Chateh and Sungai Wang

(Image credit: Dennis Lo)

last updated 19 October 2022

Hong Kong designer Nelson Chow, has pared back the look of traditional Asian dining spaces to create a crisp, minimalist aesthetic for a Malaysian-Chiu Chow Chinese restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. ‘We embrace tradition, but interpret it in a new, modern, more casual way for a younger crowd,’ explains Chow. The dining area is divided into two main spaces: Sungai Wang, dedicated to Malaysian cuisine, features a wall wrapped in sinuous dark wood that morphs into an open-kitchen counter with stools that reference traditional drums. Centrally located, over-sized abstract fishing ‘baskets’ double as semi-private dining booths while creating a dedicated entrance to the adjacent modern Chinese Chateh. Here, wooden screens – a contemporary nod to the classic courtyard house – frame casual communal tables and walls flanked with generously sized banquettes with star-like clusters of pendant lighting overhead. Happily, the menus remain reassuringly nostalgic with timeless favourites like Beef Rendang or sliced goose meat with tofu.

An image of the dining hall at Chateh and Sungai Wang restaurant in Hong Kong.

An image of the Chateh and Sungai Wang restaurant in Hong Kong

An image of Chateh and Sungai Wang restaurant in Hong Kong

ADDRESS

132 Nathan Road

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Dennis Lo

Catherine Shaw is a writer, editor and consultant specialising in architecture and design. She has written and contributed to over ten books, including award-winning monographs on art collector and designer Alan Chan, and on architect William Lim's Asian design philosophy. She has also authored books on architect André Fu, on Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, and on Beijing-based OPEN Architecture's most significant cultural projects across China.