Coa Was Listed as the Best Bar in Asia. Again.

Throwback Thursday: Have been writing about Jay Khan since... the days of Galaxy magazine in the early 2012s!  Someone brought up with Coa feature and interview and... i forgot I wrote it! So here's a throwback to summer of 2022.

With successive accolades and titles in a row, will owner Jay Khan strike a hat-trick?

At a boisterous ceremony held at The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, among a sea of peers, friends, rivals and fans, Hong Kong’s very own Coa retained its title as Asia’s Best Bar, at the seventh edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

Launched in 2017 by Jay Khan, owner and charismatic bartender, Coa has a focus on agave spirits and lies off the beaten path in Central, among a cluster of other famed titles and tonier bar/restaurant hybrids. Standing out in this crowd isn’t-but he makes it look-easy.

Over a signature drink at a relatively quiet hour, we sat across Khan for a quick tête-à-tête.

Read the full interview and feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong. 

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First Look: Jay Khan and Ajit Gurung of Asia’s Best Bar, Coa, Launch The Savory Project

When your earlier venture is ranked first on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list and your walls are studded with accolades, opening a new drinking spot comes with “grape” expectations.

Acclaimed Hong Kong bartenders Jay Khan and Ajit Gurung have a welcome challenge on their hands before the official launch of The Savory Project, a new bar teetering near the edge of Staunton Street: how to rise beyond their multi-accolade-filled Coa. That little square space in the basement of Wah Shin House is so beloved by the industry, let alone its prolific customer base, that it won first place on Asia’s 50 Best Bars twice—in succession.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

Note: First met Jay when he was working in Galaxy Macau, but sadly can't find the feature or shoot from 2012... ish. He was a rising star then, a supernova now. You can't get a table at Coa now for love nor money.