Hong Kong tour: from vertical farming to whisky tasting, plus art, design and dining

We set our sights on the southern Chinese metropolis as it finally relaxes its strict border controls, and discover that, in spite of a few difficult years, the city has retained its distinctively cosmopolitan character. This ‘postcard’ from Wallpaper’s Hong Kong-born magazine editor TF Chan proposes an in-the-know city tour that spans exhibitions by leading Asian creatives to culinary destinations that evoke old-world London and New York, as well as a showcase of locally designed luxury furniture, and even a pioneering vertical farm. Take our Hong Kong tour.

Discover our Hong Kong highlights

Café Carlyle

With chic interiors by Studioilse and magnificent murals by Jean-Philippe Delhomme, Café Carlyle, on the 56th floor of the Rosewood Hong Kong hotel, is an homage to the legendary New York cabaret club of the same name. Its event calendar promises ‘a heady mix of soul, jazz standards, musical and variety favourites, and the best of Broadway’. Glamorous yet intimate, this is the perfect spot to dress to the nines and dance the night away.

carlyleandco.com 

'Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to now' at M+

Already a beloved cultural destination, the barely one-year-old Herzog & de Meuron-designed M+ is destined to become the talk of the town with the opening of its Yayoi Kusama exhibition, the artist’s largest Asian retrospective outside Japan. Highlights include a mesmerising extension of her Infinity Nets; a kaleidoscopic chamber featuring her signature mirrors, polka dots and balloons; and two Pumpkin sculptures.

mplus.org.hk

Common Farms

Although Hong Kong imports most of its food, the locavore movement is rapidly gaining ground. Leading the charge is vertical farming pioneer Jessica Naomi Fong of Common Farms, which uses nutrient-rich soil and aquaponics to grow ten times the produce of an equivalently sized outdoor farm while using 95 per cent less water. In addition to supplying the city’s leading restaurants, it also operates Re:Farm, a pop-up at K11 Musea.

@commonfarms

The Magistracy

Designer Joyce Wang recently reimagined Hong Kong’s former supreme court – which had stood empty since 1984 – into a hotly anticipated culinary destination. Its Dining Room takes its cues from historic London restaurants, with leather banquettes and golden lamps complementing a decadent seafood-focused menu, while the adjacent Botanical Garden, which specialises in gin and tonics, brings to mind the gardens of English manors.

themagistracyhongkong.com

‘Eternal Nature’ at Arte M

Lose yourself in a cascade of camellias, bask in the glow of aurora borealis, and journey into a bioluminescent rainforest at ‘Eternal Nature’, an immersive art show by D’strict, a digital design company based in Seoul. Having drawn 3.2 million visitors across South Korea since 2020, the exhibition now makes its overseas debut at K11 HACC, bringing together sumptuous visuals, surround sound and scent to create a feast for the senses.

artem-hk-en.artemuseum.com

Hansik Goo

This Michelin-starred restaurant is the brainchild of South Korean chef Mingoo Kang, who aspires to deliver a bold take on his country’s diverse culinary culture. The tasting menu features dishes such as a humble bean noodle elevated with sea urchin, and a ginseng soup featuring a roulade of duck and chicken. The pared-back space, with elements evoking the traditional Korean hearth, is by Area+ and features artworks by Lee Bae and Chung Chang-sup.

hansikgoo.hk

Uncle Ming’s 

Perched on the 25th floor of the AKI Hong Kong-MGallery hotel, Uncle Ming’s serves up delectable whiskies with skyline views. Designed by local studio A Work of Substance, the understated yet inviting space features backlit shelving and rippled glass panels intended to evoke the surrounding architecture. The bar’s signature Around the World whisky flight, featuring drams from France, India, Japan, Taiwan, Scotland and the US, is not to be missed.

@unclemingshk

André Fu living 

Located in the Heatherwick Studio-designed Pacific Place shopping centre, the flagship store of local interior architect André Fu (the mastermind behind such leading hotels as the nearby Upper House, Provence’s Villa La Coste and Kyoto’s The Mitsui) offers exquisite furniture and accessories, with inspirations ranging from Chinese ink painting to 1960s modernist architecture. The store design takes its cues from a temple in Kyoto.

andrefuliving.com