Okra — Hong Kong, China
![Overview of Okra restaurant in Hong Kong](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gDf54gHG3gmhsrVtfAQzRE-415-80.jpg)
When Max Levy – the man behind Beijing’s Okra 1949 – was looking for a spot for his new venture Okra Hong Kong, he narrowed his search down to the Sai Ying Pun neighbourhood. ‘We didn’t want a location that’s going to get commercial too fast,’ says the New Orleans-native, by way of explaining why he settled for the four-storey building built in 1852 that rubs shoulders with contemporary art galleries, Buddhist incense shops and traditional herbalists.
Working with the interior designer Sean Dix, Levy, who also runs the kitchen, has kept the narrow interiors spare, with warm timber table tops and just 12 bar seats and six standing tables that front the open kitchen. Stretching along the length of the restaurant is an eye-catching Toshio Saeki mural.
The MO here is firmly tachinomi, which explains the paucity of seats. All the better to enjoy Levy’s Japanese slash modern small-plates menu. The combinations are intriguing – wild Sicilian seaweed tossed with soy salt and dashi jelly; smoked anchovies with salted Buddha’s Hand fruit, tofu skin and shiso; and Black Angus prime chuck seasoned with burnt olive oil.
Pair it all with an impressive list of sake that’s headlined by a five-year-old Wakatakeya Genrokshu Junmai Koshu.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
110 Queen’s Road West
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Hong Kong hotel Lanson Place gets a serene new look
Lanson Place Causeway Bay, Hong Kong is a luxurious hotel newly reimagined by Pierre-Yves Rochon
By Simon Mills Published
-
Kinsman cocktail bar shakes up Hong Kong scene with Cantonese spirits
Kinsman is a Cantonese cocktail bar in Hong Kong that celebrates traditional spirits while also creating innovative concoctions for the future
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Inside Palazzo Versace Macau, a lavish, mosaic-rich hotel
Palazzo Versace Macau, the brand’s first hotel in Asia, continues to preserve Donatella Versace’s swanky hospitality vision
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Chef Anne-Sophie Pic’s new Cristal Room restaurant dazzles in Hong Kong
Cristal Room is the Michelin-starred chef's debut in Hong Kong, designed by Gilles & Boissier and adorned with Baccarat crystal
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Hong Kong restaurant Leela reimagines Indian flavour amid ‘poetic’ André Fu interiors
Leela in Hong Kong is the first solo project of chef Manav Tuli, whose take on historic dishes is matched by André Fu’s rich interior design
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Intervals Bar in Hong Kong International Airport focuses on the journey before the destination
Intervals Bar is a first-of-its-kind cocktail concept designed to enhance the pre-flight experience of global travellers
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Hong Kong’s Artifact Bar is the city’s latest cocktail haven
Designed by Nelson Chow, Hong Kong’s Artifact Bar is a vibrant, futuristic cocktail bar inspired by the serpentine architecture of underground cisterns
By Catherine Shaw Published
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
By Chadner Navarro Published