Zuma

Location, location, location. When you’ve got Gucci on one side, The Mandarin Landmark hotel on the other, as we stepped out of the cab, tailing a navy, chauffer-driven Bentley, I knew that the opening night of Zuma was going to be a hot one.

With Nobu being across the pond (its no secret that Hong Kong islanders HATE to cross the ocean to Tsim Tsa Tsui – even if the tunnel ride is but 20-minutes away), Japanese restaurant/bar Zuma’s going to be the new place to be caught by the paparazzi.

Though having unlocked the doors a few days ago, Zuma’s official mega-bash opening was just somethin’ else! With Pansy Ho, eldest daughter and heir-apparent to Asian billionaire Stanley Ho, leading the way, society staples like Mira Yeh (I’m not sure what exactly she does, apart from “being fabulous” as one of the PRs said that night), Hong Kong’s illustrious Indian family, the Harilelas, and the usual faces that litter Hong Kong Tattler and the Forbes rich list attended in full force. With Oscar nominee-Coco Lee (the ϋber-hot chanteuse best known for singing the tracks of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) sauntering in with her latest beau, everything about the evening was coated with stardust. The drinks flowed freely (Crystaaaal no less) at the open bar, but the canapés pirouetted around the duplex restaurant-cum-bar were difficult to reach; they may be in diamonds and mink but send a penguin suit with a tray full of delectables, and suddenly vultures descend.

No idea what the food’s like, but having seen the skeletal socialites clacking their six-inch Manolos up and down the luminous stair-case, perhaps that’s the general idea.

Zuma
The Landmark Atrium
Level 5 & 6
15 Queens Road
Central
Hong Kong
www.zumarestaurant.com


798 Unit & Co


Food editor at South China Morning Post, Susan Jung, once said to me, “Pasta is really cheap,” in her deliciously crisp voice. “So if you go into a great Italian restaurant but the portions are ridiculously small, then it isn’t that great a restaurant.”

To walk into this “open” restaurant at the 12th floor of Times Square (the one in Hong Kong, not New York! This city manages to make copies of famous monikers too), you might get lost trying to find the place as there’s no billboard or sign indicating the name of the restaurant/bar as you step out of the lift. Encased in a glass case, well, glass walls, I hate to reveal this un-hidden gem to anyone; its just so damn good.

The house red is alarmingly affordable and alarmingly good. The simple menu with its succinct selection is reasonably priced (otherwise a contradiction of terms in this city – you can pay HK$92 for a cup of tea if you’re not careful in this dang place) and its complete lack of pretension – be it in its décor, food, service, style – makes it worthy of a Michelin. A great place to sit and munch after work, the ties are loosened under the soft-glow of this new hangout for some severely designer-clad folks (the main offices of many luxury brands are floors above). Where else can you find a HK$6,000 LV belt-clad babe buying a $60 cup of vino?

798 Unit & Co
12/F
Times Square
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
www.798unit.com
Tel: (852) 2506 0611
Opening Hours: 12-12


Pop Bites


Although I’m deeply suspicious of how long this latest venture will last, Pop Bites, conceived by celebrated Hong Kong restaurateur and designer Calvin Yeung, has a certain buzz going for it, among the esoteric and eccentric folks that trade in urban chic.

In collaboration with dance and music maven Yvonne Siet-Wong and the celebrated spinner/cable TV star DJ Wong Chi Chung, the idea behind the latest eatery/drinkery is to “eat, drink and make merry music” till the cops come home! Which shouldn’t take long, as the old Central Police Station is right across the road from this restaurant/ice-cream parlor/fine wine hub/music & DJ haunt.

A much more sedate alternative to Lan Kwai Fong, which is a sweaty street below, with thematic parties and events (Bjork Nite! Abbey Road evening and so on), this little place is definitely for music lovers, who can chat with the visiting DJs while sipping a fine Merlot from the extensive stock of Yeung’s private collection.

With the lords of folly and follicle (what? You can’t be a DJ with ‘normal’ hair) ambulating about, there’s a vestige of cool (that’s ‘kwl’ for those inclined to text lexicon) in the lair, the air… I just didn’t fit in! Anyhoo…

Its, its… well, for the lack of better word, cute. Ice-creams are labeled Strawberry Fields Forever (a pink berry flavoured dessert), Aloha Paradise (Coconut Almond Fudge Chip) and U2 Rocks (Dublin Mudslide) and so on, there’s soothing mint-tea specially concocted for Pop Bites served on Balinese platters. Stylist Kristin Flanagan once said to me, judge a wine bar by how good their glasses are (apparently they have to be large, voluminous goblet-like crystal and not paper-cups or Ikea samples) so the place got marks immediately for their selection of cutlery and China.

Said Yeung at the opening party, “I wanted a place that was different from others around Central, a place where I myself would like to come and eat – and this is the place where you’ll see me from now on.”

The idea of a harmonious environment – aided with top DJs spinning tunes, a CD station where shoppers can listen to their own selection, a Technicolor video wall, its an entertainment venue as much as it is a restaurant.

Its hard not to be taken in by Yeung’s contagious enthusiasim, “The venue will be a place for creative exchanges”, he says. “We’ll invite pop singers to share their latest work, and we’ll host art-related events. The major difference between Pop Bites and our two previous concepts is that this place offers a channel for people to enjoy creative talents.”

Any place that offers alternatives to the vocal stylings of canto-pop, Aqua (hasn’t the song I’m a Barbie girl died everywhere else? Apparently not in HK clubs) and Bee Gees remix (ok its cool after some… er… herbal electives), gets my hard-earned-dollar.

Pop Bites
Opening Hours: 8:30am till 11pm, daily.
Location: UG/F, No. 3-5 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2525 4141