Cover The Highest in High End Dining
The Highest in High End Dining
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The highest and best restaurants in this city of skyscrapers
At.mosphere recently opened its doors in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai: located on the 122nd floor, it is officially the world's highest restaurant, stripping the title holder, 360 Restaurant in Toronto's CN Tower, from its position. Here in Hong Kong, we don't have a shortage of sky-high restaurants either. Here is Asia Tatler Dining's top recommendations of the city's highest and best restaurants, in descending order of height.
Tosca, Tin Lung Heen and Ozone
Although the two restaurants Tosca and Tin Lung Heen in the new Ritz Carlton on top of ICC in Kowloon won't be open until March, we already have sky-high expectations for both. Tosca will be a southern Italian restaurant with an open kitchen and dramatic high ceilings to better highlight the view from the 102th floor, while Tin Lung Heen will present refined Cantonese cuisine with traditional dim sum and a premium tea collection. Both restaurants will be under the direction of executive chef, Peter Find, whose experience in Hong Kong and Macau includes working at the Mandarin Oriental, The Repulse Bay and Wynn Macau.
Read more about Peter Find here.
At the very top of the hotel is also Ozone, a bar on the 118th floor and potentially the world's highest bar when it opens. The spacious bar can accommodate up to 180 guests and will serve Asian tapas and Japanese snacks as well as a range of signature cocktails. It will be open from Thursday to Sunday evenings.
Ritz-Carlton, ICC, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon.
Petrus
Located on the 56th floor of the Island Shangri-la, Petrus is one of the most highly-esteemed French restaurants in Hong Kong. It is an old-fashioned restaurant in many ways, with classic decor, a resident harpist, oil paintings and chandeliers. The food itself is also classic, with French favourites such as duck liver confit and Dover sole as staples. If all that plus the amazing views from the middle of Admiralty aren't dizzying enough, Petrus also has one of the best wine cellars in Hong Kong, with over 12,000 bottles including 34 vintages of Chateau Petrus dating back to 1928.
Find out how much a case of 1982 Petrus was sold for recently here.
56/F, Island Shangri-La, Supreme Court Road, Admiralty. Tel: +852 2820-8590.
Also located in Admiralty is Café Gray Deluxe, on the 49th floor of the super-chic boutique hotel, Upper House. Opened in 2009 by chef Gray Kunz, the restaurant combines the tastes of Asia (the chef grew up in Singapore) with his mastery of French techniques. Cafe Gray Deluxe may appear to be all glitz and glamour, but thanks to chef Kunz's culinary philosophy of "freshness, local, seasonality and sustainability", it is also one of the more eco-friendly restaurants in town. Café Gray Deluxe sources as much of its products as possible from local organic farms in the New Territories, including organically farmed chicken and vegetables.
Read more about organic restaurants in Hong Kong here.
For a restaurant of its calibre, it also offers very reasonable mark-ups on its wine list, as well as a satisfying three-course dinner for less than HK$600.
49/F, The Upper House, 88 Queensway, Admiralty. Tel: +852 3968-1106.
The views from Central and Admiralty are familiar to most locals, so for a different perspective, Le 188º - located on the 41st floor of the Harbour Grand hotel in North Point, is worth a visit. As the name suggests, the views from this restaurant are simply spectacular. Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, diners are treated to 188 degree views of the Hong Kong harbour. For those with absolutely no fear of heights, there is even an open-air terrace area where drinks can be enjoyed. The best dishes on the menu include an Alaskan king crab salad served with wasabi mousse and quail egg; while for mains, the US beef tenderloin with foie gras sauce is a not-to-be-missed. The wine list is extensive with a very good selection of Bordeaux, all the better to go with your tenderloin.
41/F, Harbour Grand Hong Kong, 23 Oil Street, North Point. Tel: +852 2121-2693.
Read more about Le 188º's romantic plans for Valentine's Day here.
Although enjoying the views of the harbour is wonderful at night, there is no reason why they are not equally as enjoyable during the day, especially when there is an excellent brunch buffet to be had at the same time. Take advantage of these cool winter months to enjoy the new outdoor roof terrace on weekends where there is a champagne brunch from noon to 3pm on Saturdays, and from 11.30am to 3pm on Sundays. The international buffet includes fresh oysters, lobsters, mussels and other seafood; a foie gras cooking station; an egg station for fresh eggs Benedict, delectable curries as well as a large dessert selection.
34/F, Excelsior Hotel, 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay. Tel: +852 2837-6786.
Read more about the best breakfasts in Hong Kong here.
Nanhai No. 1
When the shopping mall iSquare opened in Tsim Sha Tsui early last year, a number of high-end fine-dining restaurants opened on its top floors, including Ah Yat, Ambrosia and Yaegiku. Of all the restaurants that opened, however, our favourite is Nanhai No. 1, located on the 30th floor. The Cantonese restaurant is named after the Chinese merchant ship that sank in the South China sea during the Song Dynasty, a fact to muse on while admiring the harbour views and Hong Kong skyline. To continue with the seafaring theme, the seafood at Nanhai No. 1 is excellent. Live tanks filled with live Alaskan king crabs greet diners, but if you feel like smaller morsels of the sea, give the baked king prawn in Chardonnay sauce a try. For a more traditional dish, the stir-fried river shrimps with spicy Sichuan sauce are both delicate and succulent. Nanhai No. 1 is also excellent value for money, with most dishes under HK$100 and a set dinner with several signature dishes going for under HK$480.
30/F, iSquare, 63 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: +852 2487-3688.
