No one was expecting a big event, but everyone knew there would be some kind of grand finale. 'I never tell my guests what to expect. I invite them without telling them who will be there, I do not want anyone to be disappointed if someone does not turn up,' says David Tang, owner of Cipriani, the exclusive Italian restaurant in the old Bank of China Building.
The occasion: the restaurant's long-awaited grand opening. And Tang knew to wait until just the right moment - the weekend when Hong Kong played host to a number of international celebrities.
Arrigo Cipriani, owner of the legendary Harry's Bar in Venice, was flown in for the occasion and oh, what a warm welcome he received!
Guests tried to not show their delight at seeing two members of the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood. 'They, by the way, are the only ones that ever come out, the other ones never go out in public,' says Tang.
Slowly, other high-profile guests started to appear, and that is when people started to really choke on the cigar smoke.
Among them were 'big brother' Jackie Chan, former Discovery Bay resident Princess Alexandra of Denmark and former US president Bill Clinton (who, by the way, Tang referred to as 'president' - perhaps he is in denial about Clinton's Republican successor).
