Prescription for longevity

Nestled in a red velvet booth at The Godown, Dr Brian Apthorp looks at home. And so he should. When the expatriate extraordinaire arrived in Hong Kong in 1969, The Godown was the happening place, and despite being a member of a string of prestigious clubs, he still holds a soft spot for the restaurant.

'The Godown was where it was at. All the part-time and full-time alcoholics used to collect here,' recalls the distinguished-looking doctor as he surveys the packed place.

'There's been a change of hands, but there's been a continuity of feeling,' he says of the restaurant which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary.

In the days before the cross-harbour tunnel, drinking on the 'other side' - Kowloon - was ruled out, and Dr Apthorp's socialising was largely done on Hong Kong Island, among the business community.

'There were about 50 of us and we kept bumping into each other at parties and, of course, at The Godown. It was where we all collected to find out who was going out with whom and what was going on.' Although he had been to Hong Kong once before, as a ship's surgeon (he wrote a book on those days, Surgeon P&O), he settled on the city almost by accident. Involved in a family frozen food business, Beejam, that was doing well - 'I was obviously going to make a fortune' - he wanted a place where he could escape capital gains tax.

Before setting up his own medical practice, Dr Apthorp joined Anderson and partners. There, a senior partner offered a word of advice: 'The first 20 years in Hong Kong are the most difficult.' So in 1989, when Dr Apthorp had completed his first 20 years, he threw a dinner party to celebrate. At The Godown.