For chef and restaurateur Vicky Lau, food has never existed in isolation. A lifelong interest in art, craftsmanship and design first drew her to study graphic design in the US, and continues to inform an approach that has helped redefine fine dining in Hong Kong by treating food, architecture and hospitality as inseparable.
Her new restaurant in Sheung Wan, opening 4 August 2026 just a few steps from the original two Michelin-starred Tate Dining Room, now closed, is the clearest expression yet of that thinking. Seating just 20 guests, the two-storey, 5,500 sq ft space devotes more than 60 per cent of its footprint to the unseen rituals of hospitality: an exceptionally well-equipped kitchen, wine cellar, office, laundry and generous back-of-house spaces where the team can eat, rest and prepare for service.
Designer Chris Shao, whose studio spans New York, Shanghai and Dubai, has translated that philosophy into architecture, creating interiors that feel unmistakably Lau's own.
The arrival is treated as the first act. The façade is finished in metal printed to resemble marble, its fine vertical veining gives little indication of what lies beyond. There is no automatic door or sensor; guests press the brass ring set into it before stepping through a ceramic arch into the reception.
‘I dream of time at Tate feeling like being welcomed into an elegant private home, where only a few guests are received and every detail unfolds with quiet grace,’ Lau says.
The rooms unfold gradually in soft shades that range from warm taupe, mushroom beige and ivory to mocha brown, soft pewter and sage expressed through a remarkable level of craftsmanship with eggshell lacquer and plaster finishes, handmade ceramics, and French textiles embroidered in China. Much of the furniture and lighting has been custom designed, including chairs with a discreet drawer that slides out to form a shelf for a mobile phone. Adjustable sconces cast a gentle glow across each table through their illuminated stems.
Upstairs, via a spiral staircase that introduces a subtle art nouveau note, a private dining room for 12 centres on the chef's table. Embroidered dandelion and mushrooms shimmer across a curtain, while a carpet traces the pattern of ginkgo leaves.
The refinement of the interiors owes much to Lau's clarity of vision, Shao says. ‘She was very decisive when I would show her options for fine details. She immediately knew what she loved, or didn't.’
The same precision extends beyond the dining room into the kitchen, where Lau continues to refine her distinctive interpretation of French-Chinese cuisine. A Korean charcoal grill sits alongside a powerful gas wok, artisan bread proofer and dedicated deck oven, while guéridon service allows dishes to be completed tableside, preserving both temperature and aroma.
Among the inaugural dishes is 'Ode to Pigeon', inspired by the ancient craft of clay-baking, where the breast is wrapped in red clay before being served alongside mui choy, spiced poultry jus and a clear broth made from fig bark and pigeon bones.
‘I often think of the tasting menu as a form of kung fu, a discipline built on small, precise movements, from the selection of ingredients to the delicate balance of flavour and presentation. Every plate is custom-designed for its dish, and each sauce carries meaning, an ode to nature and to what we're given, so every meal becomes a celebration.’
Tate opens on 4 August 2026 at G/F, 68 Lok Ku Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, tate.com.hk