Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town on the Rise

The coffee shop at Potato Head.

The coffee shop at Potato Head.

And then there’s Sai Ying Pun, another “local” neighborhood of narrow one-way streets and pedestrian walkways on the steep lower slopes of 
Victoria Peak to the west of Sheung Wan. For those who still see K-Town as too much of a frontier but are looking for cheaper rents and a more eclectic vibe than what’s found in Central and Sheung Wan, Sai Ying Pun has proven an easy compromise. It’s here that award-
winning hotelier-turned-restaurateur Yenn Wong has just opened two new concepts: Potato Head, a venture with Indonesian hospitality group PTT Family that’s part restaurant, part coffee shop, part cocktail bar, and part lifestyle retail space; and Rhoda, an elegant local grill with chef Nate Green, formerly of 22 Ships and Ham & Sherry, in the kitchen.

“Restaurateurs like us are always on the lookout for areas that are interesting and at the same time can offer better rentals,” says Wong. “This allows us to offer more to our customers rather than paying hefty rents to landlords. Being in Sai Ying Pun, we are surrounded by unique neighborhoods such as Kennedy Town, Sai Wan, and Sheung Wan. In all of these areas there are many new residential developments that are attracting young professionals as well as families, and these are the audiences that we hope will appreciate and enjoy the concepts we are offering.”

She’s not alone. Opendoor Café + Courtyard, near the harborfront’s beautiful Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, serves vegan and paleo-friendly dishes alongside specialty beverages like almond-milk lattes and kefir smoothies. Up the hill, Above Second, just down from the towering granite facade of the Sai Ying Pun Community Complex, is one of the first modern art galleries to progress this far west. Directed by May Wong, the space is dedicated to bold new art, from illustration and graphic design to graffiti and street art. It is joined by Galerie Huit, founded by Jane Chao-Lee, which recently relocated to Sai Ying Pun’s Soho 189 Art Lane and focuses on emerging Asian artists. Art lovers can take a break between exploring the two gallery spaces with a gourmet cup of joe at Winstons Coffee on Queens Road West, or opt for something stronger at Ping Pong Gintonería, a Spanish gin joint housed in a former ping pong club. With the high profile openings by Yenn Wong, it’s expected many other restaurants, galleries, artist’s studios, bookstores, and boutiques will venture west, if not to K-Town then to Sai Ying Pun.

Looking down on Kennedy Town Station’s Forbes Street exit.

Looking down on Kennedy Town Station’s Forbes Street exit.

The real vibe, however, remains in Kennedy Town, where the lines of espresso-seekers outside The Cofftea Shop never seem to shorten, where the weekend fedora-wearing brunch crowd snap up every outdoor table, and where the rumbling trams continue to draw as many selfies as they do commuters.

“Kennedy Town has managed to resist change for a long time,” says Tim Somer, a New Zealand–born investment banker who has lived there for 12 years. “Yes, there are more people now and more reasons to visit, but that won’t change the neighborhood. We will always be that quiet little corner at the end of the tram line. We’ll just be a little cooler.”

 

THE DETAILS

KENNEDY TOWN
Catch – 93 Catchick St.; 852/2855-1289
Chino – 1B-1C New Praya; 852/2606-0588
Craft Brew & Co – 27-31 Catchick St.; 852/2246-8782
Fugazi – 21 Catchick St.; 852/2817-7377; no website.
Kinsale – Shop 3, New Fortune House, 3-5 New Praya; 852/2796-6004
K-Town Bar & Grill – 44 Forbes St.; 852/2855-1368
Missy Ho’s – Shop G9, Sincere Western House, 48 Forbes St.; 852/2817-3808
Picnic on Forbes – Shop C&D G/F 38 Forbes St.; 852/2855-0810
Shoreditch – 18 Catchick St.; 852/2242-3777
Sun Hing – Shop C, 8 Smithfield Rd.
The Cofftea Shop – Shop H, 78–86 Catchick St.; 852/9104-2404

SAI YING PUN
Above Second – 9 First St.; 852/3483-7950
Galerie Huit – Shop 2, Soho 189 Art Lane, 189 Queens Rd. West; 852/2803-2089
Opendoor Café + Courtyard – 120 Connaught Rd. West; 852/3460-3880
Ping Pong Gintonería – Nam Cheong House, 129 Second St.; 852/9835-5061
Potato Head Hong Kong – 100 Third St.; 852/2858-6066
Rhoda – The Upton, 345 Des Voeux Rd. West; 852/2177-5050
Winstons Coffee – 213 Queens Rd. West; 852/2559-5078

This article originally appeared in the August/September print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Western Promise”).

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