Nobu Hong Kong reopens, Mauro Colagreco of 3-Michelin-star Mirazur arrives: 4 top fine-dining restaurant launches in November 2023

Three years after it closed, Nobu Hong Kong is back at The Regent, while at Andre Fu-designed Leela, former Chaat chef Manav Tuli presents imperial Indian food

Two chefs from three-Michelin-star restaurants in France, Mauro Colagreco and Anne-Sophie Pic, offer Asian-French fusion and seafood-focused menus respectively

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An artist’s rendition of Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco, one of four fine-dining places opening in Hong Kong in November 2023. Nobu Hong Kong is another. Plaisance in Central spans three floors, with each inspired by a different layer of the ocean. Photo: Plaisance by Mauro Colagreco

Published: 7:15pm, 19 Oct 2023

The first autumnal breezes have finally been felt across Hong Kong, and with them comes a reminder that Christmas and New Year – two of the most lucrative times of the year for restaurants and bars – are just around the corner.

They are also a signal for any big players to get their new ventures off the ground before the slump that usually follows the holiday season before things pick up again for the Lunar New Year and beyond.

During the National Day long weekend holiday earlier in October, more than a million visitors came to Hong Kong – but more than 1.4 million Hongkongers left to travel elsewhere.

Industry figures had earlier predicted that the long weekend would bring in some HK$1.2 billion (US$153 million) – a 50 per cent increase from 2022 – for the restaurant sector.

Yenn Wong, the founder of JIA Group, with chef Manav Tuli, previously of Chaat. Tuli is set to open his restaurant, Leela, in Causeway Bay. Photo: Leela

Times continue to be tough as Hong Kong residents increasingly head to places such as Shenzhen just over the Chinese border to enjoy dining and shopping that are “way cheaper than in Hong Kong”, as one put it.