Throughout the evening, 400 of the industry’s finest mingled and tucked into a buffet of delights prepared by the hotel, including much-loved treats like Peking duck, egg waffles and tofu fa. The event served as a reminder about just how far Tatler Dining has come. Milestones highlighted on the night included the launch of the Tatler Cocktail Festival in 2022; the launch of Off Menu, a three-day festival of food, drink and entertainment, in 2019; and Dim Sum Duets, Tatler Dining’s first ticketed event for the public, which paired established masters of the Cantonese cuisine favourite with marquee Hong Kong chefs to explore the future of yum cha.

It was also an opportunity to look to the future of Tatler Dining and the exciting projects to come. Tatler’s chief experience officer Sean Fitzpatrick took to the stage to announce the brand’s  latest offering: “There is so much talent amongst you all, and it gives me great pleasure to announce that Tatler Dining will be expanding its awards programme with Tatler’s Best of Asia Awards, acknowledging the best talents in restaurants, bars and more, later this year.” With excitement in the air, Tatler’s senior dining editor Gavin Yeung and dining editor Fontaine Cheng, who emceed the evening, kicked off the highly anticipated award ceremony.

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Winners included Joris Rousseau of Feuille, who was presented with the Rising Star award, and also took home the award for Best New Restaurant; the Best Interior Design award went to Kaen Teppanyaki, the work of Dix Design + Architecture; Vicky and Polly Cheng and Charlene Dawes nabbed the Best Service award for Wing; a dapper Carlito Chiu was presented with the Best Sommelier award; Fabio Bardi, of Estro, won the Best Pastry Chef award; Syed Asim Hussain was awarded Restaurateur of the Year—to the loudest cheers of the evening, from his Black Sheep Restaurants team. Vicky Cheng also scored big with the Chef of the Year award, while the Andō team was presented with the Restaurant of the Year award.

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Andy Ho of The Chairman accepted the Impact Award on behalf of founder Danny Yip, who is recognised for championing Cantonese cuisine in creative and unexpected ways and elevating the standing of Hong Kong’s food culture on a global stage. Though Yip wasn’t able to attend the ceremony in person, he recorded a heartwarming video message for the audience. Full of smiles, he said, “I’ll be hosting a Zoom party with my team in Hong Kong and drink a lot of champagne tonight. It’ll be a big celebration!”

Sponsored by Hennessy, Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon and Minuty, the Tatler Dining Awards was a true reflection of why the dining community is now more united than ever. Until next year! 

The Tatler Dining Guide Hong Kong & Macau 2024 is now available online and at all good bookstores.