IWAN^ BAAN(BOTTOM)SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONRevel in a three-day music festival that’s been
described as Asia’s answer to Glastonbury.
Since its humble beginnings in 2008, Clockenflap (clockenflap.com) has
grown to become not just Hong Kong’s marquee music event of the year,
but also a mainstay on the Asian festival circuit. What makes Clockenflap particularly
appealing is its consistent balance of established international artists and up-and-coming
acts, ensuring that there’s always space for emerging talent from the wider Asia-Pacific
region. Last year’s event was headlined by New York indie band Interpol, and also featured
Taiwanese singer-songwriter Anpu (a.k.a. Deserts Chang), Rock and Britpop legend Jarvis
Cocker, as well as American R&B sensation Khalid. The lineup for the 2019 edition has not
yet been revealed, though Clockenflap is set to take place on November 22–24.This ambitious
heritage conversion
project has breathed
new life into a cluster
of colonial buildings.
Once the preserve of criminals, police officers,
and magistrates, Tai Kwun – Centre for
Heritage and Arts (taikwun.hk) opened last
year following an extensive restoration done
in step with a makeover by Swiss architects
Herzog and de Meuron. Initial plans for an
observation tower nodding to the city’s
continued use of bamboo scaffolding were
scaled back to create the simple, respectful
volumes of the JC Cube and JC Contemporary
art galleries, both clad in perforated aluminum
facades inspired by the brickwork of their older
neighbors. Visitors can tour the former jail, take
stock of changing exhibitions, and kick back in
the drinking and dining venues that flank the
parade ground—an impressive courtyard with
a towering mango tree planted by Sikh and
Punjabi policemen brought over from India.Cantonese cuisine is being reimagined as
never before.
One-Michelin-starred Duddell’s (duddells.co) puts a modern
spin on dim sum with pan-fried wagyu buns and foie gras
dumplings; meals are just as indulgent at the Four Seasons hotel’s Lung King
Heen (fourseasons.com), a venue that has maintained its three-Michelin-star
rating for the past decade. Don’t miss the baked whole abalone puffs and spring
rolls with sea bass and coconut curry sauce. A 10-minute walk away, Dragon
Noodles Academy (dragon-noodles.com) offers wonton noodles in lobster
soup, as well as ginger poached chicken that has been deboned, rolled, and
cooked sous-vide. Meanwhile, acclaimed chef May Chow pays tribute to Hong
Kong’s beloved cha chaan teng, or neighborhood diners, at Happy Paradise
(happyparadise.hk). Her playful takes on local favorites include sourdough egg
waffles and char siu rice bowls using roasted Ibérico pork. One of the newest
arrivals to the scene is John Anthony (johnanthony.hk), whose inventive bites
range from black-truffle siu mai to mixed vegetable and beetroot dumplings.6
5
7
An eclectic
lunchtime spread
at John Anthony.