Dining fashionably

Two icons in the haute couture and fine dining fields, Giorgio Armani and Hong Kong-based Aqua Restaurant Group, have opened Armani/Aqua and Armani/Privé in Chater House. The former is a vivid, red-lit restaurant decked out in the trademark elegant lines of the famed Italian designer (there’s even a catwalk that leads you into the dining area). The red lit walls, based on the colour of a Chinese lantern, change their hues from a warm amber in the day to a fiery crimson in the evening. “In the fashion world, a woman dresses differently during day and night—[the design of] Armani/Aqua works in the same way,” explains David Yeo, founder and managing director of Aqua Restaurant Group.

Chef Ernesto Tonetto whips up Italian fare with a modern touch, offering dishes like Beef Tartar with Truffle Caviar and Celery Root Cream (HK$218/S$36) and Pan-fried Scampi Tails with Cantaloupe Melon (HK$248). Award-winning mixologist Manuel Soro shakes up contemporary cocktails like a Teriyaki Bloody Mary ($HK115), a blend of spicy shochu, teriyaki sauce, limoncello and tomato juice, at Armani/Privé, the restaurant’s chill-out lounge with a rooftop terrace. 2/F Chater House, 8 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 3583 2828

Excerpt from the January issue of epicure.