THE CARDS?

2016:
WHAT’S ON
THE CARDS?
Welcome, seeker of truth. Step into this sub-divided tent and cross our palms with silver (or at
least plastic polymer notes). Are you ready to gaze into the future of Hong Kong? By HK Staff
The Magician represents power, skill
and action. What could be more appropriate
than the city’s culinary wizards cooking up
brand new dishes and concepts in 2016?
The Booze-Food Takeover
Gone are the days of pairing your steak with a
nice glass of Côtes du Rhône. This year is all about
mixing booze into food and food into booze in
weird and wacky combinations. We’ve seen it done
in classy ways such as the unique food-and-cocktail
pairing menu at Vea (29-30/F, The Wellington, 198
Wellington St., Central, 2711-8639) which infuses
drinks with ingredients such as black vinegar and
Roquefort cheese, and the sake-tastic broth at
The Drunken Pot (see p.18 for more). Then there’s
the rather more challenging horse meat carpaccio
cocktail at Cima (3/F, 239 Hennessy Rd., Wan Chai,
2395-2269). The key here is subtlety—and we’ll
draw the line when our drinks start coming with a
spoon and our food with a straw…
Next-Level Indian
Can’t bear to brave the TST crowds for good Indian
food? You’re in luck. The city is seeing a new wave
of modern Indian eateries that say so long to kitschy
restaurant décor in favor of modern presentations
and refined, contemporary cooking. New restaurants
including Juhu Beach Club (28 Elgin St., Central,
2177-3544) and Bindaas (33 Aberdeen St., Central,
2447-9998) are serving up kathi rolls, pav bhaji and
samosas with a distinctly modern spin to match their
fittingly hip décor. Now if only someone could give
Chungking Mansions the same makeover…
Global Tapas
When did “tapas” become the catch-all term for
anything snack-like or served on small plates?
Tapas-style everything is taking over in Hong
Kong: There are surf-and-turf “tapas” appetizers
at Wooloomooloo Prime (21/F, The One, 100
Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2870-0087), Casa Tapas
Bar (18 Woo Hop St., Shek Tong Tsui, 2776-6599)
is using it as an umbrella term for everything from
okonomiyaki pancakes to buffalo cauliflower, and
Indian tapas are showing up at Bindaas. Who
knows? 2016 might just be the year dim sum gets
rebranded “Chinese-style tapas.” Expect more
tapas-style everything in 2016. What if it’s just Hong
Kong’s way of hiding ridiculously small portions?
The Hermit symbolizes
introspection and solitary thought.
What with faster delivery services and
the proliferation of online TV, 2016 is
looking like the year of the homebody.
Flash-Cooked Food
Too lazy to cook or grab supermarket sushi on the way home
from work? No problem: Deliveroo.hk claims to be able to
deliver your favorite restaurant dishes to your doorstep in
less time than it takes for you to get home—they boast an
average of 32 minutes per delivery. Foodpanda.hk’s matched
the 30 minute claim as well: We’re just feeling sorry for the
harried kitchen staff. And because drinking in solitude is the
new normal for 2016, Bottlesxo.com has you covered
with less-than-one-hour delivery on wines. Next up:
a time machine delivery service which has the
guy knocking on your door before you’ve
even ordered it.
TV Binges
Hallelujah! Netflix (netflix.com) has finally arrived in Hong
Kong, meaning that now we can all binge on our favorite
American TV shows. This is going to be the golden year of
the couch potato, with subscription plans starting at $63 per
month—although we have to admit that so far, the selection
of available shows is a little light. For those who love Chinese
programs as much as American ones, LeTV (letv.com, $399/
year) has arrived with more than 5,000 movies—as well as
Premier League football. Meanwhile Viu TV (viu.tv)—
Now TV’s on-demand service—will debut its internet
video platform in March this year. Let’s grab brunch in,
oh, early 2017?
10 HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016