So you’ve selected your Italian main, but what kind of wine goes with it? Or perhaps you’ve spotted a great bottle, but aren’t sure what dish it would best pair with. What to do? Well, pairing is high on the menu at my upcoming food and drink discussions. It’s just $300 for an interactive workshop with Benjamin Barraclough of Altaya Wines, Giacomo Pani (GM) and Corporate Chef Michele Senigaglia at Goccia (73 Wyndham St., 2167-8181) Jan 16, which features three whites and three reds along with Italian tasting dishes to accompany. You can register at www.peopleu.hk - but hurry, spaces are limited.
I just can’t resist giving you a heads-up on the newest lounge and wine bar on Wyndham Street. It’s called Tivo Wine Bar (definitely not the TV recording thing), and there’ll be a grand opening on Jan 15. It has a cool design and is stocked with loads of vintages, but more about that in the next few weeks. I think it’s another bullet in my gun to argue my point that Wyndham Street is the newest wining and dining hotspot.
But Harbour City is also heating up things with the King Parrot Group’s newest creation, the Cadero Grill Oyster Bar, which serves up steaks, fresh seafood and fine wines with a harbor view. Shop No. G315, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2721-2181.
An old friend is returning to the city after a break helming Michelin-star kitchens in France, England and Australia. Chef Jean-Pierre Bagnato worked at Café des Artistes in Lan Kwai Fong and the now-closed Margaux Restaurant at the Kowloon Shangri-La. His newest restaurant is to be called Jean-Pierre, Hong Kong; while that might not win points for originality, you’ve got to check out the wild artwork and glam design, and the food is surprising and really inventive. Corn foie gras with popcorn and raspberry sauce? We can’t wait to try it. L/3, Hong Kong Parkview, 88 Tai Tam Reservoir Rd., 2812-3918.
The Priory (ex-Fu Bar) has been open for a while now, but their opening party will finally kick things off formally on Jan 18. G/F, 75-77 Wyndham St., Central, 2530-5529.
And Halo, the new and opulent snacks-and-drinks lounge by the owners of Volar has its opening party this week too. Guestlist only, natch. Stanley St., near D’Aguilar St., Central.