How does one celebrate after an arduous three-week quarantine in a hotel?
Bryan and I flew back to Hong Kong after spending close to three months outside of Hong Kong. At that point, it had been 1.5 years since we had seen our families in the U.S. Bryan’s sister had pushed back her wedding (originally planned for 2020) back a whole year. We decided to fly to the US to attend the wedding, despite knowing we would need to quarantine upon returning to Hong Kong, who was (and is still!) pursuing a dynamic zero Covid policy.
Three weeks in a hotel room is tough, but we are thankful that we were able to quarantine together. After 3 weeks, it was so freeing to finally be able to walk around Hong Kong, and even venture out to eat at restaurants.
We were ”released” on the morning of December 23rd, just two days before Christmas. On Christmas day, we visited Arbor for the first time and enjoyed their special Christmas meal.
We absolutely loved our meal there. The food was elegant, exquisitely executed, and just very, very good in so many different ways. It’s hard to believe we waited this long to try it. Chef-owner Eric Räty, who hails from Finland, is expressing one of my favorite styles of cuisines: Japanese ingredients, French technique, and a Nordic focus on bringing out the flavors of natural ingredients.
Little did we know that Omicron was lurking around the corner, and in just a few weeks the open life of enjoying dinners at restaurants would stop completely for many, many months. We’re so thankful we had the opportunity to enjoy a few really nice dinners out in Hong Kong before the multi-month period of restrictions that followed.
Bread + Small Bites
Seafood
Signature Dish: Wagyu Beef
Palate Cleanser + Dessert
Christmas at Arbor in Hong Kong
The last time we saw our families in-person during Christmas was 2019. In 2020 the whole world was in lockdown. We were very, very thankful that we could finally see our families in the fall of 2021, even though we could not stay in the US all the way to Christmas. Still, Bryan and I were very thankful that we were able to be together, both for the 3-week quarantine and for the holidays. We are also especially grateful to all the people who worked so hard on a holiday in order to allow us to enjoy such a nice meal.
The two Michelin stars that this restaurant holds is well deserved.
Can’t wait to go back.
Arbor Hong Kong
25/F, H Queen's, 80 Queen's Road
Central, Hong Kong
