Taste of Hong Kong @ Central Harbourfront – 21 March, 2019

Taste of Hong Kong returns to the Central Harbourfront and what a pleasant surprise this year’s event is. Finally the Taste organisers seem to have looked beyond their own profit and provided an experience that visitors can savour.

The vibe is very relaxed, there were even chef’s smiling during the media preview rather than looking stressed and haggard as in past years as they raced to get their booths ready. There are more chairs!! And in a welcome nod to the environment drinking water stations mean you can refill your own bottle or glass.

This year’s selection of restaurants might not have ‘star’ status of previous editions but there’s a good variety plates to enjoy from: John Anthony; Jiangnan cuisine from Old Bailey; Nordic contemporary dining with Flying Elk; unfussy Greek at Artemis and ApolloHoi King Heen modern twists to Cantonese classics; Bia Hoi inspires Chôm Chôm; Middle Eastern plates at Francis; Sausage Commitment by Okra offers regional meats; modern Japanese at Haku; Italian pasta at Pici; Izakaya-styled Zuma and from Australia Gelato Messina.

Dishes start from $50 and each restaurant will offer four dishes including at least one Taste Exclusive and one limited edition ‘Icon Dish’.

There’s also The Singleton of Glen Ord experience ($598) with British chef Andrew Wong (A Wongs/ Khyms) which offers an hour long introduction to Singleton of Glen Ord single malt whisky and tastings of their 12, 14, 15, 18 year old offerings. These are paired with two dishes from Wong’s Michelin starred London restaurants. It’s an informative and tasty experience, although the whisky pours were not very generous, barely enough for one taste.

The middle of Taste features exhibitors and shops. Among the tastiest offerings were Japanese oysters ($40), sweet potatoes, craft beer, cider, champagne and for those who prefer tea with their food some nice hot and iced teas.

Taste runs from the 21-24 March and you can buy tickets at the door from $120.
Thursday 21st March 2019: 6-10pm
Friday 22nd March 2019: 12.30-4.30pm and 6-10pm
Saturday 23rd March 2019: 12.30-4.30pm and 6-10pm
Sunday 24th March 2019: 12.30-5.30pm

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Holi Festival @ Power Station Beach-Lamma 2019

The sixth Holi Colour Party was held at Power Station Beach, Lamma on the 17 March, 2019. Known as the ‘Festival of Colours’ Holi is a Hindu festival which celebrates the beginning of spring as well as the triumph of good over evil.

Where better to celebrate the triumph of good over evil than on a beach with friends old and new and good music. Even the sun agreed poking it’s head out from among the clouds for the afternoon.

It was a ‘bigly’ fun afternoon! Thanks to the organisers who made it all possible, and to everyone who came and picked up their rubbish to ensure that the beach was cleaner than when we arrived.
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Floating Companion

Florentijn Hofman’s giant yellow floating duck was the talk of the town in 2013, what will Hongkongers make of ‘Companion’ the 37-metre-long inflatable version of American street artist Kaws signature character which will float in the middle of Victoria Harbour later this month during Art Basel.

The 10-day waterborne installation starts on the 22 March and Hong Kong is the latest stop for the touring exhibition dubbed ‘Kaws:Holiday’. Companion will be anchored in the harbour by a metal base weighing 40 tons, with the project costing an insane HK$10 million.

Premiere Cinema to Open at Elements

Premiere Cinema will open at Elements on 1 March. Operated by Broadway Circuit the new cinema has 12 houses containing 1,600 seats, two of which are equipped with Dolby ATMOS 3D sound – one of which is main house, and the other is a small ‘VIP’ house.

The opening film selection and the cinema amenities have yet to be announced. Check the website for details www.cinema.com.hk

French-speaking Francophonie Festival

French-speaking communities across the world celebrate the richness and vibrancy of their cultures on the 20 March. International Francophonie Day, as it’s known, commemorates the grouping of French-speaking states by the Niamey Convention in 1970.

In recent years the Alliance Francais de Hong Kong has organised the Festival de la Francophonie which this year runs from 12 March to 3 April and features an eclectic selection of music, film, theatre, comedy and an opening lecture from Dany Laferrière.

A mini French-speaking Film Festival at the Fringe Club’s Upstairs Studio feature four films, entry is free with registration
19 March: Toujours Aventurier (Switzerland) – Screening with the alpinist J. Troillet
22 March: Petit Paysan (France) – Screening with the director
26 March: Les Rois Mongols (Canada)
29 March: Une Part d’Ombre (Belgium).

The free Mars en Folie concert at MOM Livehouse features the rock of Cherry Chérie (Canada), the electro-pop melodies of Suzane (France) and Stevans (Switzerland) and the ethnic rap of Témé Tan (Belgium).

The fourth Hong Kong French Theatre Festival features a play a day from 26-30 March at the Sheung Wan Civic Centre. Tickets are $300.

8pm, 26 March: Est-ce que j’ai une Gueule d’Arletty? (Do I have an Arletty Face?) by Eric Bu & Elodie Menant.

8pm, 27 March: Le Porteur d’Histoir (The Story Teller) by Alexis Michalik

8pm, 28 March: Signé Dumas (Signed Dumas) by Cyril Gély & Eric Rouquette

8pm, 29 March: La Cantatrice Chauve (The Bald Soprano) by Eugene Ionesco

5pm, 30 March: Tu Seras un Homme Papa by Gael Leiblang (at Bulle d’Art)

There’s also a workshop, lecture and more amidst this celebration of the French speaking world.

NB: All events are in French, some will have subtitles in English.

Year of the Pig Fair @ Southorn Playground – 2-4 February, 2019

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An assorted group of students and youth organisations hosted a friendly Lunar New Year carnival at Southorn Playground in Wanchai from the 2-4 February to celebrate the Year of the Pig.

There was a range of imaginatively named stall selling bovine themed goods including stuffed animals, hand decorated notebooks, imitation neon pig signs, balloons and a fun friendly atmosphere.
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Aliens from the Galactic Silk Road

The 3rd Asian Sci-Fi Festival Melon will be held at JW Marriott, Hong Kong on Saturday 23rd March 2019. The festival focuses on science fiction, innovation and the future… Leading science fiction writers, scientists, industry professionals and fans from across Asia, China and the west discuss what’s next in science fiction, entrepreneurship and the future.

Melon 2019 will feature aliens, the future of science fiction writing, filmmaking and gaming as well as exploring the latest scientific research, innovative technology such as AI development, space exploration and Mars terraforming.

Date: 8am, 23 March, 2019
Venue: JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong
Tickets: US$450, US$250 (advance)

Hong Kong Day

In late January 1841, during the Sino-British Trade War, the Royal Navy landed on an Island in the South China Coast. Later the territory’s first administrator, Charles Elliot, declared the island as a British territory and named it “Hong Kong”.

Hong Kong Day marks the establishment of Hong Kong on the 26th January, a day worthy of celebration!

Happy 178th Birthday Hong Kong

Image: Hong Kong from Kowloon – Thomas Allom