The Hotel Nikko isn't exactly at the top of everyone's list of favourite hotels -- I can't even remember the last time I went -- but if there's anything that can convince a gal to trek across a harbour, it's chocolate. And when you throw a bit of booze into the mix, it usually only increases that powerful, body-of-water-crossing aphrodisiac. Just make sure you have a ride home. (We blog like no one lives in Kowloon. That is the sad and sheltered life we lead. Sorry Kowloonies, we know you are regular people too, just "location-impaired.")


First off, speaking of location, the perks of going to Kowloon include the fact that you get to look at Hong Kong island. So the Sky Lounge at Hotel Nikko, with its harbourside spot, is an apt place to sip fancy cocktails as you watch the sun set and transition from day to glittering night.

The new roster of choco-cocktails kick off with the Chocolateini, a mix of vodka, crème de white cacao and dry vermouth.

There's the Choco Dance, which combines vodka, crème de dark cacao, crème de banana, fresh milk and banana.

The rosy-hued Sweet Cocoa throws together vodka, crème de white cacao, fresh milk and raspberry purée.

And the final in the quartet, the sinful Melting Kiss is made up of crème de white cacao, Bailey’s Irish cream, green peppermint liqueur and fresh milk
Full info on Hotel Nikko here.

If you can't break a shopping embargo... divert your cash instead to branded tea sets, like this Chloe-inspired afternoon tea at MO Bar at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. The meal is created by the famed chef Richard Ekkebus (who calls me "Princess," teehee, I think because he doesn't remember my name) based on flavours and scents in the Chloe fragrance, which include lychee, honey, rose, pink peony, freesia, magnolia and lily of the valley. Scones, pastries, finger sandwiches and pastries are all on the menu, as well as a cupcake buffet, which is sure to slay me, the cupcake whore. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit, I am a cupcake whore -- I will have dirty sex with you in exchange for cupcakes (for red velvet ones, I'll do gosh-darned unspeakable acts). But not finger sandwiches, because they sound like sandwiches filled with fingers, and creep me out.

Alright, it's been a long week. Back to reality and the thesis of this post, the Chloe tea set. It being a tea set, it also comes with... wait for it... tea. Or coffee. And a special Chloe gift set, which I'm sensing will include a trial-sized Chloe fragrance. The set is priced at $190 or $360 for two, and is available between 3-530pm daily until the end of September. For reservations, please call MO Bar on + 852 2132 0077.

Last week the lovely Jeff took me to Nanhai No. 1 at the top of Tsimshatsui's i-Square mall. Normally our "press lunches" devolve into a session of gossip and girl talk, sometimes at the expense of the food enjoyment, but luckily for this Chinese seafood restaurant, its excellent nosh made enough noise that it couldn't be ignored.

Nanhai No. 1 is undoubtedly going to explode as a tourist destination thanks to its fantastic views through ceiling-to-floor windows, and it's literally down the street from Aqua so shares almost the same stunning perspective, except that it also looks directly into The Peninsula's Felix. And, because the restaurant takes on a nautical theme, there are token-operated binoculars that may or may not allow you to look into Felix's legendary men's bathroom...




Gimmicks aside, Nanhai does really good Chinese food with a focus on animals of a marine persuasion, many of which are displayed through a glass window where the chefs work. Standout dishes include the crispy shredded yam (HK$38), a started that combines a crunchy texture with a lingering sweet tanginess that's quite unique; and the crispy and steamed rice served in lobster consomme ($128, serves four), a must-try. They fry crispy rice and pour it into the heated soup-rice mixture table-side, so you get to watch the sizzle, crackle and pop before you taste the pretty divine combination of rice textures drenched in that heavy, sexy consomme.

In the same venue but to the side, there's Eye Bar, the restaurant's cocktail area, which also encompasses a balcony that would have the potential to become the Sevva of TST, if only it were a bit bigger.


There are also a handful of private booths for small parties, which is nice, as well as round booths a la Wasabisabi.



And upstairs, for the really fancy, is the sister restaurant Guo Fu Lou, which is operated by a restaurant manager and chef who both worked at Fook Lam Moon for over a quarter of a century, each. It's much deeper and more muted and serious than its lower-level compatriot, with only a handful of tables but a dedicated wine cellar and nine private rooms with minimum charges of I think $8,000 (which really, is nothing for the typical Fook Lam Moon crowd). Guo Fu Luo is so cocky, they're not allowing press in to do shootings or tastings, which is really the way to go to establish a name -- good or bad. But my curiosity is certainly piqued. I'd go try it on my own dime, if I weren't still dreaming about that crispy rice soup...

Check out the rest of the food shots below.

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!

What's that I spy? A tear in the corner of your eye? Could you be mourning the final days of smoking in bars?

As much as we all know that smoking is bad for you, it still seems like the end of an era today, the last day that you can legally smoke in restaurants and bars in Hong Kong. Most everyone is guilty of spewing smoke from their lips after a couple of cocktails nowadays, and it will be eerie to enter a club that smells of, well, probably sweat, instead of smoke. (Which is the lesser of two evils, I'm not sure).

So I for one support the Mandarin Oriental's final homage to smokers, with smoky concoctions that recall the old days, when people still thought it was "cool" to smoke; when Marlboro man riding through the canyons was an image of romance, not revulsion; when Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke, as their Reality Bites alter-egos, chainsucked cancer sticks with abandon and were still considered role models.

Anyway, those days are gone, and in a handful of hours, so will be your chance to spew smoke without consequence. But for one final moment, be naughty, and consider these cocktails, as well as some canapes.

Cocktails:


"The Smoky Martini" - a twist on a classic theme comprising vodka and Islay whisky. Innovative presentation features a stem-less martini glass delicately balanced inside another glass filled with dry ice “smoke”. The whisky in the martini is known for its smoky, peaty flavour with notes of iodine, seaweed and salt.

“Cigar and Cigarette” – two different cocktails served together in tubes designed to resemble their namesake: “Cigar” is a liquid sensation composed of chilled chocolate liqueur and cream, while “Cigarette” is a tropical blend of rum, mango, coconut liqueur and coconut cream.

Canapes:

Light – styled in the shape of a cigarette; made of grissini stick and smoke-infused chocolate.

Havana – a chocolate confection crafted to resemble a cigar; made of chocolate truffle lightly flavoured with a blend of Havana tobacco.

Patch – inspired by a nicotine patch, “Patch” is a clear film served in a plastic dispenser that dissolves in the mouth releasing the subtle flavours of smoked bacon.

All are available at both M Bar and Captain's Bar at the Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road, Central, GPO Box 2623, Hong Kong. Tel: 852 2522 0111.

Always loved the whole pin-up girl thing so was kind of excited when one of our regular readers suggested a post about Varga Lounge, which is a new bar/lounge/hideout in Soho inspired by the Vargas-girl era. The sharp hues and kitschy decor make me want to kit my house out in tawdry nude silhouettes... The lamp is just about the most adorable thing you could put on a side table and what can I say about the mobile? It's a mobile, for crying out loud, an object whose purpose is to entertain crib-bound babies, and it features naughty and gymnastically fantastic cut-outs of some very buxom babes! Too fab.