How Hong Kong chef Vicky Lau is taking her Tate restaurant to a new level
For Tate’s third incarnation, Lau has forged a new sanctuary that reflects her creative maturity and evolving embrace of Chinese flavours
The brass ring on the door is the first clue that something has changed. No automatic sensor. No discreet sliding mechanism. Just a solid ring set into a metal facade, demanding that you press and wait for the door to be opened to let you in. It is a gesture that announces, before a single course lands, that this is dining as ritual.
For chef-proprietor Vicky Lau, whose Tate Dining Room has embarked on its third major incarnation in Sheung Wan, this relocation is less a change of address than a complete distillation of her craft.
After 14 years – first as a cosy 26-seat bistro on Elgin Street, then as a sprawling, pastel-hued institution on Hollywood Road with two Michelin stars – Lau has forged a new sanctuary that reflects her creative maturity.
When she first walked into the former antique shop on Lok Ku Road, with its sweeping vertical volume and historic character, the potential was immediate.
“When I walked in, I thought, wow, the ceiling is so high and beautiful,” Lau says. “My heart really wanted to stay in Sheung Wan … having your own style is actually quite special. And I have my own little ecosystem.”
To translate her vision into physical architecture, Lau partnered with New York and Shanghai-based designer Chris Shao.
“I saw his work and thought it was so beautiful,” she says. “Each project has its own style and uniqueness. Many small pieces aren’t just repeated over and over again; he always custom-designs them.”