This year’s Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2011 fair at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre was a festival of sights, aromas, tastes and, of course, fountains of fine liquids that would make any party thrown by Bacchus pale in comparison. Well, if he partied in Hong Kong that is!

Fair-goers were treated to numerous varieties of fine wines from all over the world that would make any connoisseur swoon. For foodies, there were various stalls offering mouth-watering samples that made everyone come back for seconds and thirds.

But that wasn’t the only thing on offer at the fair as convention-goers could also look at furniture, catering devices and even Crocs! So, if you haven’t gotten yourself down to this year’s Restaurant & Bar Fair then hop in a cab right now before you miss out on all the fun.

Check out our photo gallery below:

Madam Sixty Ate is a new restaurant in Wan Chai that is definitely for those interested in an adventurous dining experience.

The chefs are former W Hong Kong and Sydney kitchen culinary directors and have definitely created some interestingly named dishes like Joseph the Duck (roasted duck and confit leg), Pig in Sheep’s Clothing (slow cooked Mangalista pork belly) and For Stanley (halibut with cauliflower, bacon and squid ink ragout).

But what makes us go back for more is the interior design led by founder/designer Bronwyn Cheung, designer Nany Yuen Parker and branding creative director Maxime Dautresme who have given Madam Sixty Ate a unique story and look you won’t find anywhere else in Hong Kong.

We sat down with Bronwyn Cheung and asked her about her new venture:

What is the inspiration behind Madam Sixty Ate?

The inspiration for MSA is behind the name: Madam Sixty, as we are at 60 Johnston Road; and we are located at Shop 8 J Senses. 

However it is a play on 8, being “ate,” essentially what Madam likes to eat and drink.

Madam is a mythical figure that is well travelled and the animals she encounters are all a part of her imagination and her life.  Her life is what influences the food and the style of the cuisine.  I think at the end of  the day it should be fun – dining with friends or family should be an interactive experience.  If you have a good time and create a good memory while dining at Madam Sixty Ate then we have done our job correctly. 

We try and not take ourselves too seriously – MSA is meant to be there if you want a glass of wine with cheese, a cocktail after dinner or a dinner date.  It should encompass a b it of everything and be comfortable and modern at the same time. Essentially the restaurant is like being invited into a friend’s home. The feeling of conviviality, warmth and fun. 

How would you best describe the type of food you serve?

The food is modern European, so the flavours are things you can identify with and are classical techniques but done in fun and quirky ways. 

We also do parties and private dinners as we have the tasting menu which is suitable for larger tables as well as a 5-course set.  There is also the chefs tables next to the kitchen.  The lounge/bar is available for private hire as is the restaurant but does depend on how large the parties etc. 

What do you look for when you pick wines?

WIne should essentially about being food friendly. We obviously would love our list to be boutique and not just the wines you can pick up at a supermarket. 

You will find that the mark up is not extreme, all our wines are served in Riedel grape specific stemware, therefore our point of difference here is that the wine should essentially be a compliment to the food and served with respect to its inner characteristics. 

You can download our wine list here.

Talk a bit about the cocktails and the inspiration behind some of them?

The cocktails like all the surrounding are based on classic with a twist.  So essentially they reflect the surroundings and the food.  They should be a bit quirky, fresh and fun. 

Some examples are the Bloody Madam: a bacon-infused bloody mary; Provence Margarita, Smokey Negroni, Manhattan of Louisana and the Pornstar Martini that mixes vanilla vodka with passion fruit puree and vanilla liqueur to get you in the mood.

Madam Sixty Ate lives at 1/F, J Senses, 60 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

Madam Sixty Ate is open daily from 12pm to 12am.

For reservations, please call +852 2527 2558 or email at info@madamsixtyate.com.hk

Download the menu here.

We’re sending up a stream of photos from the first day at HOFEX 2011 – well, we’re going to concentrate mostly on the wine and spirits side of the show but we’ll definitely be wandering up to Hall 3 to try out all the food.

We turned our booth in Hall 1A into a Winebuzz TV studio and interviewed the movers and shakers in the Hong Kong wine scene. So, while those are being edited for you for your viewing pleasure tomorrow morning we thought we’d give you a quick photo gallery of some of the sights and wines of HOFEX 2011.

Vintelligence is a wine club in Wan Chai tucked away neatly on Thompson Road and this past Saturday we dropped by the Spanish Wine Tasting that was held there.

Several of Hong Kong’s biggest wine distributors brought out their very best Spanish wines and were all very enthusiastic about Hong Kong’s recent building interest in Spanish as well as Italian wines.

Those tasting could order from Vintelligence and arrange for delivery the next day and we of course highly encourage Winebuzz readers to come out for all tastings in Hong Kong to really get an idea of the choices that out there and get some information before buying.

Sommelier Danny Wong did a talk about the different types of Spanish wines and regions as well as a blind tasting competition. The only thing that was missing was some Spanish tapas, but Viva Ana was only a 5-minute walk away and where we took those still craving more Spanish wines to afterwards.

Following up on our first day coverage, this year’s Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair 2010 has come to a close and, compared to last year, you can easily see that it’s grown by at least 50%.

Australia was the partner country this year with a vast pavilion dead center of the main hall, flanked by Spain and all the Hong Kong distributors. France, South Africa and Argentina poured out into a second hall to accomodate the record number of exhibitors this year.

Again we give kudos to the HKTDC for putting together such a huge show with not only over 700 booths serving wines from 29 countries, but numerous seminars all day long and the huge Cathay Pacific awards dinner on the first evening.

Even in three days there was no way you could see and taste everything, but that didn’t stop a lot of people from trying! While the trade days were brimming with international buyers and sellers running all over the halls, the majority of traffic was pushed into the Hong Kong aisles on the Open House day on Saturday, where booth attendants could get information on wines in Cantonese, but may have missed a chance to taste wines not yet available in Hong Kong.

We’re hoping to be able to bring you even more coverage next year when Italy is the partner country and will have an even bigger presence than they did this year.

Vist the HKTDC page for more photos of the Wine and Spirits Fair and a rundown of what happened at each of the booths. Enjoy, we know we did!

We’ve just finished Day One at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair at the HKCEC and its definitely a bigger show than last year.

Here is a quick photo gallery of what to expect. The human traffic was a bit light today, but its a perfect time to get in to try the best wines with little wait.

Remember to follow us on Twitter @winebuzzhk as we’re sending out updates and photos all throughout the day. Now we’re off to the gala dinner and awards ceremony so we’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.

Australia is taking up a huge space as lead country this year, but Spain and Italy have big pavilions inside the massive Hall 3 with a new hall opened to house another huge pavilion for France, South Africa, Argentina and even a good showing from India!

Jointek is a wine retailer with over 80 retail outlets in China, and last month they opened one in Hong Kong on Gloucester Road.

With a gorgeous shop at the corner of Stewart Road, Jointek has plenty of wine from around the world at different price points to suit any budget and taste. Find a good selection of wines from France, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Chile and many more.

Looking to start your weekend early? Jointek has free wine tasting in their shop from 4pm-6pm every Friday. So if you’re in the area, go ahead and check out what wine they have for you to taste.

Jointek Fine Wines:

• G/F, City Centre Building, 145 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
• Tel:（852）2511 8228

View Winebuzz.hk’s Wine Shops Map in a larger map

Hofex 2009 is underway in Hong Kong, and no Swine Flu is going to keep the food and restaurant industry leaders away. Kicking off yesterday at the recently renovated Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai, Hofex has a huge Wine Avenue in Hall 3 and here are some quick pix for you to check out while we assemble more coverage of the wide range of wine’s exhibiting as well as the exciting wine events heading to Hong Kong.

HOFEX 2009

• The 13th Asian International Exhibition of Food & Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Foodservice Equipment, Supplies & Services

WHEN

• May 6-9, 2009 (Wed-Sat)

WHERE

• Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre,
• Hall 1A-E, Hall 3B-E and Hall 3F-G

ABOUT

• Food & Drinks;Wines, Spirits & Beers;Tea & Coffee; Hospitality IT; Catering & Foodservice Equipment;Bakery Equipment & Ingredients; Hotel Supplies & Hospitality Interiors;Natural/Organic Food;Spa & Well-Being Tea & Coffee Village;Wine & Spirits Square; Hospitality IT · N.O.W. – Natural, Organic & Well-Being

COST

• Strictly open to Professional Trade & Business Visitors only. General public & any children under the age of 16 would not be admitted