Hong Kong: The Mandarin Oriental
You'll find everything from tandoori-baked butter chicken to foie gras cotton candy and alcoholic gummy bears at the original Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong.
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Credit: Courtesy Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Mandarin Oriental
5 Connaught Road West 33139 Central, Hong Kong 852/2522-0111 mandarinoriental.com/hongkongDon't Miss
Old-fashioned shaves from the Mandarin Barber
Panoramic view of Hong Kong's skyline at the M Bar on the 25th floor
In the lobby, shoe-shining services offered by London-based shoe designer John Lobb
Amazing cake showpieces at the Café Causette Cake Shop
Amenities
- Spa
- 24-hour fitness center with a 2-lane swimming pool
- Mandarin Salon
- Mandarin Barber
- Complimentary Wi-fi
- LCD TV
- Audio system
- In-room Nespresso machine
- Hermès toiletries
The unassuming building by the Hong Kong waterfront, dwarfed by surrounding skyscrapers, is where all of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group—now consisting of 44 properties around the world—began. Back when it was first built in 1963, it was simply called "The Mandarin", a name my parents still use when referring to the hotel today. Since then, the property's 501 rooms and suites have become a favorite destination for visitors to Hong Kong, attracting guests such as Vivienne Tam, I.M. Pei, Jerry Hall, and Liam Neeson. As the doormen pull open the glass doors of the entrance, a first glimpse inside may be underwhelming: simple black counters, tiled floors worn to a warm sheen, and a raised foyer populated by some mismatched sofas. There is none of the chateau-like extravagance of many historic hotels. Instead, there's a soft elegance, which feels to me like a person who has accrued respect and confidence with age. One floor up on the mezzanine level, there's a jeweler, a tailor, and a clothing boutique— all shops and services that were a mainstay of grand hotels in the past. Rooms are beautiful and spacious; the beds are a dreamy heap of duck-feather duvets and pillows; there are silk kimonos as well as terrycloth robes for lounging in. Everything here is stylish and charming, and holds its own, but nothing is flaunted.
Nothing, that is, excepting the restaurants: In recent years, the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong has become a standout dining destination, one that's become a draw for locals like myself as well as hotel guests. Over at the international Clipper Lounge restaurant, there's a buffet stocked with fresh seafood (I'm a particular fan of the sashimi assortment and huge lobster tails). At the casual pan-Asian Café Causette, I always order Hainan chicken rice, a famous Singaporean dish of tender poached chicken cooked in chicken broth, then seasoned with pungent scallion–ginger sauce, soy sauce, and hot chiles. I'm also a fan of the Captain's Bar, which serves an old colonial recipe for chicken tikka makni, or butter chicken, tandoori-baked chicken swimming in a sauce of butter and tomato seasoned with cumin, cloves, and garlic and served with naan. On the fancier side of things, there's Restaurant Pierre, from the famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire, as well as Man Wah, a Cantonese fine dining restaurant. But the crown jewel of the hotel is undoubtedly the Krug Room. Helmed by El Bulli-trained chef Uwe Opocensky, the "restaurant" is actually a 12-seat private room located inside the kitchen of the Mandarin Bar + Grill, where the elaborate tasting menus include molecular musings like foie gras cotton candy and alcoholic gummy bears. —Amy Ma
IN THE AREA
- Nosh at the International Finance Center (IFC): IFC is one of Hong Kong's most formidable "integrated developments", which simply means that it is a combination of different buildings. In this case, IFC consists of IFC Mall as well as two office towers, and offers direct entrance to the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong as well as Airport Express, the city's high-speed train to the airport. Within the mall, you'll find a plethora restaurants such as the notable Cantonese restaurant Cuisine Cuisine on the fine-dining end and well-known hand-pulled noodle restaurant Crystal Jade on the more affordable side. For desserts, save room for the creations of French chocolate master Jean Paul Hevin, who has a small shop, or book afternoon tea service at fashion house Agnès b's French brasserie, le pain grillé. Also take a walk through Citysuper, an upscale super market with an amazing selection of imported French and Japanese food products. 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong; tel: 852/3196-8228; ifc.com.hk
- Get a taste of the nightlife at Lan Kwai Fong: As the sun sets, the streets are filled with crowds that spill over from the line of bars, pubs, and clubs packed into this small strip. Walk up the side streets Wellington Street and Lyndhurst Terrace for more night-out options. You'll find touristy hangouts like Hong Kong Brew House and The Keg to more charming wine and cheese bars Tastings to model-filled nightclub Dragon Eye. For dinner before a night out, try waiting it out on the queue in front of Butao Ramen. This small Japanese ramen shop, which used to limit their bowls of noodles to just 200 servings a day, is famous for their soup base, which uses some 30 kilograms of pork to slowly render a deep and complex flavor. G/F Wo On Building, 8-13 On Lane Street, Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong; tel: 852/2430-0600; lankwaifong.com
- Take the world's longest escalator to the restaurants of Soho: At 800 meters in length, the Midlevels Escalator up the hills of Soho (a neighborhood whose moniker stands for "south of Hollywood Road") is the longest escalator in the world and carries tens of thousands of passengers daily. From 6am to 10am, the escalator goes downhill, and from 10:15am to 12am, the elevator goes uphill. At the top, not only will you find some of Hong Kong's most famous art galleries, but also wet markets and daipaidongs (or small hawker stalls). Soho also houses some of the city's most lauded Private Kitchens, a group of small restaurants that usually only serve two seatings a night. It's easy to miss the entrance to Sichuan private kitchen Da Ping Huo, which is located on the slopes of a narrow alley with no noticeable sign on the door. Here, the owner's wife not only cooks the meals—12 courses of increasing numbing spiciness—she also gives a short Chinese opera song performance at the end of the meal. L/G Hilltop Plaza, 49 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong, tel: 852/2559-1317
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