Four hangouts with a creative vibe for Art Basel crowd
Need a rest from gallery hopping? The city is full of quirky independent coffee shops perfect for creative pondering. Here are four of our favourites
From the depths of West Kowloon to Kwun Tong and Wan Chai, we've picked out four cafes that will be right up the street of contemporary art fans in town for Art Basel.
Tucked away among the fabric and supplies shops on Tai Nan Street, Sham Shui Po, Café Sausalito has thrived since it opened in November. It may seem a risky move to start a Western cafe in an overtly local neighbourhood, but it has proved a popular hub for networking, as there are four leathercraft stores nearby, and an abundance of local and overseas creative types milling about to source raw materials for their designs.
Owner Michael Tam came up with the shop's name because the street's vibe reminded him of the San Francisco Bay Area city in the US. To make up for the lack of sea views and ships, the minimalist interior is adorned with nautical elements. The bar and kitchen take up one side of the linear shop, and a small exhibition of paintings by a loyal customer lines the opposite wall.
The semi-open porch has interesting furniture such as a leather stool made from a repurposed skateboard from the nearby Amazing Crew Store. It's a great area if you smoke, have pets, or simply enjoy people watching. Let Tam make you a shot of pour-over coffee, or try some home-style dishes such as apple cinnamon crêpes and salmon, scrambled eggs and cream cheese bagels, which are all prepared by a dietitian friend.
Café Sausalito, 201 Tai Nan Street, Sham Shui Po, tel: 6305 1887. Open: Tue-Sat, 9am-7pm, Sun-Mon, 11am-6pm
This cafe on St Francis Street, Wan Chai, was inspired by the East London venues that the owners, which include architects Mark Chan and Yvonne Tam, miss most; they lived there for two decades. Conceived more than a year ago, the shop moved to a more spacious location just across the street three months ago.
Fondly called a "secret garden" by the owners, the new shop — which has potted plants on the terrace — allows for more community workshops and gigs. It's connected to the print and ceramics gallery Odd One Out by a sliding door, so guests can now look at art while enjoying their Nude Espresso, and Climpson & Sons coffees with brownies.
Cocoa lovers will be thrilled, the menu includes four single-origin chocolate drinks: the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela. Each has a unique taste. They are a far cry from the usual sugar- and milk-laden drinks offered elsewhere.
The café also doubles as a lifestyle store, and carries mostly East London brands, including leather goods maker Ally Capellino, and Plumen, which creates decorative low energy light bulbs. American watchmaker Eone and a sprinkle of local labels like Homanz, ForMe Honey and Teapigs add a bit of variety to the mix.
sfs, Orange Building, 14 St Francis Street, Wan Chai, tel: 2527 7898. Open: Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm, Sat-Sun, 10am-7pm
Veteran photographer Eddie Chan equipped his studio in Kwun Tong with a kitchen two years ago because he needed to use it to take food shots for his clients' cookbooks. He never expected Latent Image by Eddie to become a popular hang-out for his buddies, and later the public, when he opened the place for business after being encouraged by friends.
The comfortable space was mostly furnished by Chan, who decorated it with knick-knacks, gilt-framed images, and vintage ornaments. The tables are special, as they were bought from the now defunct Kwun Tong Vocational Training Centre, which used to be a training ground for professional photographers.
Chan says his space is a platform for photography lovers to interact. The coffee and dessert making training he undertook for fun a few years back has come in handy; his menu features Dutch drip coffee, crème brûlée, waffles with home-made coffee ice cream, and scones.
Chan is opening a new cafe named One Little Room on March 7 in Hung Hom. The menu will be similar to the existing one, with the addition of a handful of savoury dishes. The design of the ground-floor shop echoes that of the Kwun Tong space, and features a playful spin on literature and books, which Chan thinks of as visual as photographs.
Latent Image By Eddie, Flat D, 10/F Everest Industrial Centre, 396 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, tel: 5616 4515. Open: Thur-Sat, 2pm-8pm
One Little Room, LG, shop 10, Full Wing Building, 436-450 Chatham Road North, Hung Hom. Open: 11am-10pm
Tucked away among hardware stores and garages of Shek Kip Mei, Toolss serves as a much needed "oasis in the desert", as owner Kecoj Pun puts it, in this residential area. It combines Pun's two passions — coffee and stationery — and is inspired by the idiosyncratic places the former fashion reporter has encountered abroad.
The petite corner shop looks more spacious than it actually is, thanks to the sliding door, an open bar area, and additional seating which can spill out onto the pavement on late afternoons and weekends.
The industrial-style interior, which features wood fixtures and cement walls accentuated by the use of exposed brick, is edgy but still welcoming and warm.
As you pore over the selection of fancy stationery, consider trying a cup of cappuccino or a sweet potato latte, along with some home-made cookies. There are other snacks such as baked chicken wings.
Purchases of HK$50 or more gain you access to a craft box of colouring pens and stamps to design your own postcard, which will be mailed for you. If that leaves you wanting more, the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC) is just a stone's throw away.
Toolss, shop 2, Fook Tin Building, 38 Wai Chi Street, Shek Kip Mei, tel: 3954 5135. Open: Thu-Sun, 12 noon-8pm
