Where to eat and drink in December
Restaurant openings, new menus & chef newsQue sera, sera Sevva
After sixteen fabulous years, one of Hong Kong’s most iconic restaurants will close when its lease ends in May 2024.
Opened in 2008 by Ms Bonnae Gokson, Sevva attracted a slew of international guests, including David Beckham, Pharrell Williams and Bill Clinton.
The dining hotspot has continually redefined the art of entertaining in Hong Kong under the watchful eye of founder and proprietor Bonnae Gokson. Over the years, Sevva has been voted the World’s Healthiest Restaurant by Bupa Global in 2017, with a menu encompassing traditional regional Asian cuisines and delicate Western dining dishes inspired by Ms Gokson’s travel experiences.
More than just a restaurant or bar, SEVVA is in a class of its own, redefining warmth and chic glamour; it will live on in the hearts of Hongkongers.
SEVVA will host a starry soirée in early 2024 to celebrate its storied past. Details of these will be announced here soon.
LMO Freshly Baked
Stop by the LMO Freshly Baked Special Edition Pop-up at LANDMARK for festive desserts over the holiday season. The pop-up features a collection of much-loved Basque Burnt Cheesecakes with interesting flavours jointly reimagined and developed by Chef Richard Ekkebus and Executive Pastry Chef Carles Codina.
Pick up The Original Basque Burnt Basque Cheesecake and festive flavours like Winter Truffle, Chestnut and Double Bourbon Vanilla from the pop-up, which will run until December 31 at Shop 350 of LANDMARK ATRIUM. Orders are also available online.
Hong Kong’s Oldest Italian restaurant reopens
More than half a century since opening, Hong Kong’s oldest Italian restaurant, La Taverna, has reopened following a facelift and with a reimagined menu.
Owned and operated by Italian entrepreneurs, the Macchetti family, La Taverna, serves homestyle traditional Italian fare and has catered to diners in Tsim Sha Tsui for over half a century. The restaurant was first conceived as a place where the Macchettis and their friends could enjoy good authentic food from back home, though sometimes with local ingredients because not all international food was so easily imported in those days. It soon became a magnet for tycoons and celebrities, welcoming the likes of Roger Moore, Anita Mui and Madonna. Bruce Lee even shot a movie there.
The Macchetti Group is responsible for the Ocean Park cable car and for bringing Ferrari and other luxury brands to Hong Kong.
The decoration retains the original traditional homely design. A new culinary team is breathing new life into it and restoring authentic dishes such as Spaghetti alla Milionario, La Taverna veal cooked at low temperature and Tuscan-style La Taverna fish soup.
La Taverna, G/F, Astoria Building, 36-38 Ashley Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Former Chaat chef Manav Tuli opens Leela
Chef Manav Tuli, previously Chef de Cuisine at CHAAT at Rosewood Hong Kong has launched his first solo venture in collaboration with Yenn Wong of Jia Group.
Inspired by a Hindu concept, Leela represents the divine play of the gods and a unique and playful approach to Indian cuisine.
JIA Group are the mastermind behind several famous Hong Kong restaurants, including Duddell’s and Estro. Leela boasts elegant interiors by renowned international interior designer André Fu of Andre Fu Studio and focuses on sustainability, from using recycled corn paper menus to eschewing the use of plastic throughout.
Chef-owner Tuli says, “I am delighted to be realising my dream to open my first-owned restaurant in Hong Kong, a city which I have called home in the past four years since I moved from London with my family. I have witnessed the growth in the popularity of my country’s cuisine in Hong Kong, and I cannot wait to show Hong Kong and Asia more about the roots and heritage of Indian cuisine at Leela, in Causeway Bay”.
Leela opened last month at Lee Gardens Three in Causeway Bay.
Leela, Shop 301-310, Lee Garden Three. 1 Sunning Road Causeway Bay
Posso’s Pasta Workshops
Fresh from celebrating its second birthday, neighbourhood Italian restaurant Posso has launched a series of pasta workshops led by Chef-Owner Max Wong.
Posso’s new Pasta Workshop Series brings laughter and learning to a delightfully boozy Sunday afternoon pasta class. Guests at these fun and engaging workshops will embark on a journey to craft the perfect cappelletti. Free-flowing wines and Italian bites set the ideal atmosphere for culinary creativity to flow.
During the workshop, participants don’t merely acquire culinary skills; they also take home a piece of Posso. Handmade pasta, ready to be transformed in the comfort of their kitchens, becomes a cherished memento of the day and a thoughtfully prepared goodie bag brimming with Posso’s signature dried pasta, a signature recipe. For the first ten classes, all attendees will receive a 15% off lunch coupon.
The workshops are conducted in English and Cantonese and are priced at $950 per person. Class slots are available from 12 pm to 3 pm and 4 pm to 7 pm.
Posso, 12 Kau U Fong, Sheung Wan
Domain opens at EAST Hong Kong
There’s a new place to enjoy coffee and freshly baked pastries in Taikoo. Stylishly designed lifestyle hotel EAST Hong Kong has further developed its part café and co-working space on the first floor into a living room space, catering to business types for meetings and socialising. The new lobby Domain connects to the local neighbourhood of Taikoo and makes an ideal lounge, co-working hub, and event venue. The versatile space by Hong Kong-based design studio EDITECTURE offers a tranquil workplace space, and contactless ordering service is available from 7 am to 7 pm daily.
Domain is now open at EAST Hong Kong, 29 TaiKoo Shing Rd, Quarry Bay
