Category: February
Taste of Hong Kong 2017
The Taste of Hong Kong returns for a second year to Central Harbourfront from 16 to 19 March. This year’s festival features an increased number of Hong Kong’s top restaurants, confirmed so far are Amber, Arcane (Sunday only), Cafe Grey Deluxe, Chino, Duddell’s, Kaum at Potato Head (Thursday & Friday only), Mercato, Okra (Saturday only), Rhoda, Tin Lung Heen, Tosca, Yardbird and Zuma with perhaps three more to come. Each restaurant will serve four taster portion sized plates: three standard items at prices $50-$200 and one iconic dish that could cost anything…
So what is Taste? The concept is that you can sample taster size portions of dishes from restaurants that you might never visit and create a meal from a range of cuisines. It is a interesting idea, sort of like changing restaurants between each course of a meal – and organisers IMG have turned it into a very profitable global concept.
bc was underwhelmed by last year’s event, not by the concept but by the execution – read the report here. We do love food though, so we spoke to IMG about how they’re looking to ‘improve the experience’ this year.
As HongKongers we’re accustomed to queuing but IMG have said they’ll be working with the participating chefs and restaurants to improve the service efficiency. Increase the information about which dishes are still available, including having far more of the icon dishes per session. As well as having drinks carts serving people in the queues.
There is to be more seating, covered and uncovered. A wider range of entertainment and more artisan shops to purchase food and drink from. Plus an expanded range of talks about food and wine.
The invited chefs look to have a better understanding of the concept and several of the icon dishes show they’re looking to offer something unique at Taste.
IMG appear to have addressed a lot of the frustrations that dampened enjoyment last year with some more improvements yet to announced but it all sounds promising for a tasty event in March.
Taste of Hong Kong
Date: 16-19 March, 2017
Venue: Central Harbourfront
Tickets: $678, $198, $168 from Ticketflap
Hong Kong Take On The Netherlands
A year after it was supposed to happen Hong Kong finally set to play their maiden international first class match at home – after the total washout of the 4-day match against Scotland last January – and Captain Babar Hayat is confident in getting a result against The Netherlands.
Sunny skies are forecast and Hayat is looking for his team to continue where they left off at the recent Desert T20 tournament in Dubai when Hong Kong hammered The Netherlands.
“It was good to get a win against them in Dubai and that gives us confidence but this is a different format of the game that they have more experience in so it will be a hard match,” Hayat said.
“But in home conditions this will favour us as most of their players will have never been here before. Our record at home has been really good and we want to keep that going in the I-Cup as well.”
Hong Kong currently sit fifth on the Intercontinental Cup table but a win could see HK leapfrog The Netherlands into third position. Hong Kong’s remaining fixtures in the I-Cup will be Afghanistan at home in October and PNG in Dubai to finish the competition.
Coach Simon Cook says the team are well prepared, “Finishing in the top half of this league was the aim but top four or top three is definitely within our scope. That will be a very, very good achievement as there’s no history of longer form fixtures in Hong Kong,” Cook said.
“They are a very good side. They’ve shown that in previous world cup qualifiers – their side has a lot of experienced players with also some young players they’ve brought as well. It’s their off-season so our advantage is we have been playing cricket for the last five months and they haven’t, so they may be a bit short of match practice.”
Play commences daily at 9.30am at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground and entry is free for all four days.
The I-Cup squad features two new names, with Matt Stiller and Under-19s captain Jhatha Subramanyan in line for a potential debut out of the 14-man squad named.
Hong Kong Squad
ICC I-Cup v Netherlands (10-13 February)
1. Tanwir Afzal (Pakistan Assoc.), 2. Nadeem Ahmed (DLSWCC), 3. Christopher Carter (KCC), 4. Waqas Khan (DLSWCC), 5. Tanveer Ahmed (KCC), 6. Babar Hayat (DLSWCC), 7. Aizaz Khan (KCC), 8. Ehsan Khan (DLSWCC), 9. Nizakat Khan (HKCC), 10. Ehsan Nawaz (KCC), 11. Anshuman Rath (HKCC), 12. Ninad Shah (KCC), 13. Matt Stiller (KCC), 14. Jhatha Subramanyan (HKCC)
ICC WCLC v Netherlands (16 & 18 February)
1. Tanwir Afzal (Pakistan Assoc), 2. Nadeem Ahmed (DLSWCC), 3. Tanveer Ahmed (KCC), 4. James Atkinson (KCC), 5. Christopher Carter (KCC), 6. Mark Chapman (HKCC), 7. Ehsan Nawaz (KCC), 8. Babar Hayat (DLSWCC), 9. Aizaz Khan (KCC), 10. Ehsan Khan (DLSWCC), 11. Nizakat Khan (HKCC), 12. Waqas Khan (DLSWCC), 13. Anshuman Rath (HKCC), 14. Shahid Wasif (DLSWCC)
Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket, Peter Della Penna
Women’s Rugby Results – 4 February, 2017
Premiership
USRC Tigers 0-20 Gai Wu Falcons
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 16:30
Valley Black 20-0 HKFC Ice
@ Happy Valley, Kick-off: 16:30
Kowloon 15-20 City Sparkle
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00
National League 1
Tai Po Dragons 22-5 HK Scottish
@ Tai Hang Tung, Kick-off: 16:30
National League 2
CWB Lammergeier 38-0 Gai Wu Hawks
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 16:30
HKFC Fire v Tai Po Dragons
@ HK Football Club, Kick-off: 18:00
Photo: courtesy of Gozar Images
Soccer Sevens Return in May
The HKFC Soccer Sevens turn 18 this year, with Tournament Director Chris Plowman announcing an expanded main event line-up of top leagues sending teams looking to dethrone 2016 winners Aston Villa.
“I can tell you now,” said Plowman “that we will be seeing representation from three of Europe’s top leagues: Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga as well as our regular visitors from the Premier League and Scotland’s Premier League, plus teams from the K-League in South Korea, the J.League in Japan, Australia’s A-League, Singapore and, of course, Hong Kong.”
The Masters tournament which runs alongside the main event and features many legends of the past will again see a team from the legendary Wallsend Boys Club. Founded in 1904 just outside Newcastle the Boys Club has been the footballing birthplace for a long line of players including Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Michael Carrick and Tony Sealy.
Wallsend are setting up a local branch. “We are looking to establish exactly what we have on Tyneside in Hong Kong and give underprivileged children the chance to play football and get them into leagues. We will supply strips from the UK and give them all the backing that we can,” said Wallsend Boys Club chairman Steve Dale.
HKFC Soccer Sevens
Date: 26-28 may, 2017
Venue: HK Football Club
Tickets: tbc
Women’s Rugby Fixtures – 4 February, 2017
Checkmate Pizza Grand Opening @ Hung Hom – 2 February, 2017
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Checkmate-Pizza-Grand-Opening-Hung-Hom-2-February-2017/i-ZvB89Gw
Checkmate Pizza celebrated the opening of it’s second restaurant in Hung Hom with free pizza and beer! Size matters in pizza parlours and Checkmate offers 30 inches of tasty delight.
Click here or on any photo for the full gallery of images.
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Checkmate-Pizza-Grand-Opening-Hung-Hom-2-February-2017/i-3QSsFxF
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Checkmate-Pizza-Grand-Opening-Hung-Hom-2-February-2017/i-Tz4M7rn
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Checkmate-Pizza-Grand-Opening-Hung-Hom-2-February-2017/i-xdjWJHn
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Checkmate-Pizza-Grand-Opening-Hung-Hom-2-February-2017/i-QWsX9Br
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Checkmate-Pizza-Grand-Opening-Hung-Hom-2-February-2017/i-kKRt6tM
Women’s Rugby Results – 27 February, 2016
Grand Championship
Gai Wu Falcons 76-0 Kowloon
@ Happy Valley, Kick-off: 16:30
HKFC Ice 27-12 CWB Phoenix
@ HK Football Club, Kick-off: 18:00
USRC Tigers 62-0 Tai Po Dragons
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 19:30
National 15s
Gai Wu Fawkes v Revolution SRC
@ Happy Valley, Kick off: 18:00
USRC Tigers 7-19 City
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 16:30
Tai Po Dragons 3-0 Police
@ King’s Park, Kick-off: 18:00
HKCC 38-10 HK Scottish
@ Aberdeen, Kick-off: 18:00
10s Grand Championship
Revolution SRC v DB Pirates
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 16:30
CWB Pink v University
@ So Kon Po, Kick-off: 17:15
City 54-10 HK Scottish
@ Shek Kip Mei, Kick-off: 18:00
