Life Style

Temperatures are rising in Seoul and the K-drama world is heating up too. Here’s the latest casting news.1. Dream to YouReports suggest that Lee Yoo-mi and Hwang In-youp have been approached to lead Dream to You, a romantic comedy about a disillusioned reporter and a successful filmmaker.Lee has been asked to play Lee Jae, a once fearless reporter who experienced hard times, while Hwang has been offered the part of Woo Su-bin, a filmmaker who relentlessly chased his dream and found success.Hwang In-yeop in a still from Why Her? Photo: SBSModel and actor Hwang is known for his roles in 18 Again and True Beauty. He recently appeared in Family by Choice and will next be seen in Dear X alongside Kim Yoo-jung and Kim Young-dae.The series will be written by Jung Eun-bi, who previously worked on ...

After my niece’s wedding in London, I took several days off to explore the city, mostly on foot.It was summer, but the temperature was comfortable. I was a flâneur during those few lovely days, sauntering around town and enjoying the fascinating sights and sounds of London.While my home city of Singapore is as pedestrian-friendly as London, with sympathetically preserved historical buildings and precincts, interesting contemporary architecture, and even a Unesco World Heritage site (the beautiful Singapore Botanic Gardens), the extreme heat always makes me think twice about venturing outdoors there.There must be a flaw in the nerve receptors on my skin, because prolonged exposure to the tropical sun makes me physically ill, even when I have spent most of my life in a city where it is swelt...

At 73 years old, Pushpa Thakurdas Vatvani has the fitness and energy levels of somebody half her age.The resident of Jakarta, Indonesia, is free of the health issues that affect many people as they get older – no stiff joints, osteoporosis, heart problems, poor balance, anxiety or memory loss.She believes that she has yoga to thank for that.“People have told me that I move like someone in their 40s or 50s, and I still feel as strong and vibrant as I did when I was younger,” says Vatvani, who started studying “ancient” or “sacred” yoga under Indian yoga gurus in her mid-teens.Meditation is a big part of Pushpa Thakurdas Vatvani’s daily yoga practice. Photo: Pushpa Thakurdas VatvaniA guru appointed Vatvani to start teaching yoga in the 1970s. Since then, she has instructed people from all wa...

The secret to a good story is, as they say, in the telling.Legendary Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev wasted no time telling his tale to a packed audience in Hong Kong on June 17, launching into the Shigeru Kawai grand piano the very second he sat down.His recital was made up of two clearly opposed halves. The first saw his subdued yet thoughtful expressions of pathos and beauty in two of Beethoven’s pillar sonatas, while a vivid depiction of Nordic nostalgia in a selection of Grieg’s Lyric Pieces came after the intermission.The multifaceted musician-composer, whose distinguished international career began when he won first prize in the 1978 Tchaikovsky Competition, showed he had some real doozies up his sleeves despite exercising considerable emotional restraint in the first piece, Beethov...

Tired of staying out all night at the weekend and being hungover on Monday morning, two clubbers and music industry professionals in their late 20s have turned to the new global “coffee rave” trend – which turns cafes into dance clubs – to infuse some light into Hong Kong’s nightlife.Their “Social Club Series” consists of pop-up parties that are themed around a distinctive music genre and have a specific dress code. They are always held during the day and at a different venue only disclosed to ticket-holders.The idea is to create interesting events for Hongkongers looking for fun things to do on weekend afternoons.“Every time we go clubbing, we get so drunk and can’t do anything the next day,” says series co-founder Isaac Woo Siu-hin, a commercial and music video director. “An afternoon ev...

When it comes to miso, the first thing that comes to mind may be the fermented bean paste used in the well-known Japanese miso soup. The Chinese, however, have also long fermented soybeans, creating a similar ingredient known as fermented bean sauce.The use of soybeans was already prominent by the time of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China and the founder of the Qin dynasty (221BC-207BC), but it was in the Shiji – also known as the Records of the Grand Historian – written by historian Sima Qian around 100BC, where trade in fermented bean paste, or “yellow sauce”, was first mentioned.By contrast, miso has been a part of Japanese cuisine since at least the seventh century AD, though its origins are unclear. Some theories suggest it came from China or Korea and was later introduced to ...

Of all the spices, pepper is probably the most ubiquitous.Green peppercorns, white peppercorns and black peppercorns come from the same plant – the Piper nigrum vine. The stage at which they are picked and how they are processed determines the colour.The green peppercorn is the unripe fruit and it can be used fresh, dried or pickled. It is aromatic and hot, but not as strong as black or white peppercorns.Black peppercorns are also unripe, but the fruit has been processed, fermented and dried in a way that develops the flavour – making it more pungent than the green variety – and turns the exterior black and wrinkled.Green peppercorns are the unripe fruit of the Piper nigrum vine. Photo: ShutterstockWhite peppercorns are made from the fully ripe fruit, which is processed and the exterior re...

Within the sanctuary of Island Shangri-La, Ming Pavilion delivers a cuisine born from the warmth, freshness and flavour of the Fujian province of China. Having crossed borders and travelled through the kitchens of various Asian countries, Hokkien cooking has evolved to reflect the tastes and environments of these different cultures.Now, head chef Jack Lam Yeung is telling the story of this time-honoured cuisine and celebrating Hokkien culinary heritage by drawing out a multitude of flavours with Fujian ingredients.Head chef Jack Lam Yeung at Island Shangri-La’s Ming Pavilion. Photo: HandoutIn dishes like the Xiamen-style popiah, Lam redefines culinary traditions while skillfully balancing textures and flavours. “The overall texture of the popiah includes soft vegetables and crispy ingredie...

Many of Hong Kong’s high-end hotels are known for their elegant afternoon tea sets. Now one of them has gained attention on the global stage.Earlier this month, The Butterfly Room at Rosewood Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui won the world’s best afternoon tea award at the La Liste Pastry Awards 2025.French review aggregator La Liste’s multi-language platform features more than 35,000 restaurants, 3,000 pastry shops and 7,000 hotels around the world.The Rosewood’s win marks the first time a Hong Kong establishment has come out on top in the category. It shares the No 1 spot with Hotel San Regis in Paris.Items from The Butterfly Room’s afternoon tea set, which La Liste named the world’s joint best in 2025. Photo: Rosewood Hong KongThe Hong Kong hotel’s executive pastry chef, Jonathan Soukdeo, retu...

For the 2025 edition of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, the annual event was held for the first time in Italy, at the historic Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli at the Lingotto Fiere exhibition centre in Turin.Maido, a Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) fine-dining spot in Lima helmed by chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura, took home the top honour.The restaurant is no stranger to accolades from the 50 Best universe, having received top ranking four times on the Latin America edition of the list.“I dream of making people happy,” said a visibly emotional Tsumura when taking to the stage. “I think hospitality can do amazing things. They can make dreams come true, they can solve most problems that you think cannot be solved. I think that we should be an example for the world of what can be done and how ...