TRAVEL
‘Made in Hong Kong’ Redefined N
by Rory Winston
o, this was not that Hong Kong – not the one ‘made in Hong Kong’ and stuck ignominiously on the back of a trinket; not the one dreamt of by a child who watched Enter the Dragon and mistakenly believed he could intimidate the school bully by pretending to be Bruce Lee. This was another Hong Kong – the one made partially comprehensible by Wong Karwai, the one extolled for haut cuisine, the one I was not fated to see until a recent excursion landed me in the lobby of the renowned Mandarin Oriental. I write ‘renowned’ because the Hong Kong Mandarin Oriental is not just one in the line of five star luxury hotels but the paradigm on which the iconic MO brand had been built.
British Empire) once stood - is emblematic of the hotel’s poignancy.
Like a modernist interpretation of a Yuntai temple crossed with a Ming dynasty tower, the elegant but stern façade of the hotel is a gateway between Victoria Harbour and the city. That this 430 roomed property should be positioned between China and the island, the island and the West while simultaneously occupying the very grounds on which the Queen’s Building (a symbol of the
But this was no Dickensian Tale of Two – or even three - Cities. This was a Bildungsroman for hedonists, one that measured several cultures in length and many centuries in breath. The varied dining venues told an important part of the story. Overlooking the historic Statue Square and Chater Garden, stood the Mandarin Bar and Grill’.
76 • Resident April 2014
With walnut paneling, lavish drapes and king sized beds boasting duck feather pillows, the rooms – along with their travertine stone and black forest Chinese marble bathrooms (each with both bath and walk-in shower) - are a haven from the outside world as much as they are a place from which to view change. Putting on my complimentary silk kimono, I looked out over the bustling city – a manageable series of neatly placed skyscrapers discretely elbowing their way between the sea and the mountainous terrain looming in the distance.
Its dominant theme: a white lily floral on the central banquette that echoes the outer world like an idealized version of the same. Overseen by Chef Uwe Opocensky, the Michelin star establishment put the finest organic ingredients and seasonal produce in the service of reinterpreted grill classics. With Welsh Mallard Duck and fresh Sea Bass, the restaurant is a well-orchestrated culinary rhapsody while its menu reads like a libretto in molecular gastronomy. Of course, when it came to true culinary wizardry, little compares with the two Michelin starred Pierre, situated on the 25th floor. Here Pierre Gagnaire elicits the best in French cuisine within a seductively regal environment. Like the charcoal, cherry and blue fabrics playing off the silver and crystal motifs, the dishes evoke both drama and simplicity in equal measure. From the Oscietra caviar quenelle to the Corolla of scallops with cuttlefish and sea urchin, there is a growing sense of excitement throughout the courses. By the time of the doe with juniper berries arrive