Top Hong Kong restaurants for discreet business lunches, best bars for happy hour meetings – a Boston-raised venture capitalist’s tips
- The ideal restaurant for a business lunch is quiet, not too formal, with tables far enough apart that you and your guests can’t be overheard, says Chibo Tang
- He tips the Mandarin Oriental and Mott 32, and tells us his favourite bars for happy hour meetings – plus some hotpot joints for team-building and getting rowdy
Venture capitalist Chibo Tang grew up in snowy Boston and is a Harvard graduate. He’s a partner of Gobi Partners China and made the Top 25 Rising Stars list at the Global Corporate Venture and Innovation Summit 2019 held in California.
My dining habits are quite influenced by my work. I travel extensively and meet a lot of people so I tend to enjoy meetings in casual settings instead of a boardroom; so coffee, drinks, or a meal together is more preferred.
My restaurant choices generally depend on the context of the meal. For more business-facing meetings, I prefer restaurants that are comfortable and quiet enough, yet not too uptight or formal.
Café Causette (M/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central, tel: 2825 4005) is a trusty option for lunch meetings. Tables are comfortably spaced so that sensitive information is not overheard by others. The menu offers a wide selection of international dishes and the food is usually clean-tasting and appropriately seasoned. Pastas are a fail-safe option. The spaghetti carbonara with crispy pancetta and a generous amount of Parmesan is satisfying on any work day.
Mott 32 (Basement, Standard Chartered Bank Building, 4-4A Des Voeux Road Central, Central, tel: 2885 8688) is another business favourite. Their barbecued Iberico pork and applewood-smoked Peking duck never fail to impress, and the dim sum, such as the wagyu beef puffs, is scrumptious.