1 Austin Road West, Kowloon Station, Kowloon Fire 3717 2848, Kitchen 3717 2222
Hong Kong's brand new W hotel has gone to great lengths to surprise guests, not least in their two dining outlets. As you walk into Kitchen (above), W's version of the standard hotel all-day dining venue, you may notice that what look like traditional paintings on the entrance wall suddenly move. They are digital art pieces that play with our preconceptions of what art should be. Then there's the large open kitchen, expansive view of the docks, and shrink-wrapped blocks of meat that can be taken home and cooked - not what you would usually expect from a hotel coffee shop. The menu is also a surprising mix of cuisines and taste sensations, from the fresh and feisty crispy lobster tacos with green papaya and mint (HK$175) to the comforting chicken confit with sauteed kipfler potatoes and endive salad (HK$300). To reach the hotel's second dining venue, the uber-chic fine dining restaurant Fire (right) you have to pass by the champagne and cocktail bar, wait for the door to slide open and then walk down a catwalk lit in red between semi-private dining tables. Wear your best frock as it's all about seeing and being seen. If you are booked into the main section of the restaurant, be prepared for a riot of red carpet and a shiny red glass ceiling. Culinary director (your standard hotel's equivalent of an executive chef) Michael Poutawa takes you on a roller coaster of tastes - from the crispy loin of Murray River grain-fed pork with creamed corn, pulled barbecued pork, tomato relish and corn fritters (HK$440) to the multicultural ocean trout gravalax with a micro shiso (HK$260), that combines a Scandinavian fish-marinating technique with Asian spices, sake and wasabi jelly. Drinks are always a big part of the W experience, and of course both dining venues have good wine lists, exciting cocktails and all sorts of spirits.