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Header images by Farzad Owrang, courtesy of Josh Sperling and Perrotin
Need some inspiration on what to do this weekend? Take a look at our rundown of the best events and things to do around Hong Kong, and see what else is coming up in our events calendar.
While Cinco de Mayo is falling on a weekday this year, that has not stopped restaurants and bars from hosting a number of midweek Mexican fiestas. Get into the Cinco spirit at BaseHall, where vendors will be dishing up Mexican-inspired dishes all day while a mariachi band performs. Besides limited-edition items like cheeseburger tacos (Honbo), kimchi carnitas fries (Moyo Sik), and Oaxacan Palomas (Pub 1842), you can also grab Westside Taqueria’s signature tacos and frozen margaritas.
Uphill from Central, Taqueria Super Macho is offering its classic margaritas at $48 a pop (as opposed to the usual $98) and an off-menu beef birria taco.
Meanwhile, Alvy’s has invited 11 Westside to create a special Cinco de Mayo menu, including goat birria pizza, churros with bourbon caramel and chocolate orange sauce, and micheladas made with Young Master Ales’ Lager Al Pastor. If you’re not bothered about legging it to Central & Western, then visit your closest dine-in Cali-Mex, where $178 will get you two hours of free-flow beer and margaritas.
Prefer to celebrate on the weekend? No sweat—Mexican-Japanese favourite Chino will be offering its festive “Chino de Mayo” menu from Wednesday until Sunday, while Big Sur is doing a fashionably late “Ocho de Mayo” party on Saturday, with the option of adding a free-flow tequila cocktail package.
Enjoy all the competition and friendly goofing around of a game night without having to do any organisation at The Aftermath’s interactive bingo bonanza. Comprising charades, trivia quizzes, musical interludes, and plenty of beer, this isn’t your mother’s (or grandmother’s) bingo. Click here for more information.
When: 7 pm, 8 May
Where: The Aftermath, LG/F, 52–59 Wyndham Street, Central
Seeing as it’s Mother’s Day this weekend, there are plenty of floral workshops to pick from—but we like the classes from Sai Kung-based candle brand BeCandle and Wong Chuk Hang nail salon Urban Chillez best for their versatility. With the former, you’ll create one of two bouquets—a red and pink arrangement or a more ikebana-style primary colour bouquet—before experiencing BeCandle’s new sensory candle-making workshop.
Pull inspiration from the array of colourful, textural objects in BeCandle’s sensory vault to create a one-of-a-kind fragrance for your hand-poured candle. At the end, you’ll get a special card documenting your creative process and a little bottle of your unique perfume oil along with your bouquet and candle.
However, if you want to leave your workshop with impeccable nails, then check out the floral and nail art event hosted by Urban Chillez and the Hong Kong Academy of Flower Arrangement. You’ll start by creating a spring floral arrangement before getting a flower-themed manicure while sipping on some complimentary bubbles. The classes are strictly capped at six per session, so book fast if you’re interested!
Treat your mum to a comforting Italian feast with Ciao Chow’s weekend buffet brunch, where you can enjoy antipasti, roast meats, seafood, pasta, and desserts besides their freshly baked Neopolitan pizzas. Meanwhile, Japanese food lovers living around the southern New Territories can take the festive weekend as an opportunity to check out the newly opened Izakaya by K, which is debuting new dishes for Mother’s Day. Sup on seafood and vegetable hotpot ($388) and Wagyu sukiyaki ($288) before finishing things off with a multi-layered sushi “cake” ($398) featuring prawns, sea bream, hamachi, fatty tuna, and salmon sandwiched between layers of green and pink rice.
If your mum is more partial to sweets than seafood, then Uma Nota’s sakura brunch may pique her interest. For this weekend only, the restaurant will be serving a Cacao Bomb—vanilla ice cream with a passion fruit jam centre on a chocolate crumble base—after diners have had their fill of crispy rice sushi, skirt steak, and potent hanami highballs. Eating at home? Make your meal extra-special with a delicious cake delivered right to your door—click here for our guide to cake delivery options.
Step up your drink-making skills with a boozy workshop at one of our city’s fine drinking establishments. Those who want their libations with a side of history will enjoy The Daily Tot’s rum masterclass with craft spirits distributor Proof & Co’s resident rum expert, Tom Egerton, which is back by popular demand. Throughout the two-hour class, you’ll take a deep dive into the history of rum, learn about its dark connections to piracy and slavery, and mix a concoction of your own—click here to find out more.
For a more cocktail-focused class, head uphill to The Poet, where the bar’s veteran mixologists will demonstrate how to make one of their signature cocktails with tea-infused gin, as well as a special mocktail. You’ll get to snack on an assortment of canapés throughout the two-hour workshop, and receive a bottle of their signature “Pearl” cocktail and a mini flower bouquet to take home at the end. Click here for more information.
For something light-hearted and memorable, why don’t you check out the CupNoodles Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui? Learn all about the history of Nissin Foods, the production process behind iconic items like CupNoodles and Nissin Demae instant noodles, and make your own custom flavour of CupNoodles. If you post a picture of yourself at the museum’s pop-up display on social media, you can also get a shopping bag emblazoned with Nissin Demae’s “Ching Chai” mascot for $50.
Soothe your eyes with the abstract sculptural paintings of Josh Sperling, whose colourful three-dimensional creations bring to mind the bold linework of Keith Haring. The exhibition, which opens on Saturday, includes an ambitious piece that spans across three walls, featuring his trademark squiggles in a gently shifting colour gradient.
When: Tuesdays to Saturdays until June 12
Where: Unit 807, 8/F, K11 Atelier Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Searching for a staycation with a difference? Try the popular yoga and meditation staycation led by yogi Amelie Rondole and sound meditation teacher Cheryl Rodriguez at Sai Kung’s scenic Pier Hotel. During the two-day wellness retreat, you’ll have ample opportunities to strike a pose on the sand during Amelie’s beach yoga sessions or feel the vibrational energies from Cheryl’s daily sound baths. Besides accommodation, breakfast, dinner, and transport to and from the hotel, the retreat fee also includes goodies like cold brew tea and CBD-infused skincare, as well as a $200 voucher for Sweaty Betty—click here to book.
When: 7 to 9 May
Where: The Pier Hotel, 9 Pak Sha Wan Street, Sai Kung
The vaccine bubble is nearly upon us, but if you’re not taking advantage of it for whatever reason, then international travel isn’t quite on the cards yet. Nip that wanderlust in the bud with a visit to Little Draft Land—a collaboration between Draft Land and Little Bao—at the latter’s Fashion Walk space. The pop-up, which is running until June, features Taiwanese and Korean-inspired bites and drinks from the collaborators such as pork belly bao with yuzu peel, yuzu gochujang mayo, and shiso coleslaw, and a Goryeo highball made with whiskey, Korean plum wine, ginger, and soda.
If you’re not bothered about booking workshops or navigating busy shopping districts and would rather sit somewhere quiet with a book (or a strong WiFi connection), then we’ve got you too. Take refuge from the noise of daily life—from open public spaces to serene cafés, here is our guide to the best places to chill out in Hong Kong.
Annette is an editor and copywriter with a lifetime of experience in hunting out the most interesting, odd, and delightful things about her beloved home city. Having written extensively about everything from food and culture to fashion, music, and hospitality, she considers her speciality to be Hong Kong itself. In her free time, you can find Annette trying out new dumpling recipes or playing Big Two at her favourite local bars with a cocktail in hand.
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