YOU know the Hongkong social season is winding down when at a reception held in the elegant Drawing Room of the Grand Hyatt I am informed by newly promoted assistant F & B manager John Nielsen that the 50 or so guests managed to devour only 25 bottles of Bollinger champagne and three kilograms of Beluga caviar.
The caviar and champers do, which attracted businessmen such as GT Management boss Philip Gray, Irvan chairman David Lowe, Baring director James Slade and DHL Asia MD John Kerr (appreciating the good things in life seems to go with the top jobs), was to mark the introduction of Iranian caviar from the famed Caviar House to the Grand Hyatt's Champagne Bar, where many of the captains of industry unwind of an evening.
While the caviar was being swallowed by the spoonful and washed down with the bubbly, one guest (who pleaded to remain unnamed) regaled us with the wonderful story of how, after being given some expensive Beluga caviar by a friend, she sent some over toher in-laws hoping to introduce them to the exotic delicacy.
''Imagine,'' she shrieked in understandable horror, ''when I went over for lunch with them a few days later I saw the caviar being fed to their cat. When I protested my mother-in-law replied: 'Well, we don't care too much for it. But it says on the tin that it is from Iran, and we figured Freddie, who is a Persian cat, would probably enjoy it.' '' As always, top sartorial marks were earned by society dentist Dr Wally Au Yeung, whose splendid bow-tie bore pictures of the virgin sturgeon fish from whom all caviar stems.
At least, that's what he said the piscine representations were and the rest of us knew no better to dispute that claim.