Shang Palace, the Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant at the Kowloon Shangri-La hotel in Hong Kong, opened its doors again on Tuesday after undergoing a complete refurbishment.
Business Traveller was given photos providing a fantastic first look at the restaurant's stunning new interior design (see the slide show above). The Shang Palace has had its interior entirely revamped to improve facilities and modernise its look, but in a way that endeavours to retain the spirit and tradition that has made it popular in the past.
“The restaurant is fortunate to have a loyal following who have kept returning for the past three decades,” said Kowloon Shangri-La’s general manager Timothy Wright. “We were sensitive to their needs in the upgrading plans. The key word is 'evolution’ as opposed to ‘revolution.’ We are not trying to change Shang Palace’s tradition but rather developing its classic, signature elements.”
The interior design has been done by global hospitality design firm LRF Designers. It keeps the same colour scheme as the old restaurant with hues of red, gold, white and beige. While the décor remains very Chinese in style, it now has a more modern touch with features such as lanterns in the shape of birdcages.
The four private dining rooms have been completely made-over and expanded, with higher ceilings adding a greater sense of space. One has now been made into a new grand private dining room which can seat up to 20 people.
“We expect the new 42-square-metre grand private dining room to become a popular private party and entertainment venue, day and night, not only for the regular guests but also for guests from the business sector as well,” Wright said.
The restaurant has also gained a new wine cellar, which will hold over 1,200 bottles from 550 different labels. Added to this, it has new custom-made chinaware to compliment the decoration.
Together with revamped décor, Shang Palace is offering a new à la carte menu and six new private dining menus. The restaurant’s kitchen remains essentially unchanged and is still headed by Chinese Chef Mok Kit Keung, who helped it earn two Michelin stars in the 2012 Michelin Guide.
For more information, visit www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/kowloonshangrila
Nicholas Olczak
