Celebrating the opening of their new IFC store, Givenchy held an after-party at a fascinating new restaurant / exhibition space called Duddell’s on Thursday night.
Walking around inside, the venue succeeds at being sophisticated, contemporary, and elegant, all at once. Not yet open to the public, if the quality of the design is any indication of the cuisine, it will be a worthy new addition to the city’s growing circle of world-class institutions.
Is Hong Kong getting more sophisticated?
Historically, Hong Kong didn’t do elegant or contemporary very well. For many years it went over the top in both directions, either trying to be overtly affluent, which ended up being gaudy, or too space-age slick, which frequently left places feeling too cold. The interior of Duddell’s however, which consists of two floors and a series of separate dining rooms, avoids both of these cliches.
Predominantly a mixture of natural materials such as stone and wood, with excellent lighting, the space has clean lines and art hanging throughout the interior. Designed by Elle Decor founder Ilse Crawford, Duddell’s comes across as both warm and timeless.
Located at 1 Duddell Street, it sits between Queens Road (just opposite the Landmark Mandarin Oriental,) and Ice House Street. The lower floors of the building are home to Shanghai Tang’s new flagship store. The dead-end block is anchored on one side by a grand old stone staircase that is often used as a backdrop in photo shoots.
Duddell’s, which has yet to officially launch, is the latest project by a dream team of three of the city’s serial entrepreneurs, Alan Lo, Yenn Wong, and Paulo Pong. You can expect to be hearing a lot more about this space in the very near future.
The following is admittedly, not a great video(!), however, it quickly shows the main dining room, and a private room on the third floor.
Duddell’s is meant to go beyond being a restaurant and to occupy a role more akin to a contemporary creative space. Duddell’s members are invited to participate in talks with visiting artists in a salon-like atmosphere.
Recommended!
Duddell’s
3F – 4F, 1 Duddell Street
Central, Hong Kong
