Joshua Friend is one of our Senior Account Managers, based in London. Earlier this year, he took the opportunity to work in our Hong Kong office for two months. He was warmly welcomed by our Hong Kong colleagues, with whom he shared many memorable meals and wonderful wines.

“Fancy working in Hong Kong for a few months, Josh?” 

“Yeah, alright then!”

I’m paraphrasing, of course; life isn’t quite so simple, but I was delighted to be offered an opportunity to work in Hong Kong for two months and quickly found myself on a 14-hour flight heading east. 

Having never visited Asia, let alone Hong Kong, my nerves were drowned out by excitement. My first challenge, having collected my luggage from the extremely smooth Hong Kong International Airport, was to negotiate my way to my hotel without any cash. After a long flight the occasional grunt from the cab driver was enough conversation to satisfy us both. I pulled up to my sky-scraping hotel; at first glance it was clear that I would be living the high life in Fortress Hill (literally up on the 19th floor), overlooking Tsim Sha Tsui and Victoria Harbour. After successfully checking in and catching up on much-needed sleep, it was time to meet my new colleagues.  

I was greeted with open arms and a compulsory dim sum lunch invitation; the much-anticipated lunch quickly came around. Being a newbie in Asia and having a Western palate, they were very keen to test me: I was told that I have the chopsticks ability of a young child, which I took as a compliment. A delicious array of dim sum was washed down ’09 Lafite, ’17 Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot by Vougeraie and ’17 Les Chapaudaises by Guiberteau; as first days go, it was not so bad. 

The food in Hong Kong more than lives up to its reputation. I was offered an abundance of recommendations, all of which exceeded expectations. A very small recommendation, but if you find yourself in Central and fancy a quick bite for lunch, visit Big JJ’s Seafood Hotpot restaurant – their beef noodles are cheap and delicious.  

How can I talk about food in Hong Kong without mentioning hot pot? Everyone I met in and outside of work was so welcoming, and invitations to dinners and lunches were hard to decline, especially when they knew full well that I didn’t have any mates in the city and had zero plans. I’m proud to say that I had hot pot on four consecutive Fridays in a row. If you’re unfamiliar with hot pot, it’s essentially a big boiling spicy broth in the middle of the table that you dunk fine cuts of meat and vegetables into over three to four hours. They are social and fun, and the food is exceptional. The novelty takes a while to wear off, but I don’t think I could have stomached a fifth.  

Hong Kong’s appeal as a wine trade hub is multifaceted. The city’s strategic location, free-market economy, and lack of tariffs on wine imports have made it an attractive destination for wine producers and merchants, like us. One of the most noticeable differences between the UK and Hong Kong was how price-savvy customers are. Due to the lack of restrictions, any Tom, Dick and Harry can set up a wine company if they have sufficient funds, meaning that just a £10 difference in price can be the difference between a sale and no reply to an email.  

This is where service is so important. If you want attentive, empathetic and thoughtful service, speak to one of our Hong Kong Account Managers. Their passion and love for wine is second to none. Customers always come first with every decision made. Their exquisite wine dinners rival our amazing events in our cellars at No.3 St James’s.  

After countless wine tastings, four consecutive hot pots and many calorific dim sum lunches balanced by beautiful weekend hikes, my two-month secondment in Hong Kong came to an end. It was an invaluable experience that was both professionally rewarding and personally enriching. If you ever get offered the chance to visit my new favourite city, take it.