Life Style

As we begin to bid farewell to summer, Kowloon is offering a packed weekend for those seeking refuge from the rain. Manila-born coffee-cocktail hybrid concept Raion arrives at Avoca at the Mondrian, whilst Bar Buonasera hosts Laizhou Bar from Shanghai as part of its seventh anniversary celebrations. Last but not least, it’s one of the last weekends to take a sip of Terrible Baby’s summer specials.Friday, August 22Raion x AvocaRaion arrives from Manila as Shinichi Itoh (left) and Kate Osmillo (right) take over Avoca. Photos: HandoutWhat: In just its second year, Raion from Manila has been making waves for its two-pronged approach, serving coffee by day and cutting-edge contemporary cocktails by night. Co-founders Shinichi Itoh and Kate Osmillo arrive in Hong Kong to take over Avoca at Mondr...

At just 19 years old, Belle Sisoski moves with the certainty of an artist twice her age.While her peers navigate university life, temporary jobs – even the occasional existential crisis – this Malaysian performing artist has already mastered more than 30 traditional instruments, composed genre-defying electronic anthems and built a social media empire, all while spearheading a cultural revival of Southeast Asia’s endangered musical heritage.In today’s segmented music industry, where artists are packaged in neat little boxes, Sisoski defies categorisation.Classically trained pianist? Check. Digital native with millions of followers? Absolutely. Ethnomusicologist preserving near-extinct tribal instruments? Without question.Her live performances that see her seamlessly shifting between throat...

With British period drama Downton Abbey drawing to a close in September, some fans took solace by getting close to memorable props and costumes from the much-loved British saga as they went on sale on August 18.Everyone has their favourite piece, including Charlie Thomas of London’s Bonhams auction house, which is holding the sale.He had no hesitation in highlighting the “bell wall”, the servant’s call system that appears from the first series to the last, as his favourite item.“Just to prove it’s a working bell, look at that – I expect someone’s going to deliver tea in a minute,” he joked while testing out the item, which is valued between £6,000 (US$8,100) and £8,000.An assortment of table props used in Downton Abbey. Photo: AFPThomas, who is in charge of the auction, suspects that it wi...

1/5 starsThe court of public opinion is in session and casts its judgemental eye over a freak incident at a public hospital in the mainland Chinese thriller Malice, produced and co-scripted by blockbuster filmmaker Chen Sicheng and directed by Lai Mukuan and Yao Wenyi.Zhang Xiaofei (Hi, Mom) stars as Ye Pan, an ambitious journalist whose hunger for a sensational story spirals out of control after a nurse and a young female patient fall from the hospital’s roof.Mei Ting co-stars as Qian, the mother of the young victim, who cries foul and demands justice, only to also fall under polarising scrutiny.Malice points an accusatory finger at online news agencies, which have exploded in number and popularity across China in recent years.

When you Google “Maumere”, tempting photos of turquoise waters, pristine beaches and coconut palm trees set against a lush, volcanic landscape pop up. The town, the second largest on Indonesia’s Flores island, is lauded as a “best-kept secret” and a “hidden paradise” on many travel websites.Hongkonger Mandy Ma Wing-man lived in this paradise for seven weeks earlier this year while on an unusual art exchange. On the island, she learned the fading art of hand-weaving Ikat fabric from an indigenous craftswoman known simply as Mama Lin.“It was nothing like any weaving technique I’d come across before,” Ma said at the opening of “Tidal Weavers: Islands Exchange”, a summer exhibition at the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (Chat) in Hong Kong’s Tsuen Wan district, where visitors can see two...

You know it is going to be a memorable trip when you are greeted by a giant bottle of Bordeaux on arrival at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport.It is a fitting start for this seven-day “Châteaux, Rivers & Wine” voyage through France’s sumptuous Bordeaux wine region – home of some of the world’s most coveted wines – sailing aboard Viking Cruises’ sleek and beautiful 190-passenger longship, the Viking Forseti.Docked on the Garonne river at Bordeaux’s city centre, Viking Forseti gleams beneath the setting sun, showing off its streamlined Scandinavian design. It is the ideal transport for journeying to Aquitaine, home to vineyards and fine wines.The ship has inviting public spaces, including a small library and a sundeck with shaded seating.The restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows for enjoying t...

Billy Hsueh’s favourite magic trick is the classic Think a Drink, for which the magician pours whatever drinks audience members request from a teapot.Hsueh uses his special stainless steel teapot from Taiwan and some water to conjure up drinks such as citrus sunrise cocktails, pinot noir, rosé and piña coladas.The 31-year-old’s take on the trick was so beguiling that he was one of the magicians to win a prestigious Invention Award at the 2025 Fism World Championship of Magic, held in Turin, Italy, in July.The event, known as the “Olympics of magic”, is hosted every three years by the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques, one of the world’s most recognised magic organisations.“To someone who’s not versed in magic, [the magic trick] will look the same, but to magicians, the way th...

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have signed a new “multi-year, first-look deal for film and television projects” with Netflix, the couple has announced.The first-look deal, which means Netflix will have the first option on Harry and Meghan’s projects, was described by the Sussexes as “extending their creative partnership”.But PR and crisis expert Mark Borkowski described it as a “downgrade” and suggested Netflix was “pivoting away” from Harry and Meghan.Harry and Meghan in Germany in 2022. Photo: dpaBorkowski said the deal was a long way from the jackpot figure of their original contract.“I think Netflix has done a very neat job of pivoting away from two very expensive people who didn’t deliver, and they’ve taken that deal off the table, and they’ve given them a modest one,” he ...

The Cortez family piled out of their car and stretched their legs. After a 90-minute drive from their home in Long Beach, California, they had made it to the One Piece Cafe in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighbourhood.“I was just sitting in the car like, ‘I’m going to be at the One Piece Cafe,’” said Cammy Cortez, who was introduced to the popular manga and anime franchise by her older brother and now runs a One Piece fan account on X. “It’s going to be a good day.”Timed to open during last month’s Los Angeles Anime Convention, the largest event dedicated to Japanese pop culture in North America, the new permanent restaurant is the second official One Piece Cafe from Andy Nguyen – an entrepreneur behind several themed restaurants – in collaboration with Toei Animation, the studio behind the ...

Following months of anticipation, the UK has just welcomed its first plant-based egg made from mung beans.The American brand Just Egg has launched in the UK and may be the answer to the country’s allergy and environmental concerns.Made from mung beans, the product claims to look, cook and taste like eggs – minus the chickens.With a steadily growing number of Britons exploring more sustainable, allergy-friendly or plant-forward diets, the arrival of this vegan egg could not be more timely.“We think there’s a huge pent-up demand for it,” says Matthew Glover, founder of Veganuary and chair of the Vegan Food Group, the team behind the UK roll-out.“There’s not been anything like this on the market so far. So we’re very excited to launch it into the UK.”