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Sushi in Tokyo: The Search for Perfection

Immerse into art of sushi in Tokyo. There's no better symbol of Japanese cuisine than sushi, where intense individual flavors are condensed into a single bite, so much craft essential to every piece. Visit the markets, where exotic sounds and smells are part of sourcing ingredients. You’ll prepare sushi in a world-renowned bar, where the kitchens provide a blank canvas for creation. You’ll come to understand the ideas behind the famous names, from Saito to Mizutani, nori to toro. And you’ll discover how sushi chefs pioneer the search for perfection.

In many ways, this famous cuisine is the quintessence of Tokyo. There’s a permanent search for unique expression in the city, seen everywhere from Harajuku to Tsukiji fish market. The authenticity of the experience comes when you journey beyond the simple facade, whether beneath the lights of the neon jungle or behind the carefully carved rolls. What at first seems simple is incredibly complex, something that’s unmistakable in the city’s atmosphere and the sushi restaurants you visit.

Our visit is much more than a handcrafted selection of Tokyo’s finest sushi restaurants. You share unique moments with Tokyo’s groundbreaking sushi chefs, showing you the science behind the art, and the inspiration behind the innovation. It’s more than just tasting the difference but also understanding why its different, from the smell and texture of raw market fish to discovering exactly where to cut. Then when you step out of the restaurants, expert foodie guides help you uncover why Tokyo is the world's most fascinating culinary capital.

Spices of Bangkok: The Bold and The Fiery

Sultry and engaging, Thailand's thoroughly exotic capital is a warm whirlwind of sights, sounds, smells and world-renowned flavors. One of the world's most exciting food destinations, featuring world-renowned street eats to an incredible diversity of cuisine served by a global collection of top Michelin chefs.

It is in Bangkok that anyone will find the most amazing city for a culinary journey. Thai chef Ian Kittichai as an example, is an ebullient figure who started off pushing a food cart through the city’s alleyways. He’s now the international face of Thai fine dining, spreading his local creations through cookbooks and television shows. You’ll spend a day cooking with Ian, a Thai master class with the down-to-earth atmosphere of the local street cart. There’s an honesty to food here, one that cuts through pretension and injects raw emotion into gastronomy.

But what to cook and what to try? Bangkok is a culinary capital of choice, with dozens of distinct dishes that could be considered the single icon of Thai food. Strong contrasting flavors roll about the tongue and the great local cuisine is all about balance. It’s a city that encourages flair, one that convinces you to throw away the measuring jugs and cook on feeling and improvisation. You must also be prepared to discard the menu and trust in the creations of the chef, having faith in their unique ability to find balance.

Bangkok really compels you to experiment, something that’s easy to do on a street food crawl. Like elsewhere on this trip, true exploration street food requires an experienced and devoted insider’s perspective. It’s not just about which stalls to eat at, but which dishes to sample at each place, and which combination of Thai cuisines four flavors best celebrates the culinary journey. Thai cuisine can be experienced in many ways, at world-class venues, from local street cart, to busy local cafes.

Insider’s Perspective on Shanghai’s Dumplings

The history of Shanghai’s dumplings is written in folklore. From one humble 19th-century store, a culinary fanaticism quickly spread across the entire city. In the 21st century, xiaolongbao has trended across the world. Endearingly simple yet sensually complex, these soup-filled dumplings have become both a staple and a fine food in Shanghai. Cooking them requires more than simply following a recipe. There’s a secret to the steaming, a craft to both the skin and the filling. You’ll later discover how these flavors vary dramatically from Cantonese dim sum, giving Shanghai its own culinary capital status.

The Iron Chef experience is centered on the pioneering figures behind the cuisine. Neal Fraser is with you throughout the tour and there’s something wonderfully indulgent about his enthusiasm. He implores you to explore with all your senses and impresses the idea of cooking beyond the norm. The featured chefs throughout the tour reflect the destinations, providing an insider’s perspective on both a city and its cuisine. In Shanghai you dine with triple Michelin-starred chef Paul Pairet, the iconic Frenchman behind restaurant Ultraviolet. Over the five culinary capitals you’re not merely tasting. You get to feel the passion behind the food, from a dumpling cooking class to a meal overlooking the famous Shanghai skyline.

Hong Kong’s Dim Sum: A Staple as Work of Art

Dim sum has been a Cantonese staple for over 2500 years. Yet unlike most of the world’s culinary staples, these steamed goodies have always been works of art. And much like art itself, the traditional dim sum brunch has always been evolving. Classic ideas are subtlety manipulated, fresh conceptions are always being added, and individual dishes have become icons to be replicated across the world. The Iron Chef experiences explores dim sum’s artistic journey. In Hong Kong you’ll search for the traditions behind it all, as well as discovering postmodern creations that crop up on street carts and backstreet haunts.

Of course, a master cooking class is integral to your understanding. You don’t just learn how to make har gow (shrimp dumplings), cheong fun (rice noodle rolls) or cha siu bao (a steamed bun with barbecued pork filling). You explore the core skills of the dim sum chef, allowing you to take the food back to your own kitchen. You’ll unravel the secrets of what tastes best and why, as well as discovering the Cantonese tea custom that accompanies dim sum. In Hong Kong, this is all found in elegant fine-dining restaurants and ambient local spots found on a street food crawl. Along the way, you also explore the hidden highlights of a city that only reveals its best, to those who know where to look.

Kaiseki in Kyoto: Culinary Expressions of Time and Place

Kaiseki comes from an almost forgotten era, from the time when meals were designed to be savored. It’s a celebration of raw ingredients, presented in small dishes that hide complexity behind a facade of simplicity. Freshness is integral. Masterful chefs calculate the perfect moments to prepare and serve each of the ingredients, redefining ideas of farm-to-table. Authenticity is woven into every bite and the experience is enhanced by the old-world landscapes of Kyoto. Japan’s ancient capital is home to 17 World Heritage Sites and you’ll discover an elegance that only the city knows, in both the food and the history.

Traditionally, Kaiseki was the food of Kyoto’s noble elite. But it is far from pretentious. It is founded on conveying respect, in making guests feel special, yet absolutely comfortable and at ease. This comes from kaiseki’s expression of time and place. Foraging for ingredients is part of the everyday, with chefs combing markets and wilderness for what should be enjoyed now. You’ll participate in this culinary hunt, coming to understand how ingredients should also match the prevailing atmosphere. You’ll also discover tea ceremonies and meet the chefs that are reshaping tradition.

There is no separation between food and setting in Kyoto. Much like the 2000 temples and shrines that dot the city, each meal has similar tenets: clarity, dignity, refinement. The multiple courses are served in a traditional tea house setting and there’s a simplicity to dining while sat on tatami mats. Every temple has its own unique atmosphere and can be experienced differently by every visitor. Kaiseki heightens the hospitality with a similar concept: every visitor is treated to something absolutely unique, with each dish fusing old-world tradition with the intimacy of today.

Spices of Bangkok: The Bold and The Fiery

Sultry and engaging, Thailand's exotic capital is a warm whirlwind of sights, sounds, smells and world-renowned flavors. One of the world's most exciting food destinations, from amazing street snacks to an incredible diversity of cuisine served by a global collection of top ex-pat chefs.

Perhaps it’s Bangkok that most celebrates the idea of a culinary journey. Take celebrity Thai chef Ian Kittichai as an example, an ebullient figure who started off pushing a food cart through the city’s alleyways. He’s now the international face of Thai fine dining, spreading his local creations through cookbooks and television shows. You’ll spend a day cooking with Ian, a Thai master class with the down-to-earth atmosphere of the local street cart. There’s an honesty to food here, one that cuts through pretension and injects raw emotion into gastronomy.

But what to cook and what to try? Bangkok is a culinary capital of choice, with dozens of distinct dishes that could be considered the single icon of Thai food. Strong contrasting flavors roll about the tongue and the great local cuisine is all about balance. It’s a city that encourages flair, one that convinces you to throw away the measuring jugs and cook on feeling and improvisation. You must also be prepared to discard the menu and trust in the creations of the chef, having faith in their unique ability to find balance.

Bangkok really compels you to experiment, something that’s easy to do on a street food crawl. Like elsewhere on the Iron Chef tour, truly exploring street food requires an insider’s perspective. It’s not just about which stalls to eat at, but which dishes to sample at each stall, and which combination of flavors best celebrates the culinary journey. Thai cuisine can be experienced in many ways and you’ll also eat at a world top 50 restaurant, completing your own culinary journey from local street cart to elegant fine dining.

Osaka: Japan's Kitchen

In Osaka, discover one of Asia's most delightful, under-the-radar culinary cities. The cuisine is so popular, the Japanese nickname for Osaka is the endearing Tenka no Daidokoro, meaning “the nation's kitchen.” While in the country's food capital, explore the culinary culture of two of the city’s most well-known gourmet areas—Tenma and Kyobashi, sampling some of Japan’s most delicious street food and drinks, including nomiyaki, a savory and popular pancake renowned throughout the country.

Osaka’s famous Kuromon Market is a half-mile long bustling place full of food stalls and cafes where we’ll spy every variety of seafood imaginable, as well as fresh meat and vegetable creations as well as learning about the market’s rich history.

Learn to prepare Osaka’s famous kushikatsu (deep fried meat and vegetables) and takoyaki (octopus balls), as well as other delicious street favorites.

Osaka's cooking-utensil street, is another place to pick-up high-quality knives, and explore the old, historic lanes of the city which still have cobblestones. As the sun sets, strolling the pulsing, neon-lit Dotonbori and Minami areas, stopping into a small local pub for drinks and people watching. Our dinner will feature learning about and dining on world-famous Kobe beef Teppanyaki.

Paul Pairet

Chef de Cuisine, Partner – Founder of:

Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet
Mr & Mrs Bund – Modern Eatery by Paul Pairet
Polux  – Casual French by Paul Pairet

Born and trained in France, Paul Pairet runs not one, but three renowned restaurants of different natures in Shanghai: the legendary modern eatery Mr & Mrs Bund, French café Polux, avant-garde and experimental Ultraviolet (below)—which received 3 Michelin stars and has been one of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2015.

Pairet first came of notice at Paris’s Cafe Mosaic, where the influences of his wandering career – by that point, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Jakarta – began to crystallize into a French-but-not-French style all his own.

Alvin Leung

With his trademark colour-streaked hair, cross earrings and sunglasses, chef Alvin Leung has blazed a trail of his own in the culinary arts. Leung’s culinary innovations and larger than life personality has established him as a global star on the international food scene.

The "Demon Chef" as he is popularly known was born in Britian, finding renown in Hong Kong where he moved to and purchased a speakeasy called "Bo Inosaki" for £3,000, renaming it Bo Innovation. A self-taught chef, Alvin and is famed for a style of cooking he calls "X-Treme Chinese". He is also a television personality, featured as a judge on MasterChef Canada.

Bo Innovation quickly became known as place where food was elevated to art, garnering two stars in the Michelin Guide's inaugural 2009 Hong Kong and Macau edition, later upgraded to three stars in 2014 edition, also ranked in 52nd place in the list of the World's Best Restaurants.

Kyoto's Kitcho

Chef Kunio Tokuoka is the grandson of Kitcho founder and creator of Japanese haute cuisine known worldwide as kaiseki, Teiichi Yuki. He is the first Japanese chef to be selected for a James Beard Award and Kitcho Arashiyama has been awarded 3 stars in the Michelin Guide

Regarded as the most beautiful restaurant in Kyoto, Kitcho's setting is sublime, built in a Japanese tea house style and surrounded by the lush surroundings of the verdant Arashiyama district.

Sushi Saito

Three Michelin star Sushi Saito is arguably Tokyo's finest, a small temple where the talented sushi master Toshio Saito works his craft. Sushi Saito is of the omakase style, an elaborate multi-course highly ritualized meal, leaving yourself in the hands of the chef to receive courses that are innovative, seasonal, elegant, artistic, and uses the finest ingredients.

Chef Takashi Saito serves delicacies such as sea urchin, eel, octopus, mackerel, and a variety of cuts of tuna with rice seasoned with slightly more salt than is customary and mild red vinegar.

Ian Kittachai

Thailand's leading star. Chef Pongtawat “Ian Kittichai” Chalermkittichai’s path to culinary success started from very humble beginnings in Bangkok. Every morning he would rise at 3 AM to accompany his mother to the wet market to select the best meats, seafood, and vegetables for her neighborhood grocery. While Ian was at school, she would cook a dozen different types of curries. Upon his return home, Ian would push a cart through the neighborhood to sell his wares, shouting: “Khao Geang Ron Ron Ma Leaw Jaar!” (Hot curry coming!).

After completing high school in Bangkok, Ian moved to London to study English with no intention of becoming a chef. Fate seemed to have other ideas though – while working part time at the Waldorf Hotel THF, the hotel chef saw something of great promise in young Ian. Before long, the hotel sponsored him to attend culinary school. He subsequently completed his culinary studies in Sydney, Australia and then spent his years of apprenticeship absorbing French fine dining cuisine at the famous Claude’s.

Jowett Yu | Ho Lee Fook

Jowett Yu dropped Ho Lee Fook (meaning 'good fortune for your mouth') like a bomb onto the Hong Kong dining scene. A funky chinese kitchen inspired by old-school Hong Kong cha chaan tengs and the spirit of late-night Chinatown hangouts in 1960's New York, the restaurant grew in popularity for its innovative fusion cuisine.

Chef Jowett has decamped with his family to Sydney, but his legacy lives on in a revamped and reopened Ho Lee Fook. The lively atmospehere remains, bolstered by the Aussie-style Chinese cuisine meant for sharing, with dishes typically shared around the table.

Asia World Heritage

Between food adventures, take in Asia's most magnificent sites, including the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Imperial Palace palaces and gardens in Tokyo and Kyoto, the world's most famous temple—Ginkaku-ji, instagram Fushimi Inari Shrine, below, Bangkok's Grand Palace and Wat Po.

Explore sublime gardens and landscapes, including the Moss Temple and iconic bamboo forest in Kyoto, and rivers, crusing the Sumida in Tokyo and Chao Praya in Bangkok, with a panoramic happy hour cruise on Hong Kong Harbor

Hong Kong

Legendary Orient

Bangkok

Exotic Siam

Tokyo

Spectacle

Kyoto Tea Ceremony

Japanese monks brought tea to Japan after traveling to China in the 6th century. Tea became valued for its medicinal qualities and was imported from China in the 8th century. However, ritualized tea drinking was only first practiced in Japan during the Kamakura period (1192–1333) by Zen monks, who drank tea to keep awake during long sessions of meditation. Nobility later took to drinking it at lavish parties and Murata Shuko (1422–1502) developed the custom’s initial spiritual aspects and ritual in Kyoto, which was embraced by the samurai.

The most famous exponent of the tea ceremony was Sen Rikyū, an aesthete at the 16th-century court of the military dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who codified the ceremony into a style known as wabi-cha (meaning roughly “simplicity,” “quietude,” and “absence of ornament”), which still enjoys popularity in Japan. The preference of the wabi-chatea masters for simple, seemingly rustic objects for use in the tea ceremony led to the production of tea utensils in this simple style most notably the famous pottery used for pots, bowls and cups, known as raku ware.

Since then, tea has become a quintessential part of Japanese culture and sipped everywhere, from Tokyo’s hip cafés to elaborate tea ceremonies in Kyoto's temple gardens. Wazuka, near Kyoto, is landscapes of undulating tea bushes and where the country's finest and most prized-tea tea, Ujicha, is from.

A tea practitioner, or host, must be familiar not only with preparing tea, but also the production and types of tea and associated components, including kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, incense and a wide range of other disciplines and traditional arts in addition to his or her school's tea practices. The study of tea ceremony takes many years and often lasts a lifetime and there are tea ceremony schools—the main ones, Urasenke and Omotesenke, have their headquarters located in Kyoto

THE TEA CEREMONY

The point of the chaji (ritual), in which a light meal and whisked powdered matcha (tea) are served by a host to a few invited guests, is founded in the samurai ideal “one lifetime, one meeting” (ichigo, ichie). It is a moment to be treasured. A host presenting a decorated bowl of matcha to one of their guests.

The tea ceremony emphasized the following four qualities: harmony between the guests and the implements used; respect, not only among the participants, but also for the utensils; cleanliness which is derived from Shintō practices, requiring participants to wash their hands and rinse their mouths as symbolic gestures of cleansing before entering the cha-shitsu; and tranquillity, which is imparted through long and caring use of each component of the tea ceremony.

HOW TO TAKE TEA

The Perfect Matcha

The tea ceremony is a well-orchestrated series of ritualized action. First, meet your fellow guests, before walking through the grounds of the teahouse, performing ablutions en route. Once inside the tea room, you should compliment the features of the room, and the quality of the utensils, while you watch the tea being prepared. After being served tea, only after bowing can you consume the wagashi (sweet) and tea.

Not being Japanese, our hostess will provide guidance about the complex etiquette and Zen ideals of the ceremony and after our tea is consumed, we will be free to inquire about the various implements and other questions.

To drink matcha, sit seiza (kneeling) on the tatami mat, bow to your host when offered a steaming bowl, then hold the tea with your right hand, and place it in the palm of your left. Turn the bowl clockwise about 90 degrees, raise it with both hands, and then empty the matcha in three gulps.

Bangkok

Gilded temples

Aman Tokyo

One of the grandest hotels in the world. A Zen temple, located thirty floors above Tokyo. It is the most interesting, newest addition, and a unique one for Aman. Opening its doors in 2015, the property is Aman's first "urban sanctuary." Situated on the top six floors of the 38-story Otemachi Tower, the Aman enjoys a prime location near the Imperial Palace Gardens with superlative city views.

Unlike its more rustic and rural resorts, the urban sanctuary echoes the city's modernity but noted Aussie firm Kerry Hill Architects, who's work includes the Singapore Tower, designed the Aman interiors in a traditional austere Japanese style featuring locally-sourced materials including timber, washi paper, fabrics, and stone, which are employed throughout and blended with high-tech devices. The hotel's inner area also features a pair of traditional rock gardens.

The 84 rooms are spacious, measuring from the deluxe category at 71 square meters (765 square feet), which represents the largest entry-level rooms in the city. Premier rooms have a view towards the Tokyo Skytree, Japan's tallest tower, and suites feature a spacious open living room with a pantry, measuring in at 141 sq. meters (1,517 sq. feet). Every room features large traditional Japanese soaking tubs with stunning views out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Four Seasons Kyoto

The Four Seasons Kyoto features a standout location in Kyoto, situated right within in the historic Higashiyama district, but with a with a tranquil and sublime setting upon a centuries-old garden and pond.

The modern, yet traditional rooms at the Four Seasons are crafted with dark hardwood floors and hand-painted wooden panels with fusama screens of bright shades of pale blue and imperial purple. Spacious bathrooms are dominated by inviting large soaking tubs. A number of signature suite rooms also have balconies and beautiful views of the gardens. Let us match you to the best room.

It's the location that's key here, with the Kamo River only a couple of blocks away, the Kyoto National Museum, a short stroll, and a pair of less popular temples nearby and other highlights of the area, including Gion, are also not far.

Mandarin Oriental

The Oriental is like Graham Greene-you can't visit this part of Asia without hearing about either one. The legendary 1887 hotel is the Raffles of Bangkok with world-famous service that is equally part of the Oriental experience. Few other hotels in the world inspire such loyalty of past clients (the hotel is famous for remembering guest's preferences decades after their last stay). Now with an adjacent, modern tower, most rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows looking directly onto the bustling river tableau. If prestige is paramount or you're curious to experience what the fuss is all about, then by all means this should be your first choice in Bang kok.

The busy lobby is a popular meeting point for the city's social and business elite and world-class restaurants include Le Normandie for gourmet French cuisine, Lord Jim's for the city's finest seafood and Sala Rim Naam for traditional Thai cuisine featuring a nightly classical Thai dance show. Before or after dinner, the atmospheric Bamboo Bar features live jazz.

Two outdoor pools surrounded by thick palms, and via a quick ferry ride across the river, are the hotel's tennis and squash courts, premier health and beauty spa, children's day care center, and renowned cooking school.

The standard of personal service is incomparable, marked by a personal butler, many who have served here for decades, who efficiently manage your every whim.

The Mandarin Oriental features the ultimate midday oases for kids to escape the typically high heat and cacophony of the streets. The Oriental ice cream cart which cruises the pool area, features fresh hand made cream.

Our take

The Oriental boasts the longest serving staff of any hotel in the world, with many on the job for decades. Take advantage of their local knowledge, they are a valuable resource. The best breakfast in Bangkok with fabulous views on the river, try the Thai style omelet. Even if not staying here, we recommend a visit for afternoon tea service in the splendid Author's Lounge or drinks at the Bamboo Bar (above).

Ritz Carlton Shanghai

Consistently ranked the top property in Shanghai, fabulous modern rooms and public areas make the Ritz a sumptuous place to stay in an ideal location in Shanghai's buzzing Pudong. The hotel's design Ritz pays homage to city's rich Art Deco past, with a modern update. Stylish rooms feature elegant cream-and-latte marble bathrooms with gold accents and vivid views over the Bund and the city.

The rooftop bar, Flair, located at 58 stories high, is the city's highest featuring stunning views of Pudong's skyline and Oriental Pearl Tower, enveloping you in the city's tableau. ESPA Spa on the 55th floor is the city's finest, offering soothing treatments with a view.

Hoshinoya Ryokan

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

From the iron lanterns that light the moss-traced stone walkways to the lashed bamboo fences, every detail has been well considered. The hotels lounge area, a library, is restocked throughout the day with snacks by the attentive staff who speak excellent English. After a day exploring Arashiyama, they rooms heated wooden floors and deep cedar soaking tubs provide comfort and vantage point to take in views of lush green gardens and mountains.

As in a traditional ryokan, Hoshinoya is a retreat not only from busy Kyoto but from modernity. Elegant restaurant serving authentic Kyoto cuisine with a modern take. In the evening, after you've eaten an excellent Japanese or French meal and changed into provided silk robes, relax in the Zen rock garden and watch the river flow by. In the morning, observe the foxes, deer, and even monkeys pass through the forest. Arashiyama is renowned for its temples which are well worth visiting. During your stay, experience morning worship rituals and meditation techniques from Zen monks on a temple visit, take a class in Japanese flower arranging and during summer, or go onto the river in the evening to watch 'ukai' or men fishing with the aid of cormorants, by firelight.

Our take

A truly sublime setting around a bend on the river beneath the lush forests of Arashiyama. One of the two top ryokan in Kyoto.

Hong Kong Upper House - Island Hideaway

Situated atop the Pacific Place shopping and entertainment center, The Upper House is an oasis of tranquility in fast-paced Hong Kong. Envisioned and styled by renowned designer Andre Fu, The Upper House evokes a luxurious private residence with a focus on tranquility and quietude. Natural materials, distinctive sculptures, and original modern artwork all contribute to the intimate, inviting atmosphere of this Hong Kong luxury hotel, while contemporary design and lavish amenities assure an unmatched level of comfort.

With the Upper House hotel, of-the-moment designer Andre Fu has fashioned a high-style Mt Olympus in the heavens over Hong Kong. Live like a lord of the city from your spacious studio or suite's perch overlooking the skyline, then head down to join the mere mortals for some retail therapy at sleek designer mega-mall Pacific Place.

Café Gray Deluxe is already a Hong Kong institution. Mid-week you may share it with a few sharp-suited financiers, but it's just more new China, high-life grist to the mill as you all revel in the killer harbor views and classic cuisine of master chef Gray Kunz. Try the tarragon-infused Crab Bisque or the delicate saffron-scented Pasta Fiore; the heirloom-tomato salad from the hills of Hong Kong Island was also a revelation. Who'd of thunk it?

At the bar Powder-blue, curved banquettes and a 14-metre-long marble bar make Café Gray Deluxe Bar and Lounge, alongside the restaurant, a suitably showy outpost of the Upper House home away from home. Snuggle up for a crazy cocktail creation from master mixologist Sam Jeveons, or swing by in the afternoon to check your email in style (WiFi is free). The gorgeous Skylounge across the aerial bridge is a more chilled-out spot for relaxing with a drink or snack, board game or good book, with a warming fire in winter and savvy 'guest experience managers' on tap if you need advice or help.

Our take: Hong Kong's finest boutique hotel with ideal Central location.

Patrick Morris

Chief Experience Officer

Patrick had organized and lead trips throughout Asia for over 25 years, including the first culinary and adventure trips in Southeast Asia with deep destination knowledge and contacts.

NEAL FRASER

Red Bird & Vibiana Founder

Neal has been a trendsetter in Los Angeles restaurant scene for nearly three decades, now running the celebrated Red Bird and Vibiana. Neal has also toured extensively in Asia, and lead culinary trips several times, including our popular Iron Chef Vietnam trips.

TREE TAM

Founder & Culinary Specialist

A self-taught cook, Tree has mastered specialty dishes from every almost every cuisine in Asia and has spent twenty years organizing culinary trips throughout the region. A graduate from RISD majoring in textiles, she is also an expert on Asian fabrics and design.

Angkor

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

Song Saa

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.

In the style of traditional Japanese homes with 21st-century architecture, this sublime 25-room ryokan sits high on the banks above the dreamy Hozugawa River, transporting you back in time. Located in the Arashiyama district, an area abundant with temples, the hotel is reached only by a slow cruise in a hinoki, a traditional cedar boat. The rooms are richly finished in cedar, hand-blocked wallpaper, modern floor-to-ceiling glass shoji screens and chic dark slate bathrooms, with wide picture windows, and lofty duvets, not tatami mats, to relax on. All guest rooms feature views of the tranquil river surrounded by a tree-covered landscape that changes with the seasons.