​      A Day or Two in Hong Kong?
                    John Newton finds the right hotel for you!
It's not cheap, but John Newton found a rooftop restaurant at one of Hong Kong's under-rated hotels is not only an amazing location, but the degustation menu is arguably the best you'll get in Asia's food capital. It's a masterpiece by a master chef.
The Skye roof-bar and dining is located high on the 27th floor of the 45 year-old Park Lane Hong Kong, a Pullman hotel, tucked away in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island.
The 832-room hotel, many with splendid views over Victoria Harbour and Victoria Park, has been a Pullman property since 2014. Previously, it was known as the Park Lane, Park Lane Renaissance and Waldo Hotel.
In the past five years, it has been extensively renovated, including public areas and 70 per cent of the 10 room-types, with the remainder due for completion in mid-2019.
The Skye’s seven-course degustation menu by British chef – Lee Adam - with wine pairing, costs HK$1440 + 10 per cent service charge. But it’s worth it.
Here’s an example:
Raw French Coastal Oyster (kaviari oscietra prestige caviar, pickled oyster mayonnaise, Iberico chorizo oil) - paired with Frederic Lornet, Arbois ‘Nature’ 2016, Jura, France.
Slow-poached Scottish langoustines (risotto, nantua, napa cabbage velouté, zucchini flowers) - paired with Hofflin Kaiserstukl 2015, Baden, Germany.
Celebration of ‘champignon du bellorr (textures of limited-edition cultured mushrooms from ‘Madame Siham’ in the Loire Valley - paired with Le Grappin Macon Villages 2015, Burgundy, France)
Sirloin of stockyard black label MB 8 + beef (creamed smoked potatoes, choy sum, baby onions, Espelette mustard) - paired with Tenuta Santa Maria Valpolicella Rispasso Superiore, Veneto, Italy.
Aerated pistachio Genoese (raspberry sorbet, nasturtium), - paired with Loersch-Eifel, Spatlese Old Vine 2011, West Germany.
‘Tiramisu’ Vacherin (chocolate, coffee, vanilla cream) – paired with Domain de la Rectorie Banyuls 2013, Roussillon, France.
Coffee or tea.
Award-winning Skye, which serves contemporary French cuisine, also has an excellent a la carte menu featuring its own dry-aged meats. Sommelier Oliver has a rack of 350 wine varieties, including Australian white wines from the Clare Valley, Yarra Valley and Adelaide Hills, with red wines from the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Yarra Valley and McLaren Vale.
The outside deck with a vibrant illuminated bar features a Skye ‘passport’ that gives patrons access to 12 exclusive cocktails inspired by different countries with native ingredients and garnishes. An in-house DJ sets the mood every night.
Voted the best business hotel in 2013 and 2014, the four-and-a-half star
Park Lane’s main target market is Asia-Pacific, particularly young executives from China, Korea, India and Indonesia. It has three floors with 13 function and meeting rooms.
Pullman wellness has recently been launched with yoga “hugely popular” on the rooftop garden and a personal trainer available for guests every Wednesday.   

*Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance. Benjamin Franklin.
*Australia is home to some of the world’s oldest vineyards, which date back to the 1850s.
*Italy is the world’s biggest wine producing country and has more than 2000 grape varieties.
When it came down to uniforms, the hotel copied the Pullman train brand. Staff uniforms are based on those worn by porters on the Pullman luxury trains.
The hotel has 10 mixologists (people skilled at making cocktails). They also work in other jobs at the Park Lane, which also gives local artists the chance to show off their skills by featuring their work in the lobby lounge.
Words: John Newton, who stayed as a guest of the Park Lane Hong Kong, a Pullman Hotel and Accor
​. https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-9843-the-park-lane-hong-kong-a-pullman-hotel/index.shtml

Read John’s feature of a day’s sightseeing in Hong Kong