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Toast this trend: Hong Kong's teaching wine shops

Payal Uttam — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:00:00 +0000

The average Hong Konger is drinking more wine than anyone else in Asia. We consume 4.7 liters a year, according to a survey by International Wine & Spirit Research for Vinexpo. That's more than the Japanese’s 2.4 liter average and Singapore’s 2.1 liters.

With the growing number of vino aficionados, a new breed of wine shop has cropped up across the city. Breaking away from the mainstream, they are run by true wine geeks on a mission to educate.

Whether it’s through formal classes or touch screen technology, these newcomers are changing the game.

Also on CNNGo: The Flying Winemaker: Hong Kong's hotshot vino expert

Sex sells at Portrait Winery

Portrait Winery makes a Pinot Gris that evokes a sexy librarian. This place strives to be the most down-to-earth tasting room in the city. There's no wine jargon or fancy labels, instead, founder Steven Jaray will plunk down glass after glass, asking you to sniff, swirl then gargle.

Summer cold snap: Ice World 2012 brings Harbin ice sculptures to Macau

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

Ice World 2012 will open in Macau on May 19. It's averaging 30 C this summer in Macau and how do denizens of Asia's gambling capital handle the heat? By artificially cooling down a big hall to minus 8 C and admiring intricate ice sculptures to pass the time.

For the second year in a row, Macau is pulling off an immensely popular exercise in extravagant energy consumption. The Ice World 2012 is a 1,670-square-meter hall at the CotaiExpo that is maintained at a constant winter temperature, much colder than Macau ever gets naturally.

Co-organized by the Heilongjiang Provincial Ice and Snow Art Development Co. Ltd., the ice art in Macau was created by masters from the province of China's famed Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.

Coolest hands in the north: master carvers from Harbin came to Macau to create Ice World.

Also on CNNGo: Harbin Ice and Snow Festival to open 'China-Russia Tourism Year'

How to lose your durian virginity quickly and painlessly

Leela Punyaratabandhu — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:55:20 +0000

by Leela Punyaratabandhu

We see you at the mall. We see you on the train to work. You lurk in our neighborhood, pushing grocery carts up and down the same supermarket aisles.

But, all you durian virgins, it’s the dread and yearning in equal measure in your eyes as you behold the "king of fruits" that gives you away.

Quiver behind your white gossamer veil no longer, O chaste ones. For we've put together a guide on how to lose your durian virginity joyously and painlessly -- just in time to enjoy Thailand's durian season.

Prepare yourself mentally

Durian’s larger-than-life persona can be intimidating. No other fruits have been described with so many hyperbolic similes.

It doesn’t help that long before stricter security measures on in-flight luggage and suspicious packages in hotel lobbies were introduced in the face of terror threats, durian had already got its pungent self banned from both places.

Schooling the privileged: The Peninsula launches 'The Lifestyle Academy'

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

A clear case of watch envy.The Peninsula Hong Kong has launched "The Lifestyle Academy," a series of personalized "lessons" that will help you pick designer clothes, gourmet food and get better at golf.

“We created 'The Lifestyle Academy' to give guests the opportunity to experience a level of fun and insightful learning that will enable them to look, live and feel their absolute best," says Rainy Chan, general manager of Hong Kong's iconic hotel.

Because being able to have luxury is one thing, but being able to fully appreciate it like a connoisseur requires training.

The hospitality giant has enlisted in-house experts as well as consultants to lead workshops in personal style, etiquette for children, gastronomy, floral design and golf.

Also on CNNGo: The Peninsula Hotels group bans shark's fin from menus

Shrapnel earrings: Hot new travel-inspired jewelry

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:19:24 +0000

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

Be a bombshell: Edge of Ember turns shrapnel into fine brass jewelry.

It's become a social enterprise cliché: vacation in Southeast Asia, fall in love with local craftsmanship, feel despair in the face of local poverty, put one and one together, try to start community jewelry/ clothing/ furniture business.

But Hong Kong's latest tourism-to-entrepreneurship project, Edge of Ember, stands out because the designs are so darn funky.

The Willow necklace from the latest collection is a navel-grazing length of gold chain weighted down by geometric pendants and a brass spike. It's a little bit House of Harlow and a total contrast from the usual nicey-nicey designs of earnest social enterprises.

Trendy as it may be, Edge of Ember does not lack in bleeding-heart backstory.

The raw materials for the necklace are bombshell fragments rescued by Cambodian artisans from organized de-mining efforts by HALO Trust and Cambodian Mine Action Centre. Fishermen also find bombshells from the Mekong River. The artisans clean and melt the fragments to reuse the brass.

Win tickets to see George Benson live

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:41:46 +0000

This contest is now closed. Please stay tuned for the winner announcement

George Benson brings Grammy-winning jazz to Macau

Wed, 09 May 2012 03:27:35 +0000

George Benson has plenty to smile about.Multiple Grammy Award-winner George Benson will be playing live in Macau for the first time on May 25.

The jazz guitarist and vocalist first proved himself when he won a singing contest at the age of four. Benson is now pushing 70 and more intense than ever on stage.

Of a recent performance at the Chicago Theatre, critic Howard Reich said Benson "found new insights in very old songs, delivering them with a freshness one doesn’t often encounter from major performers who have been revisiting their classics incessantly through the decades."

Dubbed the "Guitar Man," Benson was a hard-core jazz guitarist before crossing over with R&B, pop, funk and other genres to showcase those velvet vocal chords that did him so well when he was just a kid.

Check out George Benson's version of the challenging modern jazz classic Moody's Mood at this YouTube video.

Varvary: Breaking the image of 'barbaric' Russian food

Hiufu Wong — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:47:50 +0000

by Hiufu Wong

Anatoly Komm, chef of Russia's first haute cuisine restaurant, Varvary, has turned Russian black bread -- that hard-as-cement staple -- into a dainty dollop of brown pudding.

Following a switch in career paths, Komm has been all about using his cooking to alter perceptions of Russian culture. He was a geophysicist and luxury fashion importer in a former life before becoming a chef of haute cuisine.

"When people think about Russia, they only think about vodka and caviar," said Komm. "We also have other amazing ingredients and I want to open people’s eyes to this so that they can better understand the Russian soul."

Komm is in Hong Kong this week at the pop-up Varvary at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, unleashing the Russian spirit onto the city's palates.

The original Varvary, located in Moscow, was included on the list of "World's 50 best restaurants" in 2011 -- the first Russian restaurant to make the cut. The word "varvary" is Russian for "barbarian." It's Komm's touch of confrontational irony.

10 reasons art lovers should visit Hong Kong right now

Payal Uttam — Mon, 07 May 2012 02:55:16 +0000

by Payal Uttam

Art buying for beginners at the Art Flat at ART HK 12: Take home a Tracy Emin creation (left) for £50, or a few Wilson Shieh plates for HK$3,800.

Four years after the Hong Kong International Art Fair (ART HK) burst onto the scene, the city has transformed itself into Asia’s largest art market.

When Art Basel bought a majority stake in ART HK last year, it sent a clear message that Hong Kong was becoming the regional capital for the contemporary art trade.

There's no better place to see and buy art in Asia than Hong Kong in the spring when ART HK becomes a catalyst for tons of art happenings.

“There is an incredible buzz out there this year,” says Magnus Renfrew, ART HK's fair director. “If you scratch beneath the surface there’s a huge amount going on.”

Betting on tech: Digital tables raise the stakes at the Hong Kong Jockey Club

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:00:03 +0000

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has cracked the conundrum of the century: to get young people's attention, just make everything more like an iPad app.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, admits that horse racing is seen by the younger generation as "a touch outdated."

So his team went about remedying the situation by setting up two multi-touch interactive tables at Adrenaline, the lounge at The Hong Kong Jockey Club in Happy Valley that is now open to the public.

Basically giant tablets, the interactive tables allow four punters to place bets at the same time.

... but losing money is just as easy as it ever was."It's to attract young beginners who are having trouble getting the hang of racing," says Scarlette Leung, Director of Corporate Business Planning and Programme Management.

The New iPad Contest

Wed, 02 May 2012 08:13:01 +0000

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Hong Kong's hardest street vendors go soft and teach us how to bargain

Tiffany Lam — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:19:44 +0000

by Tiffany Lam, Virginia Lau

Many hard lessons on how to bargain are learned at Hong Kong's notorious Ladies' Market.

In Mong Kok on Tung Choi Street, with the main sections south of Argyle Street, the Ladies' Market is known for the city's toughest vendors.

What with recent acid attacks and arson in the area, the vendors' reps for leathery resilience is further cemented.

That's why when the veteran vendors teach us how to bargain for the best price on sneakers, trinkets, handbags and just about anything else, we sit up and pay attention.

Herewith, from the Hong Kong shopping masters themselves: how to beat the hagglers at their own game.

Kids playing with guns: Open day at PLA Hong Kong garrison

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:47:08 +0000

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

When the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Hong Kong opens up its barracks to the public each year, military buffs of all ages and sizes go nuts.

Held around the May 1 Labor Day holiday, the PLA open house event is particularly popular with parents who hope to inspire their children to be more martial in their self-discipline.

There's just nothing more character-building than an afternoon with mom, dad and a range of semi-automatic firearms supervised by men in uniform.

Also on CNNGo: All aboard! China to open luxury hotel on Soviet aircraft carrier

This year's open house event was held April 28-29 and celebrated the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty. The 28,000 free-of-charge tickets to the event were all handed out within two hours on April 22.

Welcome back, Shanghai Tang! Hong Kong flagship biggest in the world

CNNGo — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:50:56 +0000

by CNNGo

Duddell Street no longer needs street lamps now that Shanghai Tang Mansion is open.

Hong Kong's Shanghai Tang was kicked out of its Pedder Building home of 17 years last November when Abercrombie & Fitch won the bid for the lease at HK$7 million.

But they got the last laugh in the face of Hong Kong's property bubble. Shanghai Tang are now back with a fierce three-story monument to Chinese chicdom on Duddell Street, just a stone's throw from their old digs.

Dubbed the Shanghai Tang Mansion, the nearly 1,400-square-meter flagship store is the largest branch of Shanghai Tang in the world.

More on CNNGo: Shanghai Tang moves into Mongolian yurts in Hong Kong

Best Hong Kong beer purveyors

Christopher DeWolf — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:58:27 +0000

by Christopher DeWolf

Every man in Hong Kong has a drinking problem: two hands and only one mouth.Good news for craft beer lovers in Hong Kong: there is more quality quaffage than ever before.

Depending on the hops, yeast and malts used in the brewing process, beer can range from thick, sweet and rich, like the high-alcohol German Doppelbock, to crisp, citrusy and bitter like an India Pale Ale (IPA).

Along the way there are beers as diverse as Lambic (a dry fruit ale made in Belgium) hefeweizen (a perfect refreshing summer treat) and stout (like Guinness, but with many even tastier options).

Craft beers are made in small batches with special attention paid to the quality of ingredients and the nuances of style.

“Craft beer is amazing because it has this awesome array of flavors that still can surprise and amaze you 20 years after you have had your first,” says Jeff Boda, a journalist and beer critic whose new company, Hop Leaf, imports American and Japanese craft brews like Rogue and Baird.

Take the edge off at Hong Kong's first craft beer festival, 'Beertopia!'

Christopher DeWolf — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:30:37 +0000

by Christopher DeWolf

The first Hong Kong craft beer festival, Beertopia!, will bring together 90 remarkable brews from around the world to be tasted within century-old Western Market in Sheung Wan.

The emphasis at Beertopia! is on artisanal quality and diversity, so we can finally discern our Doppelbock from our Lambic.

Also on CNNGo: Best Hong Kong beer purveyors

“It’s about more than getting huge mugs of beer to get drunk,” says organizer Jonathan So. “There are so many different types of beer, so many flavors, and this is a way to try a bunch of them.”

Like many Hong Kong beer nerds, So got his first taste of quality brews abroad, when he was living in New York.

How to get the elevator, say 'hi' and more tips on being a Hong Kong local

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:00:00 +0000

We supplied our suggestions for feigning Hong Kong-ness in "How to be a Hong Kong local: 10 tips on faking it."

We thought we had all the bases covered.

But you have made it clear that we missed quite a few points. Here are your suggestions for how to be a Hong Kong local, taken from readers' comments.

1. How to get a table

"When you're waiting for a table at a restaurant, it's important to hover over a diner you think will be leaving soon.

"If you wait patiently off to the side, as if there's a line or something, you'll be standing there all day."

Secret Tour HK: No such thing as a free lunch? There is now

Hiufu Wong — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Hiufu Wong

The Secret Tour HK Shatin foodie tour is absolutely off the beaten path, visiting eateries in two public housing estates.

Editor's Note: Secret Tour HK's Shatin foodie tour has been cancelled. The tour was originally planned as part of the "Link the Tastes" campaign by The Link Real Estate Investment Trust. Although The Link had hoped to showcase small local businesses through the campaign, it was criticized as hypocritical due to soaring rent prices at their properties pushing out the very businesses the campaign promotes. Stephen Chung from Secret Tour HK says the company has since "terminated all collaboration with The Link." For information on future tours, contact Secret Tour HK directly: hello@secrettourhk.com, www.secrettourhk.com.

The traveler's dilemma can be stated thus: if it's in the guide book, you don't want to go, but if it's not in the book, how do you find it?

In Hong Kong, there is an answer, or rather two answers: Stephen Chung and Josie Cheng.

For them, Victoria Peak and the Avenue of the Stars are the steamed rice of Hong Kong's attractions, and their company, Secret Tour HK, takes visitors to the city's real flavors, only found elsewhere.