Hong Kong hums with incredible energy every March, as artists, gallerists, curators, and creative minds from the city and around the world converge for Art Basel Hong Kong and the many exhibitions and happenings around town. There’s something about Art Week that makes going out in the city that much more exciting, as everyone’s calendar is bursting at the seams with shows and glamorous art parties galore. But where do all the art girls actually go out during Art Week? I have asked five ‘it’ girls in art to join me in revealing our favourite restaurants, bars, cafés, and hidden gems in the city.
Patricia Li, Marketing, Content and Communications Strategist, Arts & Culture
Savour Cinema
My love for food and travel (as reflected in my Instagram username @gastronovoyage), as well as cinema, has led me to Savour Cinema, the brainchild of Alison Tan and Amanda Kwan. The duo craft multi-course menu based on cult classics, including Spirited Away, The Joy Luck Club, Beetlejuice, and Eat Drink Man Woman. The focus of this private supper club is not only on a tasty meal, but the entire experience is designed around dramatic sets, interaction, and reframing a cinematic journey for diners. I joined a long communal table of guests sat pouring over Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express, with course after course of food and cocktails inspired by details in the film, complete with a side of karaoke featuring California Dreamin’. What a dream-come-true.
Private location, Hong Kong Island. Instagram: @savourcinema
Star Ferry
Photo: Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The only scenic, traffic-free way to travel between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon during Art Week is to glide across the harbour on the Star Ferry, a Hong Kong icon since the 1880s. The unique double-ended bottle-green and ivory boats sailing today are not so different from Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala’s Morning Star, the original steamboat of the first cross-harbour ferry services. I love sitting on the lower deck to watch the old sailors working in their iconic blue-and-white uniform against the backdrop of brass, teak, wax and canvas. The 10-minute ride is when I can gather my thoughts and plan my schedule while taking in the stunning skyline of skyscrapers on both sides of the harbour.
Wan Chai Ferry Pier, Hung Hing Road, Wan Chai; Central Ferry Pier Link Building, Man Kwong Street, Central
Jill Chun, Associate Curator, Tai Kwun Contemporary
On The Hill Coffee Bar
“Tucked conveniently inside Tai Kwun, it is a perfect caffeine pit-stop before or after visiting ‘Stay Connected: Supplying the Globe’ (yes, full disclosure – I am part of the curatorial team of this exhibition, and yes, it’s dense in the best way). Order their signature melon blend and decide: linger inside to soak up the decommissioned prison-cell atmosphere, or take away and settle in front of Alicja Kwade’s mesmerising Waiting Pavilions sculpture in the Prison Yard. Either way, you’re doing Art Week right.”
G/F, E Hall, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central
Hong Kong Island Harbourfront: Central – Wan Chai – Causeway Bay – Fortress Hill – North Point
“The ultimate Art Week power move – a scenic 10km walk that connects Art Central, Art Basel Hong Kong, Oil Street Art Space in Fortress Hill, and finally Para Site at the far end in Quarry Bay. Start the day early, let the harbour views and endorphins fuel your day, and arrive at brunch or your first exhibition of the day already glowing from the exercise. Who needs the gym when you can go on a harbourfront art crawl?”
Multiple access points, recommend starting at Central and Western District Promenade (Central section) at the Hong Kong Observation Wheel (33 Man Kwong Street, Central)
Queenie Law, Founder, Double Q Gallery
La Petite Maison (LPM)
“LPM is a place that energises you. Its location near Tai Kwun, the galleries and auction houses in Central and Sheung Wan, means I often find myself stopping here for a bite or a drink between exhibition viewings and appointments. The atmosphere is casual enough, but at the same time elegant and vibrant, so perfect for bringing local clients, out-of-town collectors, art world professionals, and, of course, gathering with my friends. They offer an a la carte menu, so it doesn’t turn into a super long lunch. The portions are generous and perfect for sharing, giving you just enough fuel to keep going for the afternoon but not too much that you end up in a food coma.”
Shop 1, UG/F, H Queen’s, 23-29 Stanley Street, Central
Upper Lascar Row, aka Cat Street
“I need a break after seeing a lot of art, especially during Art Week. I love the old-school atmosphere around Upper Lascar Row, lined with antique shops and street stalls selling traditional Chinese collectibles and memorabilia of all kinds. With more than 100 years of history, strolling this small, quaint street makes for a little escape from running around town to viewing and appointments, a reminder when the days seem slow in the old times.”
Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan
Lihsin Tsai, Senior Director, Head of Sales Asia, Hauser & Wirth
Captain’s Bar, Mandarin Oriental
“For over half a century, waiters in jackets and bow ties have delivered strong, cold and classic drinks in the iconic Captain’s Bar. It may not be as trendy as some of the other bars frequented by people in the art world, but I love to come for the dry martini and the timeless charm exuding from its clubby, red leather armchairs. The service is always impeccable, a prime example of Hong Kong at its finest.”
G/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central
XYZ by The Art of XYZ
“An exhilarating way to start the Art Week with Speed, a 50-minute high-intensity spin class that builds agility and momentum while you cycle in “The Cave”, XYZ’s signature theatrical room adorned with pulsating lights and curated playlists. The cardio exercise always energises me and gets me ready for a long day in our booth at Art Basel Hong Kong, and any other appointments and events around town.”
12/F, China Building, 29 Queen’s Road Central, Central
Yulia Yarkova, Art Blogger, galleries gal
Kinsman
“I don’t drink that often, but when I do, I prefer going to a bar. My favourite bar is Kinsman, a modern-day Cantonese cocktail salon: stylish interior, amazing staff and a menu filled with discoveries. I love the illustrations and texts in their A Tale of Chinatowns menu, and of course the beautiful cocktails made with Cantonese spirits; who knew hitting the bar can be so educational and intoxicating at the same time?”
65 Peel St, Central
Roof Garden, Asia Society Hong Kong Center
“To be precise, a specific bench on Asia Society’s Roof Garden: it’s perfectly warm on a sunny day; you sit down on this bench, leaving all the places you need to run to and all the city buzz behind you. Empty your mind and just stare at the green mountain. Good reminder that Hong Kong is a literal jungle, not just a concrete one.”
9 Justice Drive, Admiralty
Christina You, Director of Hong Kong, Gagosian Gallery
Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant (Central)
“This is a brilliant find tucked away on the second floor of a nondescript office building on Wellington Street. While it carries that famous London Chinatown DNA, the atmosphere here is refreshingly low-key. It’s the perfect pivot from the busy art circuit—there’s something incredibly satisfying about grabbing their clay pot vermicelli noodle with crab, or a plate of world-class roast duck in such an unpretentious, local setting.”
2/F, Tsang Chiu Ho Building, 160-164 Wellington Street, Central
Southern District Coastal Trail: Wong Chuk Hang – Repulse Bay (via Mills & Chung Path)
“Wong Chuk Hang has evolved into a major art hub over the last few years, filled with industrial-chic galleries and new lifestyle projects. However, the real “unexpected” treat is the proximity to the southern coast [of Hong Kong Island]. After a morning of gallery-hopping, you can walk just a few minutes to reach this serene promenade. The transition from the industrial spaces filled with contemporary art to the ocean blue of the Pacific feels like stepping into a summer from an Éric Rohmer film. It’s the ultimate sensory reset amidst the Art Week rush.”
Access via Wong Chuk Hang Road and Island Road
Editor
Patricia LiCredit
Lead Image: Courtesy of Patricia Li
