InterContinental Hong Kong has completed the revamp of its popular Lobby and Lobby Lounge and marked the occasion with a new range of cocktails called “V-Sips” (named so after the city’s iconic Victoria Harbour) and a menu of “Tappetizers”.
Much of the hotel is built above the water of the harbour, which allows the Lobby Lounge to enjoy a rare unobstructed view of one of the world’s most famous ports. It has long been a favourite meeting place among the city’s well-heeled set.
“I have been here for nine years, and I never, ever get bored by the fantastic view,” said InterContinental Hong Kong’s managing director Jean-Jacques Reibel.
So why was there the need to renovate the Lobby Lounge?
“Our clientele is quite trendy; just as fashion changes every year, people expect different things every year. For those who come here year after year, it’s good to do something different for them, be it a change of colour, different furniture or a change of carpets, to give them a different feeling,” Reibel said.
Created by architecture firm Woods Bagot Hong Kong studio, the new design features elements that echo the harbourfront location. Bronze, gold, champagne and silver shades have been used to create a warm sunset feel, while flowing patterns in the dark orange, champagne, silver grey and purple on customised Brintons carpets represent the ripples. A wave pattern forms the outline of the curved banquettes providing cosy seating areas in the lounge.
But perhaps one of the most noticeable additions is a dramatic art piece that doubles as a communal bar table. Weighing some 2,000 kg, this free-flowing table has a body made of African Padauk, and a tabletop in African Rosewood and with an American burled poplar border. The flat surface is in somewhat of a yin and yang shape while the base resembles the belly of a whale, with legs looking like “stilettos”.
Jake Walker, director of Beijing-based Ballistic Architecture Machine, the company responsible for designing the table, explained: “The idea is a beautiful object but has a functional aspect to it. People can lean on it, drink on it and hang out around it.”
The “V-Sips” are themed around the city’s geography and characteristics, with names such as Nine Dragons (the meaning of the name of "Kowloon"), Victoria Sunset, Fragrant Harbour (what “Hong Kong” means in Chinese) and Hong Kong Skyscraper. The ways the drinks are served can also be high on style: Smoke & Mirrors is a Chivas-based cocktail brought to the table in a concealed glass bottle, and it emits white smoke when it’s being poured into the glass.
Smoke and Mirrors (pictured above)
The Tappetizers, created by executive chef Graham Burst and his team, are beautifully arranged bite-size nibbles made from organic produce as well as sustainable seafood. The Artisan Burgers, for example, are made from organic, natural, free-range or grass-fed meat. For a quick lunch, the Lobby Lounge has introduced “BYOB”, or “build-your-own-bento-boxes, consisting of guests' own choice of salads and specialty sandwiches with artisan bread.
New music performances have also been introduced to complement the new look and the new menus, with the currently featured artiste being Canadian singer/songwriter Amanda Wood. Please click on the YouTube link on top of this page for a short clip of her vocal styling.
Visit www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com
Reggie Ho
