It’s goodbye to chef Vicky Lau’s Tate Dining Room, but not for long
Hong Kong’s Tate Dining Room, which has closed its Hollywood Road space and will reopen nearby, has felt like a steady presence in the past 14 years
Chef Vicky Lau’s Tate Dining Room, which first opened in 2012 on Elgin Street in SoHo, on Hong Kong Island, has survived plenty over the years, riding waves of food trends and challenges both social and economic.
It transformed from a small bistro-like venue, where its “edible stories” concept was outsize for its square footage and 26 covers, to a sweeping, 2,200 sq ft two-tiered space on Hollywood Road.
What is remarkable about Lau, then, is how her cuisine has felt like a steady presence over the past 14 years. I have had the privilege of dining at Tate numerous times over its lifespan – many as a guest, but in earlier days, as an anonymous reviewer – and can chart its evolution through the years.
Lau’s initial offering hinted at a time when chefs were excited to expand their repertoire by fusing the best of European technique and prime produce from Japan; early dishes sang along the lines of foie gras somen and smoked salmon confit, or Kagoshima beef with miso potato purée.
