Joshua Good friend is considered one of our Senior Account Managers, primarily based in London. Earlier this yr, he took the chance to work in our Hong Kong workplace for 2 months. He was warmly welcomed by our Hong Kong colleagues, with whom he shared many memorable meals and great wines.
“Fancy working in Hong Kong for a number of months, Josh?”
“Yeah, alright then!”
I’m paraphrasing, after all; life isn’t fairly so easy, however I used to be delighted to be supplied a possibility to work in Hong Kong for 2 months and rapidly discovered myself on a 14-hour flight heading east.
Having by no means visited Asia, not to mention Hong Kong, my nerves had been drowned out by pleasure. My first problem, having collected my baggage from the extraordinarily clean Hong Kong Worldwide Airport, was to barter my approach to my lodge with none money. After a protracted flight the occasional grunt from the cab driver was sufficient dialog to fulfill us each. I pulled as much as my sky-scraping lodge; at first look it was clear that I might be residing the excessive life in Fortress Hill (actually up on the nineteenth flooring), overlooking Tsim Sha Tsui and Victoria Harbour. After efficiently checking in and catching up on much-needed sleep, it was time to fulfill my new colleagues.
I used to be greeted with open arms and a obligatory dim sum lunch invitation; the much-anticipated lunch rapidly got here round. Being a beginner in Asia and having a Western palate, they had been very eager to check me: I used to be instructed that I’ve the chopsticks capability of a younger baby, which I took as a praise. A scrumptious array of dim sum was washed down ’09 Lafite, ’17 Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot by Vougeraie and ’17 Les Chapaudaises by Guiberteau; as first days go, it was not so dangerous.
The meals in Hong Kong greater than lives as much as its repute. I used to be supplied an abundance of suggestions, all of which exceeded expectations. A really small advice, but when you end up in Central and fancy a fast chunk for lunch, go to Large JJ’s Seafood Hotpot restaurant – their beef noodles are low cost and scrumptious.
How can I speak about meals in Hong Kong with out mentioning scorching pot? Everybody I met in and outdoors of labor was so welcoming, and invites to dinners and lunches had been arduous to say no, particularly once they knew full properly that I didn’t have any mates within the metropolis and had zero plans. I’m proud to say that I had scorching pot on 4 consecutive Fridays in a row. Should you’re unfamiliar with scorching pot, it’s primarily an enormous boiling spicy broth in the midst of the desk that you just dunk advantageous cuts of meat and greens into over three to 4 hours. They’re social and enjoyable, and the meals is phenomenal. The novelty takes some time to put on off, however I don’t assume I may have stomached a fifth.
Hong Kong’s attraction as a wine commerce hub is multifaceted. Town’s strategic location, free-market economic system, and lack of tariffs on wine imports have made it a horny vacation spot for wine producers and retailers, like us. One of the vital noticeable variations between the UK and Hong Kong was how price-savvy prospects are. As a result of lack of restrictions, any Tom, Dick and Harry can arrange a wine firm if they’ve ample funds, that means that only a £10 distinction in value will be the distinction between a sale and no reply to an e-mail.
That is the place service is so necessary. If you’d like attentive, empathetic and considerate service, converse to considered one of our Hong Kong Account Managers. Their ardour and love for wine is second to none. Prospects all the time come first with each choice made. Their beautiful wine dinners rival our wonderful occasions in our cellars at No.3 St James’s.
After numerous wine tastings, 4 consecutive scorching pots and lots of calorific dim sum lunches balanced by stunning weekend hikes, my two-month secondment in Hong Kong got here to an finish. It was a useful expertise that was each professionally rewarding and personally enriching. Should you ever get supplied the prospect to go to my new favorite metropolis, take it.
