Blast Off
Jan 27 is the second day of the Lunar New Year, traditionally a time of big banquets and bigger fireworks over Victoria Harbour. Here’s a roundup of the best dining rooms with a view.
1. Sky Lounge
18/F, Sheraton Hong Kong Hotels & Towers, 20 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2369-1111.
Sky Lounge’s two viewing areas with curving booths offer arguably the best seats in town for the fireworks. The restaurant is offering a four-course dinner for $918 that includes a lobster bisque with ravioli and old armagnac, a seafood sampler (oysters, scallops, crab, mussels, scampi, clams), char-grilled US prime tenderloin with crispy garlic mash, asparagus in black truffle sauce or lobster mornay, and warm apple strudel with vanilla ice cream and bird’s nest tarlet.
2. Amber
7/F, The Landmark Oriental, 15 Queen’s Rd. Central, Central, 2132-0066.
For an exquisite two-star Michelin dinner, try the six-course menu at Amber ($1,888 for adults, $888 for under-12s). Tuck into foie gras in a pinot noir reduction with heirloom beets and cherries, Aveyron lamb with caraway and an aubergine charlotte, aged comté with poached palm heart, veal jus and extra virgin almond oil. Sweet and savory desserts include 33 percent Tanariva chocolate, salted caramel and Welsh vanilla sea salt dégustation. Dinner starts at 5:30pm, followed by the fireworks party at 7:30pm, when you can head up to the private champagne soiree on the roof of the adjoining Chater House for a panoramic view.
3. Santa Lucia Restaurant and Lounge
38/F, 8A Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, 3550-0262.
The restaurant at Hotel Panorama by the Rhombus group (who also run Hotel LKF) has a little-known but stunning panoramic 38th-floor harbor view. Go for their six-course Chinese dinner with a modern twist. Priced at $2,009 for two, it features auspicious dishes like marinated sea cucumber and lobster roll, sea urchin panna cotta, turnip and shark’s fin soup, pan-roasted beef tenderloin and braised abalone. For an additional $1,000, you can get a room for the night.
4. Petrus
56/F, Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, 2820-8590.
Sip your Dom gracefully with your “it” bag sitting imperially on the purse stool that they so thoughtfully provide. Petrus’ $1,488 Menu Gourmand includes lip-smacking French fare such as “Royal Cabanon” No. 2 oyster tartar with oscietra caviar, duck liver and quince jelly Napoleon, wild Brittany sea bass, leek and potato with shaved black truffle, roast Aveyron lamb rack, winter vegetables with Navarin jus, and finally, a delicate Earl Grey tea sherbet with black pepper sauce.