Exclusive: The Boar brings authentic British pub experience to Hong Kong’s Central
British pubs, once common across the city, have dwindled in the past decade, but there’s a new opening hoping to revive the tradition
If a good pint is what you’re after, Matt Richardson may have a solution. As one of the brains behind The Boar, a new British public house (where the shortened form and better-known term, “pub”, comes from) and restaurant in Central, he has been working to bring an authentic watering-hole experience to Hong Kong – even travelling to Ireland to perfect the Guinness pour in time for the establishment’s September 1 opening.
“I’m going to Dublin in two weeks, just to study it,” Richardson tells me about his late-August plans to visit the Guinness Storehouse. We’re sitting inside his office on Elgin Street, just one step from his latest venture. “Between me going right to the source and us [ensuring] that we’ve got the best beer lines, coolers and cleanliness … that’s the best we can do, that’s what makes a great Guinness. Every little bit counts, because the liquid in the barrel is not even the main element.”
Originally from Milton Keynes, northwest of London, Richardson has kept himself busy in the nine years he’s been in Hong Kong. He is the founder and managing director of Big Top Hospitality, the group behind Australian restobar Bourke’s, American-style saloon Honky Tonks Tavern, Mediterranean seaside terrace Terracotta Lamma, fresh pasta bar Twist in Sheung Wan, and bagel joint and delicatessen Mendel’s.
With five restaurants already in his portfolio, the British restaurateur is finally opening something that connects him to his roots, but with a name that pays homage to his time in both Hong Kong and Britain. “Boars are the largest land mammals in Hong Kong, but you can also find them all around the UK,” explains Richardson. “Here, they’re kind of loved, aren’t they? You walk up The Peak, and people are super excited to see a little family of boars walking around. I quite enjoy it.”
Behind the pass, he has brought on two British chefs with fine-dining pedigrees: executive chef Graham Long, who has worked in Michelin-rated kitchens across London and launched culinary concepts for luxury hotels in Hong Kong. Day-to-day kitchen operations are run by head chef Jake Bennett, who cut his teeth at several Simon Rogan restaurants, including three-Michelin-star L’Enclume in Britain’s Lake District. Most recently, he was at The Baker and The Bottleman, in Wan Chai.