Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/52531
PREVIOUS PAGE The Honk Kong skyline at night. ABOVE The JW Marriott Hong Kong's Riedel Room @ Q88 (pronounced Reedel) may not be the cheapest place for drinks in Hong Kong but its uniqueness and the experience make it all worthwhile. IT IS SAID, the more things change, the more they stay the same and since Hong Kong's handover to China in 1997 when the British left, it's been pretty much business as usual, or in the vernacular of street market stall holders –"same, same but different." True, there's no more Queen's birthday holiday or walls hung with HRH'S portrait, Royal has been dropped from Societies titles and the Union Jack is no longer hoisted. Nevertheless economically, Hong Kong is still a major international financial centre and conspicuous consumption is still the sport de jour of the rich, famous and well-connected. Consider, for example the HK$2.38 million (A$295,000) recently paid by a tycoon from Beijing for a Jeroboam of 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild at Harlan Goldstein's restaurant Gold in the Central district of Hong Kong Island, a fashionable place to 'see and be seen.' When it comes to exclusivity, luxury and the privileges few get to experience, Hong Kong takes the honours, especially those that come in the form of a private club, a Michelin starred restaurant or a five-star hotel. Prime among these are the private clubs and none more exclusive than the art deco- inspired, China Club where the elite of Hong Kong's business and government dine and mingle. Occupying the top three floors of the former Bank of China building, its 'members only' status can, with a bit of persuasion from a hotel concierge, be circumvented if you happen to be staying at one of Hong Kong's posh hotels. A genteel establishment full of old world atmosphere and charm, carved oriental tables set with silver cruets, quirky menus and whirling overhead fans, appears in direct contrast to walls that are hung with an array of 'new' China paintings and art installations by some of China's best known artists. 82 www.travelandliving.com.au