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DiningCity presents CHILL EATS, part of Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival 2022

  • Written by The Express

From 1 November to 30 November 2022, the programme offers the diners a memorable journey within four pillars that trace the trends of the city’s dining scene, offering over 200 restaurants with selected menus up to 30% off.


The four trend pillars of CHILL EATS
Exploring new trends, discovering the vibrancy and dynamism of Hong Kong’s dining scene

Through four distinct pillars, CHILL EATS aims to showcase Hong Kong’s dining trends in 2022.

New in the City

Food lovers in Hong Kong are always seeking new experiences – it’s why gourmet food abounds and famous chefs flock to start up business here. Unique new restaurants continue to open up in the city despite the impact of the pandemic. Mr. Kent Wong, founder of Taste Gourmet Group, explains “Hong Kong has gone through dark days in recent years and everyone has a need for optimism. For the hospitality industry, hit hard by closures and health regulations, hope for what comes next is what is sustaining the sector.”

“New in the City” engaged the restaurants newly opened in 2021 and 2022 to bring new dining experience to the diners.

Taste Gourmet Group has come together to create concepts and brands that honour the desire to live in the moment and the understanding that all things, good and bad, pass with time. Their recent brands, Que and San-Kinn mirror this concept. “I firmly trust that our food & beverage sector will flourish again in no time given the diversity, vibrancy and multi-cultural society in Hong Kong,” said Mr. Wong.

In the Open Air

After spending hours cooped up indoors, many diners are looking for a breath of fresh air and a laid-back atmosphere. “In the Open Air” highlights spaces and offers the pleasure of the outdoors such as Pirata Group’s venues.

“More than just the basics of good food, good service and good value for money, we've seen guests gravitate toward restaurants that convey a sense of wellbeing,” said James Gannaban, Director of Marketing & Communications at Pirata Group. “Of the 14 restaurants we opened in the last two years, the most popular are the ones with access to open spaces – be it pizza and Aperol spritz on a sidewalk, to freshly baked pastries at the seaside, to a full-on classical Italian garden surrounded by lemon trees. It’s all about simple, accessible pleasures that provide a quick escape and a hit of holiday vibes.”

Feast Your Eyes

Apart from delicious food, “Feast Your Eyes” features show-stopping presentation and restaurant design that catches diners’ eyes.

“Dining out is not just about food and service. Guests nowadays have a lot of knowledge and high expectations. We need to keep the bar high in order to stay on top of our game,” said Alex Bellafronte, Operations Director, Asia of Aqua Restaurant Group. “Dining is an immersive experience, where all views, design, atmosphere, lighting and music play an incredibly important role to elevate our guest’s journey.”

Taste Travel

“Taste Travel” takes diners around the world and through culinary foodways. It’s a showcase of the diverse range of cuisines in Asia’s culinary capital, encompassing the popular Italian, French, Japanese and Cantonese cuisines alongside less mentioned ones such as Peruvian, Scandinavian or Argentinian fares.

Andrew Yang, Rosewood Hong Kong’s Director of Food and Beverage, agreed industry players must go the extra mile in formulating unique restaurant concepts from regional cuisines. “The hospitality industry has changed over the years, it’s not just about delivering great service anymore,” said Yang, “At Rosewood Hong Kong we think outside the box to create unique concepts so that each outlet is differentiated from the competition, and we work closely with different brands and beverage partners to present one-of-a-kind experiences our guests can only find here.”

CHILL EATS Citywide Dining Programme

Diners can book more than 200 participating restaurants and enjoy menu discounts up to 30% off. Menus are divided into four price categories:

Category 1：Lunch Set HK$128 up / Dinner Set HK$288 up
Category 2：Lunch Set HK$188 up / Dinner Set HK$388 up
Category 3：Lunch Set HK$238 up / Dinner Set HK$488 up
Category 4：Lunch Set HK$368 up / Dinner Set HK$688 up

Log on to programme website (chilleats.diningcity.hk/lang/en) or DiningCity app (available on App Store and Google Play) for real-time reservation.

Restaurant Highlights:
Looking for a new attitude and new dimension for food lovers

“New in the City"

A Lux
A Lux, a high-end Italian French restaurant, opened in February 2022 during a dark time for the F&B industry. It is situated in a quieter corner of the bustling city - Duddell Street in Central, a street full of history – allowing guests to dine comfortably under the warm lights outside the restaurant.

In addition, over 30 new restaurants are featured in “New in the City”, include Tirpse, whose team achieved the quickest Michelin star in their Tokyo venue; the 5-in-one Japanese dining concept Five Samurai; off-the-beaten track Japanese izakaya ToriHachi and the artsy café Sooner.

“In the Open Air”

Pondside
Pondside is a European-style lakeside restaurant, located at Admiralty's Hong Kong Park. Facing the stone cliff waterfall and lakeside view, enjoy your meal under sun rays and swaying shadows of trees. Relax and unwind in the outdoor area surrounded by palm trees, resembling an oasis in the City.

In total, “In the Open Air” includes more than 40 restaurants, such as HEXA with panoramic Victoria Harbour views; the popular restaurant Billow at Lake Egret; Madame Fu overlooking Tai Kwun’s Parade Ground, Italian-style al fresco seating of Gaia Ristorante and Cabana Breeze, perfect for sunset viewing.

“Feast Your Eyes”

Monmono
Monmono is located in trendy SOHO and between two cultural landmarks - Tai Kwun and PMQ. Adhering to the concept of "simple but not monotonous", the whole restaurant utilizes "Sizzling Sunrise", a yellow colour as its main theme, complementing the chef’s Japanese-French cooking. The immersive interior exudes a pleasant atmosphere, and the layout's twist and turns make for interesting photo opportunities.

There are more than 50 restaurants in “Feast Your Eyes”, including Hutong, which combines traditional alley design and intoxicating night views, the exquisite hot pot restaurant Victorian Era and the Instagrammer-favourite OMG.

“Taste Travel”

UMI on Hollywood Road
UMI offers discerning eaters a traditional Edomae Sushi experience in a sophisticated yet relaxed setting. After entering from the independent entrance on Hollywood Road, diners are taken to an intimate space to experience the Japanese chef's dedication to tradition and craftsmanship, hoping to make guests feel like they are in a sushi bar in Ginza, Tokyo.

There are more than 60 restaurants featured in Taste Travel, including Giando Italian Restaurant & Bar, French bistro-style Maison ES, traditional Taiwanese Hot Pot; and FINDS, one of only a few Scandinavian restaurants in Hong Kong.Hashtag: #ChillEats #HongKongWine&DineFestival #WineandDine #Wine&Dine #DiscoverHongKong #DiningCity #DiningPromotion #CasualDining #FineDining #HKRestaurants #NewIntheCity #IntheOpenAir #FeastYourEyes #TasteTravel #hkfood #hkrestaurants

About DiningCity

DiningCity, an online bilingual guide and instant reservation service for premium restaurants, launched its Asian edition first in Singapore as early as 2007 and initiated official websites for Hong Kong and Mainland China in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

DiningCity offers restaurant listings, introductions, reviews, pictures and the ability to make instant reservations for its users. Its platform and app also offer instant discounts off the food bill through its Off-peak feature and rewards loyal users with welcome drinks and window seat priority.

DiningCity lists over 55,000 well-selected member restaurants with more than 1000 instantly bookable member restaurants in Greater China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

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