Every year the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival brings visitors from all across the globe to the little Asian powerhouse, and this year they have made it bigger than it ever was. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the event which is organised with the Hong Kong Tourism Board with China Construction Bank has been dubbed the largest wine and dine event in Asia brings more than 450 fine dining and wine specialists from all over to celebrate in one spot, accompanied by guest celebrities to match.
The Hong Kong and Wine and Dine Festival this year has brought not only street eats, but also limited-edition wines, but also a drone show to boast. The event is held at the Central Harbourfront Event Space and Tamar Park bringing some of the best hotel restaurants in Hong Kong and even imports such as seafood from Hokkaido.
“After years of concerted effort, the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival has evolved into one of Hong Kong’s signature events. We deeply appreciate the continued support from the government, our trade partners and members of the public. Celebrating the 10th edition of the event, we will turn it into a mega birthday party. Ten highlight features and new elements themed on “10th” birthday will be introduced to offer a new experience to locals and visitors. We will also take this opportunity to step up our promotion of Hong Kong’s wine and dine offerings in various source markets, and collaborate with our trade partners to attract visitors to participate in this extravaganza, as well as enriching visitors’ in-town experience. We are looking forward to celebrating the occasion with visitors and locals.” — Dr. Peter Lam, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
10 Michelin Starred Chefs At The Tasting Room
This year, the inaugural event presents The Tasting Room, in which 5 visiting celebrity chefs with an accumulated 8 Michelin stars will head the dining experience. The chefs include Chef Pierre Gagnaire of Pierre Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong; Asia’s 50 Best Female Chef Bee Satongun of Paste Bangkok, Thailand; Chef Lin Cheng Ching of The Guest House, Taiwan; Chef Kentaro Chen of Shisen Hanten, Singapore and Chef George Chen of Wujie, Shanghai. The chefs are further joined by 2 local Hong Kong chefs with Michelin stars of Man Wah and Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.
International Street Eats
The venue this year stretched from Central Harbourfront Event Space all the way to Tamar Park to fulfil the number of eateries and drinks offered. The new section at Tamar Park hosted more than before with the new International Street Eats, focusing on great street food from all around Hong Kong offering small eats food for the first time. These include the famous Jiu Wu Beef Noodles from Taiwan and delicacies from seven different regions.
Coffee Fiesta
The event this year has also created a whole section for coffee connoisseurs. Famous coffee joints from all over Hong Kong put up for offer some of their best such as Alice Wild Luscious. Local Hong Kong celebrity Moses Chan graced the audience with his Blooms Roastery & Craft Tea booth making some of the silkiest coffee and floral iced teas available. With his meticulous approach to beverage and his affable personality, it is understandable why he’s been crowned the Prince of Coffee in Hong Kong.
Gourmet Dining by Hotels In Hong Kong
The Royal Hotels Hong Kong Group had 3 booths at the event, with specialities from Royal Park Hotel, Royal Plaza Hotel and Royal View Hotel displaying their offerings respectively. This was one of the first booths shining in their bright yellow banner, and offering a number of delectable dishes. These are some of their offerings: –
Bird’s Nest Egg Tart & Lobster Egg Tart
The egg tars were extremely creamy, made even more luscious with the dollop of luxurious crystalline birds nest while the lobster egg tart was a sweet savoury delight.
Thick Cut Beef Tongue
This was probably the best dish served on that day which wasn’t seafood. Nice and salty, the thick cut beef tongue was both bouncy and melt on your mouth at the same time.
Foie Gras with Balsamic Vinegar
You can’t go wrong with foie gras, with its creamy texture made sweetened by the balsamic vinegar.
Crusted Roast Lamb
Herb crusted roast lamb which was still pink on the inside made a good walk around luxury snack.
Pork Knuckle and Crab Gratin
The pork knuckle cooked in a traditional Hong Kong style of garlic and chilli was fragrant, and made even more delicious dipped into the crab gratin.
Gourmet Seafood from Hokkaido
The seafood found at the event were outstanding to say the least. With an assortment of seafood flown in fresh from Hokkaido. Abalone sashimi, Hokkaido snow crabs, and Hokkaido hairy crabs were just a few of the dishes available.
Hokkaido Snow Crab
The snow crab meat was bright and fresh, and perfect eaten on its own or dipped in mirin-vinegar.
Hokkaido Hairy Crab
The hairy crab was in season with thick bouts of flesh and full of crab roe.
Hairy Crab Roe
The crab roe was rich and creamy, and went well served on toast. The freshness of the crab comes through with its briny sweetness.
Abalone Sashimi
The abalone sashimi was springy to the bite, and went well with the mirin-vinegar dip.
Limited Edition Fine Wines, Whiskeys And Craft Beers
For this occasion, there were a number of fine wines available as well as “Wine & Dine 10th Edition Specials” such as the “2009 vintage” commemorative series was also made available, dating back to the founding year of the Wine and Dine Festival, including selections from Robert Parker’s 100-Point red wines. In addition to a wide offering of vintage wines. Wines from Croatia, Burgundy and Russia were also made available for the first time.
2005 Chateau Pavie, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France
One of the better wines presented at the festival was the 2005 Chateau Pavie, which cost 10 tokens. To give a little bit of contrast, most wines cost anywhere from 1 to 5 tokens. This Bordeaux had notes of dark berry with a very long finish.
Rosé Revolution
The event also showcased some limited bottles of rosé, which were specially available for the anniversary by Rosé Revolution, the only rose vendor on location.
Nikka Whiskey
The event also showcased some famous whiskey brands including a plethora of Japanese Nikka whiskey, with many of their vintage Nikkas available for tasting.
Kunizakari Umeshu
Japanese plum wines were also available, with Kunizakari having one of the most balanced plum wines due to their fermentation process.
Shiso and Pear Wines
The shiso and pear wines were quite unique in flavour, the shiso with a peppery undertone and the pear with an intense sweetness, and is perfect for those looking for a sweet dessert wine.
Gwei Lo Craft Beer
The gwei lo pilsner had quite a hoppy intense fruity flavour, with the pale ale tasting more bitter on the tongue.
Happy 啤 Day Craft Beer
The 10th anniversary also introduced a specially made limited edition craft beer, the Happy 啤 Day (Happy “beer” day), a drink made from chocolate imperial stout, aged in bourbon and brandy barrels.
Jackson Wang, Hong Kong Tourism Envoy
Jackson Wang of GOT7 fame is Hong Kong’s Tourism Envoy this year. He graced the stage introducing some of his favourite foods in Hong Kong as well as giving us some tips on where to go and what to do. He spills the beans on some of the best things to eat, why they’re good, and what every traveller to Hong Kong must try.
For more information about our interview with Jackson Wang, see Jackson Wang’s Favourite Food In Hong Kong.
10th Anniversary Drone Performance
The night of the opening was celebrated with a spectacular drone light show which has been dubbed “Hong Kong’s first choreographic drone performance” by 100 drones over Victoria Harbour in honour of the 10th anniversary of the event. The light show involved a choreographed light show highlighting the number 10, glasses of champagne and a spectacular birthday cake.
| PHOTOGRAPHY BY: NICHOLAS NG, PANDA PHOON AND HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD |