Brim 28 has outdoor space and pedestrian traffic, so where are all the customers?

“YOU’VE GOT A PLACE without cars, it’s elevated so you have low levels of noise and it’s outside. This is something priceless in Hong Kong,” says DiVino Group managing director Giacomo Pani.

He is referring to the virtues of Brim 28, the Wan Chai food and beverage platform where Pani’s restaurant, DiVino Patio, is located. Like all the tenants on the commercial first level of Causeway Centre – at 28 Harbour Road, between Sun Hung Kai Centre and Great Eagle Centre – he was lured by the abundance of outside space, the convenient location and the heavy foot traffic of the raised thoroughfare.

The area seems to have everything Hongkongers say they want in a dining district. But it has never quite taken off. Is the fung shui that bad, or the property management that clueless?

We tried to ask Brim 28’s landlord, China Resources Property, but our e-mails and phone calls were not returned. This shyness, or reluctance to help the media, could explain the lack of publicity and coverage that the area gets.

Here is what we do know.

Previously, the space was known as Sanlitun, copying the name from Beijing’s trendy entertainment hub in Chaoyang. That idea didn’t work, so it was changed to Brim 28 about three years ago, and more recognisable eateries were brought in. Their slogan is “zestful alfresco”. But despite the outdoor set-up, none of the new establishments has been able to get outdoor service licences, and that made it illegal for staff to serve customers on the patio. Guests had to go into each outlet, order their food and drinks and carry their order out themselves – not an ideal situation for Hongkongers expecting table service.

But the situation is changing. Several tenants have acquired outdoor licences, and the number of patrons at Brim 28 is increasing. The recent installation of an MTR Fare Saver (which gives commuters a HK$2 discount on their next MTR ride if they use their Octopus card) has encouraged even more pedestrians.