Steak, Frites and Wines

It’s been a while since I returned to eat at AnOther Place, the speakeasy restaurant near Causeway Bay affiliated with Hip Cellar under the same roof, and where some of our wines were stored. The month of May saw another iteration of their operating model of this venture now in its 6th year, geared towards a simpler, more casual bisto-style menu for groups big and small. Of course, wines remained their focus, with the generous BYO policy allowing customers to enjoy their own wines freely with the dishes served. And I also like the view of the Hong Kong skyline on a nice day (and night) from the window of the cozy dining space. 

Memorable Wine (and Dine) Night

When our friend T and A were so kind to offer to share their prized bottle of Chateau Petrus with all of us, we turned this into an evening of even more bottles to match, with everyone contributed to this extraordinary wine flight. For a few previous occasions I have enjoyed the outstanding ambiance and food and wine service at my another friend Mr Y’s business venture Hip Cellar/AnOther Place, so this time I again booked one of the private rooms for a Saturday dinner to go with our wines.

The Visiting Gypsy Chef

It's no exaggeration when I said Another Place, the speakeasy-style restaurant located inside an industrial building in North Point, has one of the best views in town, and I have pictures as proof, taken in the evening before we had dinner there a few weeks ago.

Pre-opening Dinner

My friend E has been working on this new restaurant concept for a while at the site under the same roof as his wine cellar venture. It's good to see that the project is near completion and last weekend, we were there to give it a try.

Cater for a Wine Gathering

I found it challenging enough to host a dinner for 4 at home on a Friday evening, and yet the week after, I doubled the challenge to help catering food for a fund-raising event for 70 people.

My good friend Mr Y owned this marvelous wine cellar/lounge facility in a harbor-side building near Tin Hau called Hip Cellar so I asked him whether he could lend us the venue for a charity event to raise funds for our church's growth project. We thought it would be great from a social gathering and fund-raising perspectives, entertaining a cozy crowd with people from church and friends. Once we were confirmed the date of the first Friday of August, we began to plan for the event.

Hospice de Beaune Wine Dinner

A couple of weeks ago we were at the table for Hospice de Beaune wine dinner co-organized by Hip Cellar, owned by one of our friends EY. Other than the state-of-the-art wine storage facilities and event space at this industry building location in Tin Hau (I wasn't paid to say this, just to make it clear), under the same roof is Ta Pantry, a speakeasy/private kitchen by Chef Esther, where the wine dinner was held.

I have been to Ta Pantry a couple of times this year already (the thoughts after the first visit are here), and quite impressed with the innovative cooking style and its food, so I don't mind coming for a third time, especially the menu and the wines for the evening sound very enticing.

Hitting the Right Tone - The New Ta Pantry

We got a table reservation at the model-turned-chef Esther Sham's new Ta Pantry restaurant a week ahead of its official opening in late April. I didn't have a chance to try her food at the original location on Wanchai's Star Street before it was closed, but based on what I heard from friends and fellow food bloggers, I am quite eager to see and taste what her creative fusion menu has to offer.