MIUS Bar: Hong Kong's Charming Neighbourhood Gem

Nestled at 29 Gough Street in the vibrant NoHo area, in that odd space between Central and Sheung Wan which is a nightmare to get to on a rainy day in a red cab (I write with a lot of experience), MIUS [pronounced "muse" but Alexa that and land up elsewhere, hence the all caps spelling], has quickly become one of Hong Kong's most talked-about cocktail bars since opening its doors in late August 2025. 

Shelly Tai

Founded by award-winning bartender Shelley Tai, the venue marks her triumphant return home after nearly five years abroad, where she managed Singapore's acclaimed Nutmeg & Clove (ranked #6 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2024). There are 8,926 licensed bars operating in Hong Kong [yes, I checked] in the tiny dot of an island and the trickling pool of customers have options galore, venues tightly knit next to each other so waiting is not an option for the well-heeled. Note a line streaming out of a bar, waiting in impatient scroll, you know the venue is either really good [Coa, Bar Leone], or its new with either hype or hyperbola trending on social media. 

I landed at the venue soon after MIUS opened and am happy to report its pretty damn good. As all are spoilt for choice in the city, you really aren't going to a bar for their novel drinks and the aerated promises of a tattooed mixologist, you're going to follow the cult of personality; Bar Leone does better when Lorenzo's in town and without Jay Khan's ever-smiling face, Coa wouldn't be what it is either. I was told about Shelley long before I met her; she's gorgeous and she's gifted. Both, I've witnessed. 

A former Quinary talent [which is a street above and across the street - like I said, choices], Tai brings world-class expertise and her famed World Class championship pedigree to her first independent project. The name MIUS playfully twists “muse,” reflecting Tai’s philosophy of “simple things, done right.” The bar embodies a welcoming neighbourhood vibe rather than flashy spectacle—think mid-century modern decor with neutral tones, clean lines, high ceilings, reflective surfaces, and warm wood accents that create an elegant yet generally unpretentious atmosphere. 

The menu focuses on modern classics and approachable cocktails, most using no more than six ingredients for balance and precision. Standouts include the refreshing Tomatotini (vodka-based, savoury twist, introduced to me by Christy Liang who swears by it--word of mouth does well in the 852), the cozy warm Matcha Mori (hot whisky with matcha, coconut, and salted vanilla cream), the fruity Guava Oolong Float (sparkling sake with sorbet), Strawberry Negroni, and the beloved Gin & Apple. 

Beyond drinks, MIUS pairs cocktails with comforting bar bite staples like fries and hearty plates that blend Asian influences, turning it into a true hangout spot. Prices range from the accessible to the elevated, so look carefully; the prices are not on whim, the quality of the ingredients is top-notch.  

While on a lonesome media tasting, I found the place to be perfect for Hong Kong’s youth and dare-I-suspect, many a first-date situation. It attracts younger crowds eager for its relaxed energy, sharp pours, and genuine hospitality. It feels approachable and comfortable, designed for easy conversation with friends or bartenders, with gentle music levels and a no-pretension approach, although I've been warned by others that the place gets busy quickly and is riddled with the young and the restless, while the rest of us might have to wait in line--unless you know someone, who knows someone, who can get you a high-barstool quickly.

High-concept bars are dime-a-dozen, MIUS stands out for its focus on enjoyment over showmanship—proving that thoughtful simplicity can create something truly special.

MIUS
Address: 29 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong (Sheung Wan/Central area, walk-in only)
Instagram: @mius.hongkong 
Opening hours: Monday–Sunday, 5 PM to 1 AM

Postscript: next week, will let you know about Peridot, which everyone's talking about... unkindly. Great views, awful food, photogenic interiors with vile vegan cheese. Great staff, but an expensive venue. I want to like the place, but like Natalie Imbruglia and my shower curtain, I am torn. 

Also, my how the mighty hath fallen; whatever is going on at 11 Westside?! 

  

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From Me to You: Yume is officially open!

The basement on 38–44 D’Aguilar Street is coated with stardust, celebrity shenanigans, of good people and the profligate.  I have walked past this staircase and the insalubrious lanes a thousand times.

First as a wide-eyed teenager trying to get past the bouncers who usually did a body-scan with their reptilian eyes before letting anyone in to... drop. Easily one of the smallest piece of real estate that has hosted some of the most glamorous people on earth. Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sting, The Black Eyed Peas. Obviously, powered by my own steam, I'm certainly not cool enough. Propelled by a weekly column in South China Morning Post however, suddenly a few doors opened. Albeit reluctantly. To be fair, to the "door bitch", I don't fit a welcoming profile; I  look like I only nurse a Diet Coke, wear a wardrobe of a disgruntled accountant, and will clumsily report on the night's activities in a column, searching for a punchline. 

Then as a twenty-something, chasing the loudest bass in the city when drop ruled the underground, and a dear friend was passing us freebies behind the bar, my crew and I were there a bit more. When your friend Dj'd at some ungodly hour (Ellul! Tom Price!!), you tried a bit more to be there at 2:00am... drop had some serious beats. 

Later, older, wiser (well... debatable), nursing expensive vodkas at Quality Goods [what drop morphed into under new management] while pretending I still belonged there at midnight as I grew older and the crowd looked younger...  Every era left its fingerprints on those black steps. Cigarette burns, spilled champagne, the ghost of someone’s first kiss pressed against the wall, the faint odor of a wretched retch after a spicy vodka shot, hook ups and break ups have all occurred along that narrow alleyway. 

The address never changed; only the name etched on the door did. 

Tonight the name is Yume.夢. Dream.

And for once the word doesn’t feel like marketing fluff. It feels like a dare. A promise. An occasion. You descend at 6 p.m, and the city’s noise dissolves the moment the door seals behind you. Still has that tricky staircase (and yes, I tripped and fell on my first visit). 

The lighting is low, deliberate—like someone turned the saturation down on real life. Japanese cedar somewhere, faint incense, the quiet clink of hand-cut ice. This is not the Hong Kong that screams. This is the one that whispers, “Stay a while.” There's a Miami-Vice colour schemed wall that's an 80s throwback that not a single influencer by the bar, got the reference to. 

The bar is the altar. Behind it, magicians in crisp white jackets move like they’ve done this in another lifetime. The opening menu is called Dream Is Destiny—yes, a little dramatic, but when the first drink lands in front of you, you forgive the theatrics. It Was All a Dream: dark rum, rye, coconut, pineapple, served in a porcelain coconut shell because why the hell not. One sip and you’re barefoot on a beach you never actually visited, but swear you remember. Ukiyo: Nikka Days whisky rinsed in sesame-fat-washed Oloroso. Silky, nutty, borderline obscene. You close your eyes and taste Tokyo at 2 a.m. in a bar with no sign.

Tickled like a teen, you smirk at the name; F.YU: gin, soju, shiso, cantaloupe. Bright, green, dangerous—like summer flirting with you after three martinis. Kiss of a Geisha: bourbon washed with shiitake, coffee liqueur, bitters. Earth and caffeine and regret in the best way. There’s an origami cootie-catcher on every table. Open the flaps, follow the instructions, let the bartender surprise you. 

Jejune? Absolutely. Perfect? Also absolutely. The room changes with the hour. 7 p.m.: soft jazz, conversations you can actually hear. 10 p.m.: the lights bleed violet, the bass wakes up, the Tokyo influence sharpens its edges. By midnight the Japanese shōji screens glow crimson and the space feels like the inside of someone else’s lucid dream.

Food arrives in waves you want to ride forever. Tuna tartare wearing a crown of Oscietra caviar. Iberico katsu sando so good it should be illegal. Wagyu sliders that make you believe in a higher power. Japanese curry empanadas that taste like homes you never had.

This is not another “Japanese-inspired” knockoff. This is the real conversation between Tokyo’s precision and Hong Kong’s chaos, translated into a room that knows exactly who it is. The crowd is the city in cross-section: finance bros loosening their Hermès ties, artists in vintage Comme des Garçons, expat models, local kids who grew up on this staircase, tourists who stumbled in thinking it was just another bar and leave three hours later texting their friends “I think I just fell in love with Hong Kong again.” Those who call it Home Kong are spanked as they leave. 

Yume understands something the old clubs sometimes forgot: we don’t always want to lose ourselves in strobe lights and bottle parades anymore. Sometimes we just want a perfect drink, a corner sofa, and the feeling that time has politely agreed to pause.

Yet when the night decides it’s ready to roar, Yume roars with it. The playlist deepens, the lights pulse harder, and suddenly you’re dancing with a stranger who feels like an old friend.

Same basement. New dream. And for the first time in years, I left at a respectable hour… then came straight back the next night. Because some dreams, m'luv, you don’t want to wake up from.

Images courtesy of Noor. 

Yume
38–44 D’Aguilar Street, Basement
Open from 6 p.m. until the city forgives you
Dress code: Come as your favourite version of yourself

What’s Happening in Hong Kong’s Drink Scene? The 11 Hottest Bars to Try Right Now

A tipple and a quick bite after work have never been more enticing.

For the second consecutive year, Bar Leone has clinched the top spot in Asia’s 50 Best Bars, with Lorenzo Antinori and his stellar team earning well-deserved accolades—hardly surprising to local media who’ve championed this gem despite its often-daunting queues. But this is Hong Kong—queuing in an orderly fashion is practically a civic duty.

While other Asian cities boast mixologist cocktails and beachside bars with coconuts at arm’s reach, Hong Kong has something unique: a fierce edge honed by brutal rents and relentless competition. Only the strongest survive in this Darwinian landscape, where every barkeep and restaurateur must bring their A-game to stand out in a city teeming with options.

Our friendly neighbourhood haunt—full disclosure, Robb Report Hong Kong’s offices are two streets and a hop and climb away from Bar Leone, and our team frequents it more than we’d care to admit—is buzzing as ever. Securing a booth is now even trickier, but fear not, dear reader, for Hong Kong boasts over 9,000 watering holes. When the queues grow long and the rains loom ominous, there are plenty of stellar alternatives.

In our relentless pursuit of the novel, the different, and the downright delicious, we’ve done the hard yards—sacrificing for the greater good with the precision of a scientist on sabbatical. Here’s our curated guide to Hong Kong’s hottest bars to try right now, and what they’re serving this season.

Read the entire feature with the full list here at Robb Report Hong Kong. 

Baijiu Society Launches in Hong Kong With a Collection of Baijiu-Inspired Spirits

As the temperature rises, it’s time to cool off with refreshing cocktails in the mix. 

A new cultural movement is brewing—pun intended—as the Baijiu Society celebrates its official launch in Hong Kong. An enterprising collective dedicated to reimagining China’s iconic spirit, baijiu, for a modern audience while honouring its rich heritage, the Baijiu Society was founded by a diverse group of enthusiasts, representing a passionate commitment to bridging cultures through a shared love of this historic drink.

Baijiu, often regarded as China’s national spirit, has long been celebrated for its complex flavours and social significance. Its name roughly translates to “white liquor,” a distinguished distilled spirit crafted predominantly from grains, with sorghum serving as the most prevalent base. This remarkable category of spirit encompasses a wide array of styles, each exhibiting its own distinctive characteristics, flavours, and production techniques. Notably, baijiu holds the esteemed title of the most consumed liquor globally by volume, with its production significantly surpassing that of whisky and vodka combined. Here’s a fun opportunity to celebrate one of the most popular beverages in the world with a novel twist.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

 

Lunar New Year 2025: 3 Luxurious Spirits to Celebrate the Year of the Snake

Penfolds, Hennessy, and Rémy Martin are serving in style with a generous pour.

Annually, we highlight Lunar New Year special-edition bottles from the finest brands in town. Last year, much was ballyhooed about the Year of the Dragon and the designer bottles that dropped; before that, the Year of the Rabbit saw a very special bottle, and Ruinart released a gorgeous artistic drop the year before that. Well, this Lunar New Year, artists and artisans have gone all out once again, collaborating with those who quench our thirst.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, the anticipation for exquisite offerings moves from slow sizzle to the full rage of red. Fine grapes are working overtime to deliver. It is the Year of the Wood Snake, after all, so tapping on those wooden casks and crates, we have found just the right timbre with Penfolds, Hennessy, and Rémy Martin.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong

Inside Courtroom, a New Hong Kong Cocktail Bar With a Cheeky Judicial Theme

No objections to this hot drinking spot in Central.

Nestled on the slopes of Graham Street, Courtroom has entered Hong Kong’s bar scene with a unique blend of whimsy and whiskies, sophistication and style, and a bang for your buck. Co-founded by industry veterans Saan Dhakal and Ranjeet Khatri, this innovative venue draws inspiration from notorious court cases that straddle the thin blue line between the serious and the absurd, creating an atmosphere that is both playful and refined, doing full justice to both realms of seemingly contradictory ideation—it’s some serious fun. 

Even the bar’s logo—a cheeky monkey swinging from legal scales—encapsulates its duality, embodying a mischievous spirit while respecting the gravitas of legal proceedings. At first look, we found nothing objectionable. Upon entering, guests are welcomed by a dark wood interior adorned with judiciary-themed décor, including a witness stand table and a judge’s bench, setting the stage for an unforgettable experience.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

7 New Spirits to Drink Right Now, From Hennessy and The Dalmore to The Glenlivet

Several drops of note these past few weeks in bauble bottles of exquisite taste.

It’s been a season of new drops—that’s an intended pun—from some of the biggest names in the drinks business as anniversaries, collaborations, and special editions have reached our shores to quench every thirst. Some of the listed top-of-the-line names below cost more than liquid gold—and we’re not joking. As we go to publish, gold per ounce stands at HK$20,374 (US$2,622) and there’s a sip of Glenlivet that wishes it were on par.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

Rémy Martin Celebrates 300 Years With an Exceptional Limited-Edition Cognac

 

The Cognac house has released a special expression to mark its tricentenary.

Since its inception in 1724, Rémy Martin has seen and survived the vagaries of time and history, and flourished in all manners of great taste. After all, three centuries of excellence in Cognac-making is nothing to sniff at—only a handful can boast of such longevity and relevance. Still counted in a global market perpetually looking for something new, different, and modern, 300 incredible years of Rémy Martin needs to be celebrated with an equally epic toast, so why not make it from the limited-edition demijohn from an old cellar?

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong. 

Red, White, and Gold: Drinks at Robb Report Hong Kong’s Best of the Best 2024 Gala

 

As the theme of the gala indicated, only the best of the best was served.

  

At the black-tie dinner honouring the annual Best of the Best by Robb Report Hong Kong, libations of extraordinary provenance and merit were served to more than 300 attending VIP guests. Since that glamorous gala night, we’ve been inundated with messages bearing the same questions: what was served during the meal, “the second red,” “the one before the beef course,” and, of course, “where can we get more?” Well, the official flights of fancy were carefully selected by expert sommeliers and meticulously (or copiously) tried and tested.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong. 

Finest Blend: How illy Has Cultivated Coffee Into an Art Form

 

An exquisite flavour palate, quality sourcing, and historical finesse—are we talking fine wine or curated coffee?

It’s hard to pinpoint when artisanal coffee and boutique blends came in vogue, beyond the popular vernacular thrown about by baristas the world over. We’ve now read so much about the sourcing and planting of the hitherto humble bean; somehow, the way sommeliers expound on vine and terroir has trickled into the morning java. But even among those fine blends, an illy is no average cuppa joe.

You can read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong. 

Club Reviews: Halo, Lei Dou and Mink

On Halo-'ed Ground

Words: P.Ramakrishnan

I’m not sure if there’s a point in plugging this hot number. A sister club to the similarly hip Volar, Halo’s got the glow of a minty new hot spot for those who’ve got serious cash to throw at a barkeep. Just last January did this spectacular looking “private club” open at a non-descript street in Central and without having hosted a celebrity and/or supermodel studded party, this hot spot is illuminating the dark pleasure of nocturnal, nefarious, notorious revelry at its finest in the 'Kong.

Just one trouble with this place. You can’t get in. Unless you’re a member. Or know one. Or know the owner or... you get the gist. If you’re not part of the elite “in within”, there’s just no point in standing outside while you see a stream of model-lites saunter in while they tell you – the average philistine with gravity-defying-hair-courtesy-of-a-Toni&Guy-ad-inspired-coiff-and-copious-gel – that the place is booked up.

Fortunately for me, I know a member, and a co-owner, and the night I was permitted entrance was the night I was part of singer/diva Rijan’s entourage. Down a risky flight of stairs, a goth-black underground Chateaux awaits. Whisked off to a private atrium (the theme being a subterranean house of leisure and pleasure; there’s a living room, library, garden room and so on enfolded within the cavernous space), as this is the place that requires a retina scan at the entrance before you’re allowed in (so you can’t even haggle at the door/flash a tit to get in), THEY know you’re coming and a place is reserved for you. FYI, reservations are required. And they don’t kid about that as on weekends, its jam-packed, vacuum-sealed-with the trendy “it” folks.

Seated at the library, we saw Peter Cheung, a marketing mastermind behind the biggest luxury brands in Asia, and his impossibly fashionable shadow walk in.  Upon a quick meet’n’greet, he sends over a complimentary bottle of champagne to our corner (Peter’s also the uncrowned king of social decorum). Again, if you need to double check the price tag of a bottle of Krug on the menu, this is not the place for you.

Filled with dark promises as the creatures of the night come out at their radiant best, its also the place to find your average Asian popstar rush in amongst hushed tones as they set up camp in their private enclaves. You need to be over 25 to enter (but they’re a bit lax on that rule if you're a model citizen) and as the crème de la crème order the entire contents of page three on the menu, sit in the warm glow of the haves, and people watch; its seeing sheaths of your average tabloid come alive.

Oh its good to know someone, who knows someone in a city like Hong Kong.

Halo
Lower Ground Floor, 10-12 Stanley Street, Central
Tel: 2810 1274
Operating Hours: Monday to Friday Doors open at 5pm
Saturday Doors open at 9pm
Sunday Closed
Kitchen last call at 00:30am every night (except Sunday)



Lei Dou

To escape the general irk of Lan Kwai Fong (far too hot, humid and peopled on weekends as every bar strewn street can be), Rebecca Walker, the gorgeous editor of the hip local publication taxi escorted me to Lei Dou last weekend. It’s right in the heart of LKF and for love nor money would you find it unless you were personally taken there on the arm of someone as in-the know as Ms Walker, who collects such invaluable data for her monthly publication.

“I just love this place,” she said while we walked up a slightly creepy and dodgy nameless building, after a poorly lit alleyway sheltered us from ‘Beerfest’ that raged on just a few steps away. “Come on, it's cool, it’s clean and the people are lovely!”

Er... right. 

Getting flashes of my last trip to the seamier side of Mongkok, where my sister wanted to buy a fake Bottega Veneta bag and a cigarette lipped man led us down a blind alley and up a cranky lift to an even dingier apartment, littered with every possible fake-designer dud. "Strangled by a plastic Gucci belt" the headlines would read I envisioned. Similarly, up a flight of stairs with a far more attractive specimen leading the way, we stood in front of a large black door, again, no sign or indication of what’s ahead and that familiar ominous silence followed the knock.

“And the drinks are reasonable,” she concluded while I pictured asphyxiation and bulb-lit mugging.

Wait… rewind that. Reasonable drinks in LKF? You had me at Hello!

Like a large living room with a generous bar, a fake fireplace, little corners with plush sofas and overstuffed chairs, this dimly lit cocoon is clearly a second home to its clientele. Lei Dou is not quiet a private club but it surely feigns to be, as the cloisters of finely feathered folks (there was a birthday bash we seemed to have gate crashed that night with a fedora theme) seemed to acknowledge each other with hearty hellos.

Signature martinis, decent collection of Australian wines, cool and comfortable with a none-too-shabby menu, knowing you’re in the heart of Central, yet away from the vast sweaty crowd below sure has its benefits. If you need me on a Friday after six, you’ll find me at my non-private-club, which is happy to let anyone in.

Lei Dou
D’Aguilar Street
Central
Tel: 2525 8276

Mink

“There’s a talk at Mink about how to pleasure your partner,” said a voice on the mobile. Already I’m groaning. “Its Kamasutra on the rocks babe! Drinks included!”

Well, all right. So my mates and I clop along Hollywood Road, dotted with carpet shops, art galleries, short-lived bars with dozens of people corresponding with antique shops with nary a patron (and yet somehow they last forever), Indian restaurants, and the like, to find the newly renovated Mink left wide open for our grand, albeit hesitant, entrance.

A gaggle of gals listening to a ‘coach’ on what to and not to do in the bedroom…kitchen, living room, or whatever rocks your boat. For $30 happy hour prices, after a few, it was all white noise and laughter, and really what more does one want on a Tuesday after work?

As Mink is between a slew of other bars, to keep its chin up, there’s always some event, promotion, deal, music-DJ-food-talk-cocktail strewn happening, but it really just boils down to atmosphere and service and fortunately for them, the place has got all the right ingredients.

Speaking of which, the house specialty, according to the press release we got, is the Peppered Mink Martini; a blend of pepper infused vodka, seared pineapple, caramel liqueur and lemon - and if that wasn't enough, it's garnished further with cracked pepper. 

As I oft heard that evening, “Nice... if you’re into that sort of thing.”

Mink
UGF, Au’s Building, 19 Hollywood Road, Central
Tel: 3171 1989.


UPDATE: Not sure if any of these mentioned bars survived as I write this sentence in 2014!