Looking forward to checking out Hullett House which is now officially open (although getting my lazy ass over to TST is going to be the biggest hurdle). History class was a nightmare for me, after having my high school history teacher wrote that I responded to questions "like a deer in headlights", on my report card. The parents were not happy. I am, however, on board with learning about the past of our culture via food and hospitality. I wrote about the opening in a post back here, but now we have full details on the various citizens that will populate the building.

First up, there are 13 unique suites, totalling 800-1100 ft in size, each. Every room follows a different theme in China's past, from Imperial China (red lacquer galore) to 1930s Shanghai (jazzy and moody). Then there are five restaurant-bars, including:

- The Parlour, for ye olde English afternoon tea by day, lounge by night.
- Loong Toh Heen, for Chinese.
- Stables Grill, for casual tapas and grilled food.
- St George, for western fine-dining done by Philippe Oricco, protege of Pierre Gagnaire.
- And finally Mariner's Rest, serving up cold beers and British gastropub fare, paying homage to the seamen who once populated the address decades before (and you can even grab a drink in what used to be the jail cells).




The whole affair is helmed by Aqua group, so you are guaranteed flashy interiors (the pictures say it all) with fairly decent food. I'm travelling again next week but I'll hopefully get a chance to test-drive on return.

Hullett House is at 2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, tel: 852 3988 0000.

I’m not a big hype-buyer, so while everyone else is heralding the transformation of the Canton Road Marine Police station into luxury hotspot Heritage 1881, I’m standing at the doorway refusing to step foot inside, scoffing at all the watch brands and high jewelers attempting to make a buck in a receding market. I’m also fond of ridiculing this futile method of “conserving” Hong Kong history, as if retaining certain structural elements while completely commercializing the area and eradicating its former purpose can really be called conservation.

But that rant cut short (believe me, there’s more), one thing I am excited about is the soon to be opened Hullett House, a hotel-restaurant mecca that, I’ve heard, will boast a room-to-restaurant ratio of 2:1. That’s right, kids: five restaurants/bars, 10 rooms. It’s the brainchild of Aqua group’s founder, which means that the food will be at least halfway decent, and the interiors are guaranteed to be pretty sick. Hullett House’s own exterior, meanwhile, will follow the theme of “stunning heritage architecture,” which I suppose means that it will look all old and colonial, but will actually be shiny and new. Actually, it looks kind of like the big building in Stanley. No matter. I’ll be inside eating anyway. More details to come as they are revealed!