most exciting concepts to launch in the city in recent years, and the team are charging forward with a second, smaller dive bar called Dead&—pronounced Dead End.

The Aubrey 25/F, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

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An exciting collaboration between two local stalwarts, Mandarin Oriental and Maximal Concepts (Mott 32, Limewood, and more), The Aubrey is a sophisticated Japanese izakaya housed in the historic Central hotel that is targeted to launch in January 2021.

Man Wah 25/F, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

After closing for extensive renovations in the second half of 2020, the Mandarin Oriental’s flagship Cantonese restaurant will reveal a new look and expanded space in January 2021.