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Celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Alain Ducasse all close Hong Kong restaurants as coronavirus adds to protest woes

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has pulled out of Hong Kong, closing his Bread Street Kitchen, London House and Maze Grill restaurants – however the airport-based Gordon Ramsay Plane Food remains open. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong has been struck by a double whammy of economic hits since the anti-government protests began in June 2019. Now, as the coronavirus forces the world to bunker down and acclimatise to social distancing, some of the restaurants we have grown to love have buckled under the financial strain. While it’s not a complete goodbye for some of them, we sincerely hope that things return to normal soon.

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Bibo 

Bibo was packed with contemporary art works. Now it’s closed. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Trendy hang-out Bibo closed its doors in February. This location caused a stir when it opened, stacked with art works by contemporary artists Jeff Koons, Kaws, Banksy and a commissioned piece by Vhils permanently etched on its concrete walls. As we say goodbye to the fantastic champagne brunches, what will happen to the wall with the one-off Vhils original?

Le 39V

Roasted Bresse pigeon with sage and figs from Le 39V. Photo: Jonathan Wong

This French fine dining restaurant up in the clouds was a great place to catch the vistas of Hong Kong from the 101st floor of the ICC. While it ceased operations in January, the owner and operators of the space say they will soon open something new and exciting in its place.

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Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, London House and Maze Grill

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay at the now-closed Maze Grill in Ocean Terminal, Harbour City. Photo: Dickson Lee

It was announced on April 1 that all three of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants in Hong Kong would close. While shell-shocked foodies wondered whether it was an April Fool’s joke, the closures were confirmed by the director of marketing. However, Gordon Ramsay Plane Food at the airport is managed by different operators and remains open.

Bread and Beast

Ngau Lam Wich at Bread and Beast with a side of lotus root chips. Photo: SCMP

Quintessentially Hong Kong and arguably one of the best sandwich joints in the city will close its doors at the end of April, citing nine months unrest. We will greatly miss innovative creations like the Ngau Lam Wich, which is a beef brisket sandwich flavoured in the style of the noodle soup version known to all Hongkongers. We also love their lotus root chips which are lashed with zingy fu yu or bean curd cheese sauce. The balance of the crunchy bread and sauce ratio in all their creations makes this sandwich joint a cut above its competition. We hope this is a see-you-later rather than a farewell and the owners can regroup when things settle down.

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Tasting Court

Refreshing crab-stuffed orange from Tasting Court. Photo: handout

This quaint private kitchen tucked away in Happy Valley will be sorely missed. Their Cantonese cuisine is top-notch and the deliciously refreshing crab-stuffed orange is legendary. While there are suggestions that it may reopen when the economy recovers, it has also been reported they will shift to producing chilli sauce. We hope this will be a see you later rather than a goodbye.

Jamie’s Italian

Jamie’s Italian Hong Kong in Causeway Bay. Photo: handout

Jamie Oliver’s embattled chain of restaurants finally threw in the towel in late February. While the franchise shut 22 locations worldwide in May 2019, the Hong Kong operators vowed to carry on with business as usual. We guess the protests and health crisis that followed were too great a burden to bear.

Rech by Alain Ducasse

Acclaimed French chef Alain Ducasse at Rech by Alain Ducasse restaurant, InterContinental Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Nora Tam

This has not been a good year for celebrity chefs in Hong Kong as the award-winning restaurant by Alain Ducasse suddenly told staff they would not continue operations after service one night. The views are gorgeous at Rech and since its previous eatery was also a Ducasse concept, we hope the renowned chef will return with a new venture at the well-heeled location.

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Jumbo Kingdom

Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurants in Aberdeen Harbour suspended business on March 2. Photo: Sam Tsang
This iconic Hong Kong institution, which includes the Jumbo Floating Restaurant and the Tai-Pak Floating Restaurant, once visited by many dignitaries and celebrities alike, has “closed until further notice because of the Covid-19 outbreak”. We hope it returns soon as it would be a shame were the regal interiors and delicious deep fried squid consigned to history.

John Anthony

Rose tea smoked crispy free range chicken at John Anthony. Photo: handout

Maximal Concepts’ cool concept, which mixed delicious Chinese cuisine with fantastic cocktails, has closed its doors indefinitely. We look forward to its reopening after the crisis is over.

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Estiatorio Keia

Estiatorio Keia at H Queen’s Central was as pretty as a picture. Photo: handout

The Bulldozer Group seems to have bad luck when it comes to seafood restaurants. While Ichu Peru is a favourite of many gourmands in Hong Kong, the group’s Greek and Mediterranean concept Estiatorio Keia called it quits in February. That’s a shame as the interiors were as pretty as a picture and good Greek food is hard to come by in this city.

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Hammered by months of anti-government protests, several of the city’s best restaurants have finally buckled under the strain of Covid-19