He may be one of a handful of people to make Lan Kwai Fong the nightlife destination it is today, but don't expect to find Christian Rhomberg partying until the small hours.
'To be honest, clubbing has faded as my favourite pastime,' says the founder of the Ninety-Seven Group and KEE Private Members' Club. 'My interests are more in meeting interesting people and working with unique, creative companies in entertainment, lifestyle and luxury.'
Rhomberg, who came to Hong Kong in 1980 as deputy Austrian trade commissioner, has evolved from a creator of some legendary hot spots to a family man who balances business savvy with devout Buddhist practice. 'When I arrived, there were only a few foreign restaurant and bar concepts. Our offices were in Central and I saw the potential for an entertainment area nearby,' he says.
Rhomberg's Restaurant 97 opened in Lan Kwai Fong in 1982, followed a year later by Allan Zeman's California. While opening several more bars, clubs and restaurants in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the impresario and his wife Maria connected with a Tibetan monk who introduced them to the late Buddhist master Dilgo Khyentse.
'After five years of marriage and trials with all kinds of Chinese potions, we did not have children,' Rhomberg says. 'We met the master and nine months later our daughter Mara was born.'
After the birth of their second child, the couple took an eight-year sabbatical to travel and spend time with Buddhist masters in Tibet, Bhutan and India. After returning to Hong Kong, Rhomberg sold the Ninety-Seven Group in the late 1990s. But he was lured back into the business when Ronald Kam offered him space in the Yung Kee Building in 2000.
'I thought Sir David Tang had done a fantastic job with the China Club and my vision was to open a more European-themed club that included cultural activities and transformed on weekends into a pop-up nightclub, like throwing a party in your private home ,' Rhomberg explains.