Cover The reimagined Duddell’s: André Fu’s refined interiors meet a new era of Cantonese classics, dim sum and cocktails
The reimagined Duddell’s: André Fu’s refined interiors meet a new era of Cantonese classics, dim sum and cocktails
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Duddell’s returns with André Fu’s new interiors, refined classic dishes, an all-day Upper Room concept and a cocktail programme inspired by the Ba Gua
There’s something quietly audacious about a restaurant reinventing itself after twelve years on the stage. In Hong Kong, where dining rooms open, vanish and reappear with dizzying speed, Duddell’s has been a rare constant: a high-end Cantonese destination that doubled as a salon for art, cocktails, brunch and cultural conversation. But constants, as any collector knows, risk becoming background. And so, Duddell’s has emerged from renovation more grown-up, more assured, with André Fu’s interiors and a cuisine that sharpens heritage into the present. Downstairs refines Cantonese classics; upstairs, the Upper Room offers dim sum and cocktails, with the terrace usable rain or shine.
Above The Upper Room at Duddell’s: a vibrant new space for dim sum, cocktails and brunch
Above The new dining room with pistachio greens, mineral blues and stained-glass flourishes
The Upper Room at Duddell’s: a vibrant new space for dim sum, cocktails and brunch
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The renovation is by André Fu, whose fingerprints are all over Hong Kong’s most refined spaces. His new vision for Duddell’s is painterly and nostalgic, with pistachio greens, mineral blues and buttery yellows brushing against terrazzo and oak. Stained glass panels wink with Lingnan watchtower echoes; the whole space feels like a collector’s dream: cultured, layered, faintly eccentric. It’s a room that draws you closer to look at the textures and details.
Above Designed by André Fu, the dining room reflects a cultured maison where heritage and modernity meet
Designed by André Fu, the dining room reflects a cultured maison where heritage and modernity meet
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Downstairs: sharpened classic Cantonese cuisine
Above Fresh lily bulb with okra is a light, delicate, and elegantly understated appetiser
Above Traditional handmade crispy glutinous rice chicken, a Cantonese classic reimagined
Fresh lily bulb with okra is a light, delicate, and elegantly understated appetiser
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The cooking under chef Chan Yau-leung is at its most poised now. Duddell’s has always leaned on heritage, but this new chapter reads like a palate refreshed.
A crab cake, golden-edged, comes crowned with bird’s nest and layered with silken egg white: a familiar banquet idea elevated into a study in texture. A dish of sweet and sour pork, so often maligned, reappears here with “first cut” meat. Crisp, juicy and clear-flavoured, showing what happens when technique meets restraint, and the signature fried chicken, marinated, air-dried and fried (while hanging) until the skin crackles like glass, remains an emblem of patience and technique. Meanwhile, richness deepens with a claypot of Wuchang rice, braised with abalone, fish maw and conpoy until each grain gleams with umami.
Chan has sharpened the classics, sanding down the excess and letting craftsmanship do the talking.
Above Sweet and sour crispy premium cut pork, a refined take on the Cantonese classic, using only the prized first cut for the perfect balance of crunch and flavour
Sweet and sour crispy premium cut pork, a refined take on the Cantonese classic, using only the prized first cut for the perfect balance of crunch and flavour
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Upstairs: all-day dim sum and considered cocktails
Above The staircase at Duddell’s, now illuminated by a striking new light installation
The staircase at Duddell’s, now illuminated by a striking new light installation
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Climb the stairs, and Duddell’s changes tempo. The Upper Room has been given a clear identity. Think dim sum and cocktails all day, plates designed for grazing, and a terrace you can enjoy without checking the weather forecast.
The cocktail list, designed by Mario Calderone, is built around the Ba Gua, the feng shui map of energies. Spirits are laced with osmanthus, ginseng, and even baijiu, folded into elegant serves. And then, of course, there is brunch: this is Hong Kong, after all. But Duddell’s has the space, the terrace and the champagne, which runs alongside dim sum and claypot comforts.
Above Earth, a bittersweet harmony of baijiu, Aperol, pineapple and osmanthus honey
Above Lake, a light blend of jasmine vodka, elderflower, peach and bergamot mist
Earth, a bittersweet harmony of baijiu, Aperol, pineapple and osmanthus honey
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With Fu’s interiors weaving Hong Kong’s cultural past into the present, a cocktail list that treats drinking as intention rather than habit, and a new dual-floor rhythm, Duddell’s has found a way to make its second decade feel more assured than its first. Not reinvention, but refinement, and that may be the most modern move of all.
Above The new bar at Duddell’s, where cocktails by Mario Calderone draw on the Ba Gua to balance flavour with intention
Above The Upper Room terrace at Duddell’s, now designed for year-round enjoyment, rain or shine
The new bar at Duddell’s, where cocktails by Mario Calderone draw on the Ba Gua to balance flavour with intention
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A storyteller by day and a first-class food devourer by night, Fontaine is the Regional Dining Editor at Tatler Asia, overseeing dining content across all regions and shaping the brand’s editorial voice on food, chefs and culinary culture.
She is also Content Lead for Tatler Best and Co-jury Head for Tatler Best Hong Kong and Macau, guiding the awards’ editorial direction and evaluation process. With over a decade in the lifestyle and media industry spanning London and Hong Kong, she brings a cross-regional perspective to the table.
Follow her on Instagram at @fontimes.
