Designer Diners

There’s a new fusion trend in Hong Kong restaurants, and it has nothing to do with food. The design itself has taken on an east-meets-west flavor, but not in the tired, in-your-face formula of Chinese antique meets western suede sofa. The new design ethos blends Chinese and Asian motifs with modern minimalism.

Just look at the white-on-white Zen-like spaces of Green T. House in Cyberport. It’s the local branch of the Beijing venue opened by mainland musician and artist “JinR.” While there’s no denying the minimalist influences, the original venue was inspired by Zhanguo-period architecture: huge lotus seed-style candles, sheer silk curtains and a row of imposing Chinese doors are just some of these subtle influences in the otherwise minimalist design. “We are defying conventional definitions – and creating new ones,” says JinR. “Green T. House Living presents an authentic Chinese experience, but in a way that you’ve never imagined.”

Likewise, Wyndham Street’s Yun Fu blends modern design well with traditional features of an ancient Chinese mansion house, including heavy oak doors, wooden screen doors for private dining rooms and a red lighting scheme.

But why should we care? There is a Cantonese saying that translates literally as “eating the decor.” It means the décor is part of your experience (and price tag), and it’s an encouraging trend for Hong Kong, where just a decade ago, Chinese and other Asian restaurants looked as if they were cut from a mold – Chinese with dragon decorations, Japanese with a minimalist sushi bar, and Korean with a big national flag hung on the wall. You might have laughed if we suggested Asian cuisine in Hong Kong was world-class fine dining, but today it would be ignorant not to include them on such a list. Below are details of our top places to “eat” the décor.

The Details

Bicho, 26/F, 523-527 Hennessy Rd., Causeway Bay, 2838-7022