Hot on the heels of Art Basel Hong Kong (the art fair formerly known as Art HK), a raft of local and international art fairs are popping up all over the place. Here are a few taking place throughout the month of May
This month is art fair month in Hong Kong. Go, browse—and buy, if you can spare that arm and leg.
I was born and brought up in Hong Kong in the New Territories. I went to Kingston, Ontario for high school. I graduated and took economics for my first degree in Canada, then went over to London, England to study my second degree in fashion design.
I had no intention to do fashion design at all to start with. I just loved drawing. I’ve loved drawing all my life. I wanted to do something related to drawing and the creative field.
Fashion designer, writer and social commentator William Tang‘s career has spanned 25 years—and he’s nowhere near done. From designing his namesake label to consulting for big brands, he’s always got a project up his sleeve. He tells Adele Wong about taking inspiration from the King of Kowloon, and getting into the industry at the right time.
A drizzle here, a splash there—sauces are the backbone of Hong Kong cuisine. We love ours thick and we love it runny. We dip in sauce, we stir-fry with sauce, we marinate with sauce, we steam, we broil, and we braise with sauce. Sauces are one of the last truly Hong Kong industries—not outsourced to the mainland but proudly, lastingly, Made in Hong Kong.
Quemo (5/F, QRE Plaza, 202 Queen’s Rd. East, Wan Chai, 2836-0699) confirms that the Spanish invasion is not yet over—in fact, far from it. Slightly different from the tapas bars of late, Quemo gives off more of a Barcelona Market vibe, with hearty Spanish barbecue and platters of paella taking center stage. Sharing is the order of the day, and sangria is the tipple of choice. I just came back from a media tasting and am absolutely in love with the squid ink bomba rice paella.
A bit late in the Latin American wave but still quite on-trend is Mayta (3/F, Grand Progress Building, 15 Lan Kwai Fong, Central, 2790-0928), yet another Dining Concepts brainchild. This one specializes in Peruvian cuisine, and serves everything from anticuchos (aka skewers) and fresh seafood to hearty casserole dishes like arroz con pato (duck rice). Plates are made for sharing, and diners can also indulge at the pisco bar before or after dinner.
The Hong Kong Beer Company, the city’s first-ever microbrewery, paved the way in 2003, offering premium lagers and winter ales made right on their premises in Aberdeen. But it wasn’t until 2010, when Typhoon Brewery started a humble operation in Mui Wo and distributed its cask ales to pubs around the city, that the term “craft beer” became a buzz word once again.
Hongkongers are no strangers to the Carlsbergs, Stellas, Asahis and San Migs that line the chilled walls of our 7-Elevens. We live in a city that loves its beer: we chug it down with our deep-fried dishes, we’re stay sozzled at the local pub, and our annual beer fests keep us happily quenched for weeks on end. But while the big industry players are as popular as ever, more and more beer drinkers here are starting to appreciate the lesser-known, more artisanal brands—enter the craft beer movement.
