The bar often features some of the best international DJs and acts from around the globe.
The buzz: An exclusive club that has long been a favorite playground of London’s rich and famous, the original Boujis in South Kensington frequently sees a bevy of hard-partying royals and A-listers hit its dance floors. Its first international branch, situated on the steps of Pottinger Street, is cut from the same cloth; in fact, the private members' club seeks to be even more selective than its older sister, with the hoi polloi strictly forbidden from entering.
The favorite playground of London’s rich and famous is coming to Hong Kong. Coinciding with its 10th anniversary, the South Kensington watering hole—which regularly saw a mix of young Royals and Hollywood starlets grace its dance floors—will be opening its first Far East branch on Pottinger Street. A mere stone’s throw away from Lan Kwai Fong, the spot is sure to become one of the trendiest places to see and be seen.
A little bohemian bar on the stony steps of Pottinger street.
A little bohemian bar on the stony steps of Pottinger street.
The buzz: It’s the latest lounge-bar addition to the chilled-out Pottinger Street bunch.
The décor: Antique glamour. Rich blue walls, velvet-draped couches, large Audrey Hepburn paintings and a single crystalline chandelier all vie for attention in a small, cozy space. Then there’s the small, somewhat incongruous matter of the jukebox, which stocks kitschy oldies from Elvis to Oasis to Pulp. Awesome. We blew about $80 on it.
Lotus is a bar-cum-restaurant with a funky lounge at the entrance and more formal dining in the back. Despite the Southeast Asian theme, it is “Oz-tastic” in its origins - chef Will Meyrick and manager Adam Baxter are old mates from Australia, while mixologist master Grant Collins also learned his trade in Oz. The cuisine is Southeast Asian “street food to high street.” In other words, they take the simple dishes and flavors of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore and add beautiful presentation without losing the origins of the dish.
Lotus is a bar-cum-restaurant with a funky lounge at the entrance and more formal dining in back. The cuisine is Southeast Asian “street food to high street.” In other words, they take the simple dishes and flavors of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore and add beautiful presentation without losing the origins of the dish. There’s no “fusion”: if it’s an Indonesian dish, so be it. We started with a caramelized grapefruit martini, followed by an amazing mini-appetizer of smoked trout with betel leaf, dried shrimp galangal and ocean trout roe. Mud crab with chili and Asian celery led to crispy pork hock infused with tamarillo plum sauce and possibly the best Vietnamese-style braised Angus short rib beef outside Hanoi.
