Hong Kong athlete Annabelle Bond on Mount Everest, her love for Asian food — and her biggest weakness
- Over lunch at L’Envol at The St. Regis Hong Kong in Wan Chai, the mountaineer and mother talks about scaling the world’s highest peaks, her daily diet and the importance of eating right
You would never guess Annabelle Bond is a world-class mountaineer and hard core endurance racer as she walks into L’Envol at The St. Regis Hong Kong for lunch. Her hair and make-up are styled immaculately, and she is completely poised and comfortable working a fitted dress during the photo shoot.
It seems the first woman to summit the highest peaks of seven continents within a year – and who regularly runs 250km extreme marathons – is equally at ease in a French fine dining parlour.
Actually, it’s typical of Bond’s multifaceted life. The Hong Kong-based OBE recipient is an adventurer, single mum, cancer survivor, philanthropist and a fabulously glam socialite. But the daughter of former HSBC head Sir John Bond is quick to admit she is not normally this chic.
“I like to do different things,” Bond says. “Sometimes it’s really nice to wear a dress. Most of the time I’m in sweats or my sports gear. I like to do both. Same with my food. I love meals like this (fine dining). I also love really basic dishes.”
There’s nothing basic about former Seasons chef Olivier Elzer’s new digs. The decor is André Fu gone Beaux-Arts – measured yet relaxed – and the service is already as tight as a knot. We leave the lunch menu for chef Elzer to curate, and he starts us off with several amuse-bouches, including a very sweet tomato jelly.
“That might be dessert,” Bond jokes about the whet-your-appetite nibble. It’s followed by a delicate morsel of braised artichoke, a ginger foie gras cube and some organic sourdough bread with champagne butter.
“Bread is my weakness,” Bond confesses when the appealing mini loaf appears.
Considering her sporting renown started with her 2004 ascent of Everest – she brought along her lipstick for the summit photos – the talk naturally drifted to the recent shocking images of the summit approach overcrowded with climbers.