The Pawn To Close For Renovation, Reopening As A Contemporary Chinese Restaurant By End Of The Year

Words by Gavin Yeung

September 02, 2021

Cover Scandi-chic reigns at The Pawn (Photo: Handout)

The 13-year-old restaurant's curtain call is due to take place on September 13

Since 1888, the Woo Cheong Pawn Shop has stood fast through the ages as the city expanded and morphed around it. No stranger to change itself, the Grade II listed historic building is set to undergo yet another transformation as The Pawn—the Classified Group-operated Scandinavian lounge and restaurant that takes up three floors of the structure—has announced its closure, renovation, and rebirth in Q4 of this year as a contemporary Chinese restaurant and bar.

First opened in 2008 and renovated in 2014, The Pawn will be ending its tenure as a modern European concept on September 13. In the days leading up to the closure, the second-floor restaurant will serve crowd favourites in special menus prepared for the occasion. The limited four-course lunch set features a selection of starters, pasta, mains, and desserts to choose from, while a-la-carte classics like linguine gamberoni and grilled USDA Prime striploin share space with new dishes like creamy spinach cannelloni and a soy milk mousse dessert.

Above The Woo Cheong Pawn Shop building (Photo: The Pawn)

At dinnertime, the chef's tasting menu (HK$720) includes seasonal specialties like burrata cheese with cherry tomatoes and arugula, red prawn linguine aglio e olio, Earl Grey-infused local yellow chicken breast, and a dessert of classic tiramisu. A four-glass wine pairing is available to add on for HK$280.

Finally, the first-floor bar and lounge will be offering a secret menu on rotation until closure, with cocktails provided at a special price. On the last weekend (September 9-12 September), the bar will ring in the end of an era with half off selected drinks when guests order a bar snack.

Head on over in the coming week to say your goodbyes to The Pawn, as well as to pay homage to the enduring timelessness that is the Woo Cheong Pawn Shop—and in the meantime, stay tuned for news in the coming months of the contemporary Chinese restaurant that is set to take over the space.