Halfway Coffee House Sheung Wan: Instagram-Worthy Cafe with Damn Good Coffee

Step into this artistic, vintage-style coffee haven in Sheung Wan for specialty brews, young enthusiastic vibes, and dog-friendly outdoor seating.

Halfway Coffee House in Sheung Wan stands out as one of Hong Kong’s most telegenic and Instagram-worthy coffee spots. Tucked along Upper Lascar Row (Cat Street) at 26 Upper Lascar Row—or nearby on Tung Street—this artistic gem blends vintage Hong Kong nostalgia with modern café culture, drawing a steady stream of locals, creatives, and visitors. For three and a half years, this hot cup station took a portion of my annual income. Closer to deadline about half of it, so I know it only too damn well.

The space feels like a living museum. Owner Tommy Chui has curated an eclectic collection of mismatched furniture, distressed walls, dangling plants, and—most iconically—vintage Chinese porcelain cups and saucers from the 1950s to 1990s. This is key. This is why perahps more people take pictures here than a cuppa joe - except they are worse for wear for it. The cups often feature delicate floral patterns, rice-grain textures, or playful designs sourced from markets in Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po. Even takeaway cups mimic the porcelain aesthetic. Paired with the surrounding antique stalls, it creates a perfectly curated, photogenic backdrop that screams “East meets West” and “past meets present.” Two expressions I've heard so often, I want to scream - but, befitting here. Guests frequently snap flat lays of their drinks against the charming, lived-in interior. Its super annoying when you're waiting to get a table to watch others do it, only made worse when you find yourself doing the same.

It has become a beloved neighborhood hangout precisely because of this artistic soul. The small, cozy indoor area has a distinct vibe, a relaxed, community-oriented air—think quiet mornings with laptop users or friends chatting over brunch. Young, enthusiastic staff add warmth; they’re knowledgeable, friendly, and quick to recommend drinks or share stories behind the crockery. It’s the kind of place where you linger, soaking in the calm amid Sheung Wan’s hilly streets and tourist-trip vendors that litter that particular lane.

The coffee itself is damn good. Halfway serves specialty brews with beans often from Indonesia, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Brazil, delivering rich, balanced profiles. Classics like flat whites, Americanos, macchiatos, and lattes shine, with silky milk texture and precise pours. Standouts include creative options like Honey Longan Latte or Rose Latte, where floral or fruity notes complement the espresso without overpowering it. Food pairings—sourdough with scrambled eggs and avocado, or simple tarts—keep things satisfying without stealing focus from the main event.

Dog lovers rejoice: Halfway is pet-friendly, but pups must sit outside. Outdoor stools and chairs along the alley let furry friends join the fun, often sparking interactions with passersby and other dogs. It’s a welcoming touch that enhances the laid-back neighborhood feel.

Open daily from around 8am to 6pm, Halfway Coffee has that perfect shot, lets you grab a genuine moment of pause, it delivers every time. Trust me, before I moved office, I was a regular. There are cheaper coffee spots next door - in fact, the arteries of Sheung Wan are studded by coffee spots, but this one gets my vote. And note.

Words and images: P.Ramakrishnan

In conversation with Waris Ahluwalia: The Best Dressed Turban Explorer

In town to launch his new non-alcoholic drink—correction: “sparkling elixir”—Love Conquers All, Waris Ahluwalia, the famed Indian-American actor-designer-retailer-model, needs little introduction; the aesthete clothes horse’s steady stream of colourful imagery and spot-on outfits floods the stable of the mind long before he does.

BTS: Rang up photographer Natalie Dunn for this shoot - I knew someone as consciously stylish as Waris needed someone effortlessly elegant as Nat - and the pics turned out so well. In fact, there were about two dozen shots we could have run in any way, shape or form. Alas, the limitations of space. 

The spark was lit on drinking sparkling non-alcoholic beverages a while ago - its the rage now. There's a generational shift as people are consuming alcohol with such rarity that its become a cultural shift in global consumption. Fascinating to watch from a generation where getting blind drunk at 21 was the norm....   

Waris with photographer Natalie Dunn in Hong Kong. 

 

Asian Jewellery Designer: Wallace Chan: Sculpting Eternity in Gem and Porcelain

Few artists have coaxed such poetry from the unyielding resistance of stone, titanium and porcelain as Chan. Born in Fuzhou in 1956 and apprenticed at 16 in the backstreets of Hong Kong’s jewellery quarter, the self-taught master has spent more than five decades transforming an ancient craft into a distinctly contemporary art form.

Today he is recognised as one of Asia’s most important jewellery artists and sculptors. The first Chinese contemporary jewellery artist to enter the British Museum’s permanent collection, Chan is celebrated for technical breakthroughs that include the Wallace Cut — his 1987 illusionary multi-dimensional carving technique — pioneering uses of titanium in wearable art, and his own Wallace Chan Porcelain, a material five times stronger than steel yet capable of ethereal translucency. 
His works reside in the Shanghai Museum, the V&A, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. When Christie’s London presented The Wheel of Time in 2023, the largest exhibition of his oeuvre in Europe to date, it drew visitors of all ages and backgrounds to pieces that feel less like ornaments and more like captured moments of philosophical inquiry.
With his long beard and quiet intensity, Chan speaks softly but thinks in epochs. In conversation, he reveals an artist unbound by category, trend or even the traditional expectations of jewellery itself.
How would you describe your jewellery aesthetic? Does it fall more under the category of art and sculpture than accessory?“I strive to create artworks that will outlive me. When it comes to art creation, jewellery is a form of expression. I embrace all art forms and choose not to be confined to any formats. I feel that true artistic freedom means transcending boundaries, even the boundaries of art forms.”
Is there a muse, man or woman, behind the design and who you make the jewellery for?“I create for history.”
What has the experience of the exhibition in London been like? Do you see a difference in how Westerners approach your work and how an Asian audience or buyer might?“I create my works in a way that they are universal, and they communicate to people regardless of their backgrounds. At my exhibition, there were children as young as the age of 3, and there were people in their 80s. It brings me joy to know that my works delight others. We made the exhibition free entry, open to all because we believe that everyone should have an opportunity to enjoy the pieces. I have collectors from different countries in Asia and the West and I am very grateful that they generously loaned their pieces to make this exhibition possible.”
The state of jewellery in 2023; how would you describe it? In your experience, over the years, how has jewellery changed? What was it before – what is it now?“Change is the only constant in life, it is also an essential element in my creative process. To create is to embrace change. Change doesn't happen year by year, but minute by minute.”
Do you see a trend in high-end jewellery that you like.. or that you dislike?“I do not keep up with trends. Trends come and go – they move too fast.”
There are a lot of imitators who’ve been inspired by your work and try to replicate it in their own way. What are your thoughts on it?“It is perhaps a part of the learning process to imitate what has been done before. But life is too short to live in the shadow of the past. At some point one must create one's own future. Every piece of mine is unique because I find it meaningless to replicate myself. Every creation should be a new challenge.”
What advice do you have (to our readers) about jewellery? Should they see it as investment? Something beautiful to own? A keepsake? A treasure?“Collect only what you love, always.”

Over the past twenty years, I have featured several Asian jewellery designers who have a signature style, unique motif and sources of inspiration that often route predictable sources, nature, the oceans, flora and fauna. 
Wallace Chan has an ethos, a philosophy, in his hands, a jewel is never merely a dear, decorative, dazzling designer artifact guised as an accessory. It becomes a vessel for ideas that outlast fashion, markets and even the artist himself — quiet proof that the most radical act in contemporary jewellery may simply be the pursuit of enduring meaning. For years we've written about quiet luxury, now we are shifting focus to quiet legacy.  

Well, its Caturday

Caught! Attacking the plants... 
For no rhyme nor reason

 

While most of this blog is my portfolio, streams of consciousness, memes and a bizarre timelines of things I've regretted saying, writing, photograph-ing, the constant posts of cats are... deliberate. On my analytics, I can see how the posts on my gorgoues Tuxedo cat spike up views and even I kneed at the altar of clickbait.

BTW Susan Jung, ex colleague at South China Morning Post, and an absolute legend, calls 'em, Cow pat cats...

We prefer Tuxedo.

The Art of the Invisible: Why Scott Dunn Is in a Class of Its Own

Forty years in, the British luxury travel company is still setting the bar — and its newly opened Hong Kong office puts the city's ultra-high-net-worth travellers right at the centre of it.

By P. Ramakrishnan · May 2026

There is a particular kind of travel that most people never quite experience. Not the kind defined by first-class seats or five-star suites — though those are part of it — but the kind where absolutely nothing goes wrong, where every detail has been thought of before you knew you needed it, and where the trip you return from is quietly, almost imperceptibly, better than the trip you imagined when you booked it. That is what Scott Dunn does.

Founded in 1986 in the Swiss Alps by Andrew Dunn, the company started with a single, focused ambition: to make ski holidays genuinely exceptional. What began with a love of the mountains and an obsession with the finer points of service — warm chalets, private guides, meals that arrived without being asked for — has since grown into one of the world's most decorated luxury travel companies, operating across all seven continents and awarded Condé Nast Traveller's Top Travel Specialist in the World for thirteen consecutive years.

But the awards, impressive as they are, tell only half the story. What actually separates Scott Dunn from the rest of the market — from corporate travel agencies processing volumes, and even from other high-end operators who do much of what Scott Dunn does — comes down to something harder to quantify: a culture of care that runs through every layer of how the company operates. For this week's column, I wanted to find out the company's raison'd'etre. A deep dive.

What Makes the Difference: Not a travel agent. A relationship.

The distinction Scott Dunn makes — and earns, repeatedly — is the difference between delivering on your expectations and anticipating them. Most travel companies, even good ones, are in the business of logistics. They book well; they execute reliably. Scott Dunn does all of that, but its underlying model is something closer to a trusted personal adviser than a booking platform.

Every guest is paired with a dedicated Travel Specialist who is an expert in their specific destination. These are not generalists working from brochures — they are people who have been to the lodges, walked the trails, eaten at the restaurants, and built personal relationships with the local guides and hotel managers they recommend. The planning process begins not with a quote but with a discovery call: who is travelling, what they care about, what kind of pace they prefer, what they've done before and didn't love, and what they're secretly hoping for but haven't quite articulated yet.

"We do this through our four key pillars — unique to you, seamless service, carefully curated collections, and luxury in every sense. We believe your time away is precious and should be perfectly personalised to you."

That philosophy is not marketing copy. It translates into tangible decisions: the choice of a guide who happens to share your passion for Byzantine history; the lodge selected not just for its views but because the head tracker there has an uncanny record with leopard sightings; the restaurant reservation confirmed before you've landed. The company also maintains its own in-house Crisis Management Team — an unusual commitment that means if something goes wrong while you're travelling, there is a dedicated team whose entire job is to fix it, not a call centre routing you through a script typed in Calcutta [revealing something there from my own travels!].

Real Stories : When it mattered most: two moments that define the brand

Testimonials are easy to collect and easy to dismiss. But two specific instances, documented through verified customer reviews, speak to something real about how Scott Dunn operates under pressure.

The first involves a couple travelling to Nepal and Bhutan — a trip they had long anticipated. The night before their scheduled departure, war broke out in Iran, and their routed flights via Qatar were cancelled with no notice. For most travellers, this would mean hours of hold music, missed days, and a holiday beginning in stress rather than ease.

"The night before we were due to leave war broke out in Iran and our flight via Qatar was cancelled but Scott Dunn managed to move our flights with hardly any notice and we went via Istanbul. Fabulous service."
— Verified Trustpilot Review, Nepal & Bhutan trip

Scott Dunn rerouted them through Istanbul with, in the guest's own words, "hardly any notice." The holiday departed on time. The guest's account is matter-of-fact, which in its own way is the point — that a geopolitical crisis was resolved with the ease of a minor schedule adjustment. That is not luck. It is the result of having the right relationships with airlines and ground operators, and a team with the mandate and the instinct to act rather than wait.

The second example is quieter, but in some ways more revealing. A couple booked their honeymoon to Peru through Scott Dunn, working with the brand's resident Travel Specialist, to plan what would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. The logistics — flights, transfers, lodges, the Inca Trail — were all handled impeccably. But Scott Dunn did something more.

"Scott Dunn went above and beyond, at every turn, to make sure that our honeymoon felt truly special to us. They communicated with every hotel we stayed at to leave a special note/treat. We could not be more grateful for the attention to small details."
— Verified Trustpilot Review, Peru honeymoon

Nobody asked them to do this. There was no checkbox on the booking form for "personal touches at every property." It was, instead, the behaviour of a team that had genuinely paid attention during the discovery call, understood what this trip meant to its guests, and took quiet action to make it feel that way throughout. This is the invisible work that no five-star hotel can replicate independently — it requires someone who knows your whole story, not just your room and champagne preferences.

Hong Kong & Asia Pacific : Scott Dunn Private comes to Hong Kong — and it matters for this city's travellers

For Hong Kong's ultra-high-net-worth community, the news most worth noting arrived late last year: Scott Dunn Private, the company's invitation-only tier for its highest-net-worth clients, quietly opened a new office in the city.

Scott Dunn Private operates on a different plane from even the company's standard luxury offering. It is, in the company's own description, akin to having a wealth manager for your travel — a dedicated Relationship Manager who builds a deep, longitudinal understanding of your lifestyle, your family, your interests, and your travel ambitions across the year, not just for one trip. Membership is fee-free, but the service is curated: it is designed for those whose trips routinely cross multiple continents, require complex logistics, demand total discretion, and involve travel that others might classify as simply impossible to arrange.

The division's head, Jules Maury — twice named among Robb Report's Masters of Luxury — has identified a particular shift in what drives UHNW travellers today. Six-figure bookings through Scott Dunn Private have risen 18 per cent year-on-year, but the motivation, he notes, has changed. Guests are less interested in accumulating destinations and increasingly focused on what the company calls purposeful travel: journeys designed to reconnect, to challenge, to contribute. A family expedition into New Zealand's high mountains. A private philanthropic project embedded within a safari. A cultural immersion that cannot be replicated by a scheduled tour group or a luxury agent who doesn't know the difference.

"The 1% are seeking life-changing journeys and we are the conduits."
— Jules Maury, Head of Scott Dunn Private

For Hong Kong specifically, this is a compelling proposition. The city's UHNW population is sophisticated, internationally mobile, and — crucially — time-poor. The greatest luxury here is not exclusivity for its own sake, but the absolute confidence that every hour of a trip is spent doing exactly what you intended to do, rather than resolving what went wrong. Scott Dunn's ACE portfolio — access, connection, and experiences — offers the kind of extraordinary moments that are effectively unavailable through independent research: private access to Augusta National's greens, pit lane access on F1 race day, Wimbledon Centre Court for a final, after-hours visits to the Pyramids. These are not experiences that can be bought on a website. They are the product of decades of carefully maintained relationships.

There is also a growing appetite among Hong Kong's UHNW families for experiences that include the next generation meaningfully — not just tolerating children on a trip but building itineraries that create genuine memory and engagement for young travellers alongside their parents. Scott Dunn pioneered family travel with its Explorers kids clubs back in 2000, and that institutional knowledge translates directly: multigenerational trips designed so that a grandparent's bucket list and a teenager's need for adventure and a parent's desire for stillness can coexist within the same journey, without compromise.

The Bottom Line : Why this should matter to you

Travel at the highest level is, ultimately, about time. The ultra-high-net-worth traveller has the resources to go anywhere. What they cannot buy back is the time spent on hold, the evening lost to a logistics problem, the moment of a trip that should have been extraordinary but was merely fine. Scott Dunn's value proposition is precisely the elimination of those losses — and the quiet amplification of what remains.

The Nepal couple who took off on time despite a geopolitical crisis. The honeymoon couple who discovered a personal note waiting for them at every property. These are not anecdotes about luck. They are the natural result of a company that has spent forty years building the systems, the relationships, and the culture that makes that level of service possible — and that is now, with its new Hong Kong office, bringing all of it directly to one of Asia's most demanding and discerning travel markets.

The best travel, the kind you actually remember, rarely announces itself loudly. It simply unfolds exactly as it should — which, when you stop to think about it, is the hardest thing in the world to arrange.

Scott Dunn Private has offices in London, New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Membership enquiries for the Asia-Pacific region can be directed through scottdunn.com.

Submitted to China Daily< Weekend Edition

Food photography with Samantha Sin

For the food column, restaurant review and dining features, I've worked with two truly great photographers. David Hartung in Macau. Samantha Sin in Hong Kong.

Sam earned her stripes at Crave magazine and is one of the most thoughtful, inventive food photographers in Asia. A joy to work with - just give her time and space and let her work her magic. Have had to work with clients who... like to put their two cents in and I usually usher them away. Their expertise of scrolling on social media versus her on hand experience. 
 

First Person: Adam Raby of Mazu Resortwear

Profile, interview, feature and shoot with Adam Raby for my First Person column in the magazine. 

Shot by Dino Busch. 

 

Well, its Caturday.

 

What to wear: Loro Piana

Photography: Dino Busch
Full look: Loro Piana
Model: James Wong
MUA: Gloomy Kwok

3 Magazine: Self Discoveries with Ansheles Artem: The Most Famous Russian in Hong Kong

 

My first feature for 3 magazine, a chat with Hong Kong's most popular, fluent-Cantonese speaking Russian export, the fab @ansheles_artem 

With identities that have evolved over time and place, Third Culture individuals share how they continue to explore their own culture and heritage. 

Many of us, especially my media crew, are from elsewhere, work in foreign land and spaces. A weird sense of belonging together binds them; they belong everywhere and yet, nowhere. Nomads all, "all those who wander are not lost...". 💯 

Thanks to Erica for the opportunity, was fun to chat with and know more of Ansheles } originally introduced to me by Yana banana. Who I miss daily as she's busy being a Grecian mother artist goddess in... Cyprus... I think. 😮 

You can read the full feature at the magazine's official site... eventually. 

Natasha Moor: More than Makeup

Nomination for Woman of Power: Natasha Moor

Natasha Moor is my nomination for Woman of Power. More than a highly accomplished makeup artist, she is a visionary entrepreneur, global changemaker, and philanthropist who has transformed the beauty industry from the inside out. From humble beginnings in Hong Kong — a small albeit influential dot on the global map — Natasha has built an international beauty empire and turned her name into a global brand that stands for something far greater than cosmetics.

Through Natasha Moor Cosmetics, she has proven that beauty is a powerful vehicle for confidence and self-worth. Her clean, high-performance, inclusive products — crafted to flatter every skin tone — carry empowering names like Fearless, Conquer, Game Changer, and Self-Made. They are daily affirmations in lipstick and liner form. 

However, for Natasha, it’s never just about selling a lipstick or an eyeliner; it’s about painting on a radiant layer of self-confidence that allows women to step into their power. She innately, deeply understands that female empowerment often begins with how a woman sees and feels about herself. By making women look and feel their best, she gives them the courage to show up boldly in the world. 

Beyond business, Natasha’s heart for service is remarkable. Through her Happiness Project and the #DoMoor initiative, she has dedicated her time, resources, and platform to uplifting underprivileged women — including survivors of human trafficking, acid attacks, homelessness, and substance abuse. 

She has traveled to shelters and rehabilitation centers to personally give makeup makeovers, reminding women of their inner strength and beauty when life has tried to strip it away.

Still only in her mid-thirties and in the first act of what promises to be an extraordinary life, Natasha Moor is just getting started. Her second act is already burgeoning — with expanding global reach, deeper philanthropic impact, and new ventures on the horizon.

We are witnessing the rise of a force who doesn’t just sell beauty — she weaponizes it for good. Natasha Moor is the embodiment of what it means to be a Woman of Power.

The Hermès page in My Place magazine

 

Photography: Dino Busch

Stylist: Bhisan Rai

Makeup: Natasha Moor

Models: Ana and Linda 

FULL LOOK: Hermès 

The Macallan’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ Whisky: When James Bond Meets Sherry and a Surprise Twist

Though James Bond is known for his martini — shaken, not stirred — I was recently whisked away to a private tasting in The Peninsula Suite, where the iconic spy’s world collided with one of Scotland’s most revered single malts. There, The Macallan unveiled its latest limited-edition release: the Diamonds Are Forever 55th Anniversary Release, a sophisticated homage to the 1971 James Bond film that marked Sean Connery’s final outing as 007.

This isn’t just another celebrity-branded bottle. It’s a thoughtful, layered single malt that mirrors the film’s central theme — nothing is quite as it seems. Distilled in 2007 (a clever nod to 007), the whisky spent 18 years maturing before being bottled at 45.5% ABV. What makes it truly special is the cask selection crafted by Whisky Maker Russell Greig, an avid Bond fan who decoded the movie’s narrative into oak and spirit.

At its heart, the release celebrates Bond’s refined connoisseurship of sherry. Early in Diamonds Are Forever, Bond demonstrates his knowledge by nosing a Solera sherry. The Macallan, whose signature character comes from exceptional sherry-seasoned oak casks, leans into that connection. But Greig added an unexpected dimension: American oak casks that previously held red wine — the first time The Macallan has incorporated red wine casks into such a release. 

This twist echoes a pivotal later scene in the film where Bond’s forensic knowledge of red wine literally saves his life. The result is a whisky of glittering depth and complexity. Bespoke hybrid sherry-seasoned casks (combining European and American oak staves in the same cask) deliver the rich, dried-fruit and spiced notes Macallan lovers expect. The red wine casks introduce a textured softness and subtle tannic grip more commonly associated with fine aged wine, creating a mouthfeel that feels both familiar and intriguingly different. 

On the nose, expect polished oak, vanilla bean and rich dried fruits; on the palate, smooth caramel, cocoa-dusted truffles, fruit-driven layers and a hint of nutmeg that lingers into a refined, long finish.

Visually and thematically, the whisky pays tribute to the film’s American settings. The natural golden-amber color evokes the Aztec sandstone of the Nevada desert, while the American oak stands in for the bright lights of Las Vegas and the California coast where much of the action unfolds.

This limited release continues The Macallan’s successful partnership with the Bond franchise, following the 2022 Six Decades collection. It’s available initially through The Macallan’s website and estate boutique, with wider distribution at select retailers from March 2026.

Flashy collaborations I've covered for years but The Macallan has delivered something more substantial — a whisky that rewards slow sipping and close attention, much like the best Bond films.