The Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), has long been the city’s annual gastronomic extravaganza. This year, the festival is riding high on the city’s recovery, with an exciting month-long celebration in November that includes digital events as well as physical itineraries. This festival will serve as a bold reminder for foodies around the world that Hong Kong will continue to be at the top of the list of dining destinations in the post-COVID era.
The disruptions caused by the pandemic have not deterred the city from its enterprising ambitions. Despite the uncertainty, plenty of new restaurants have opened in the past year, adding to the already diverse and vibrant F&B scene.
As a “Showroom of New Culinary Perspectives”, this year’s festival will feature a wealth of refreshing experiences, including the innovative elevation of Chinese cuisine, an inspiring line-up of online masterclasses, and a roster of bright and bold F&B personalities, putting the spotlight on some of the brilliant minds that are carving a new niche in Hong Kong’s dining landscape.
New Era of Bartending
Cocktail lovers and green lifestyle enthusiasts should not miss the “Sustainable Cocktail” online masterclass hosted by Agung Prabowo of Penicillin bar, winner of Asia’s 50 Best Sustainable Bar Award for 2021. The award recognizes the creativity and effort that Prabowo and his partners put in to minimizing waste and reducing the bar’s carbon footprint.
For example, potato peels are upcycled into bar snacks, excess pieces of bread and cheese are infused into new spirits, and waste alcohol and lemon peels are transformed into soaps and hand sanitizers.
“Being in the hospitality industry in such an advanced culinary city like Hong Kong, we are blessed but spoiled in that the amount of waste we produce is beyond our imagination,” Prabowo said. “I hope to inspire my industry peers to become more eco-conscious for our future generations.”
The “Sustainable Cocktail” masterclass will be available for a global audience alongside other “Tasting On-Air” program covering a wide range of topics on various trends related to wine and spirits.
New Experience in Chinese Cuisine
Worth noting is “Chinese Omakase by Masterchefs”, a concept-driven, outside-the-box Chinese fine dining experience. This concept is loosely inspired by the original omakase-style, whereby a meal’s direction is left entirely up to the chef’s discretion, giving the chef creative freedom and the diner a memorable dining experience. Eighteen master chefs from revered Chinese restaurants across the city will spearhead the program and showcase their mastery of techniques and innovations. For instance, Chef Chan Yan Tak from the Michelin 3-starred Lung King Heen will take diners on a tasting journey from sea to sky, while Chef Jayson Tang from Michelin 1-starred Man Ho Restaurant has created an innovative menu that is meticulously curated based on the relationship between the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
New Energy to Shake Up Hong Kong’s Dining Scene
A promising line-up of rising culinary stars will be spotlighted in the campaign to acknowledge the city’s trendsetting talent. Hedge fund manager-turned-chef Sandy Keung is one of the few female players in the male-dominated siu mei (roasted meats) industry with her brand Good BBQ. She also owns a cutting-edge seafood restaurant, which touts a unique ozone-depuration technique that provides a clean environment for bivalves and other shellfish to purge them of metabolic waste and pollutants in order to ‘re-clock’ them back to out-of-ocean condition.
For more information about the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival 2021, please visit www.discoverhongkong.com/winedinefestival.
I miss Hong Kong. It’s one of my favorite destinations. I wish I can travel again soon.
Fascinating article! I want to try those cocktails. They all look so refreshing! Yum!
I haven’t been to Hong Kong, but this article is so exciting, I would love to try different cocktails on this place.
C’est magnifique! I want to try those cocktails. It looks so good. I haven’t had cocktails since the start of the pandemic.
This is so cool, I love how they are using waste to create new things.. whether its the potato peels or the waste alcohol to make soaps.. love the concept
I have been to Hong Kong several times. It’s one of my favorite international destinations. I hope I can travel back soon so I can try their food.
I have not been to Hong Kong yet…. As it is on my bucket list ands in the top 3… and I for sure love something like this 😉 The cocktails look amazing!
I admit that I have always participated in these types of events loving food and wine and now that a stupid pass prevents me it is horrible. It must have been great!
This looks really fascinating I would say, amazing pictures. Thanks for sharing this piece.
Sustainable is the new buzz word and with good reason. This festival sounds like a great place to be.
The only thing that comes up first when I think of Hongkong is their delicious variety of food, but I would like to take that bartending masterclass
I love this kind of high level food and drink concept. Hong Kong is lucky to have some incredible chefs and mixologists pushing the culinary envelope.
This is awesome! I think that Hong Kong has some amazing offerings that I wish I was able to try! Thanks for bringing this to light!
Hong Kong definitely knows how to do things the luxury way!
This sounds like such an interesting experience. I love trying different foods and cuisines and would love to visit there myself.
What an experience!!! I love all the fun and exciting cocktail ideas. Hong Kong is happening.
This is so cool! Such a unique experience!
It’s been a while since I went to Hongkong and I hope everything will be back to normal. I missed traveling and eating local foods too! HK really had awesome foods! Ohh I wish I can go back soon!
I haven’t been to Hong Kong yet, hence, it’s way up high on my bucket list. Going during such a fantastic event would be just too good to be true. Hope to make it there asap 😉
This sounds really cool and like a greest experience. There is definitely something to this.
I definitely miss Hong Kong especially the dining experience. Most of the HK Chefs’ are always making sure the foods are spectacular. Can’t wait to get back!
This sounds like a really good way to showcase chefs new and old! Also a great way to find out about new culinary delights!
Sustainable Cocktail is really something new for me and is very interesting.