Old-world charm

When you’ve got visitors in town, the China Club is a fantastic spot to head to  for an evening to remember – the 1930s Shanghai teahouse-style interiors, the “noodle show”, the great food and the city-scape views from the little roof terrace all make for a great night out.

The club is stuffed full of eye-catching nicknacks and paintings – my favourites are the legs eleven plate (pictured above) and the Churchill picture in the dining room (pictured below). I could spend many happy hours snooping around these interiors, the old library on the top floor is particularly fascinating.

The venue has nestled very comfortably into the top three floors of what used to be the old Bank of China Building. The site used to be occupied by the eastern part of the old City Hall, which was constructed in 1869. The western end of this doomed building was demolished in 1933 to make way for the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Building, while the eastern end was flattened in favour of the Bank of China in 1947.

The Bank of China Building rose out of the ashes of City Hall in 1952 – the goal being for it to be the tallest building in Hong Kong at that time, at a cute 15 storeys – these days it pales beneath the towering skyscrapers surrounding it (ICC, today’s tallest building just over the Harbour in Kowloon, comes in at over 70 storeys).

But things moved on, and in 1991, the bank moved to new headquarters in the nearby Bank of China Tower. Today, along with the China Club, the old building is used as a sub-branch of the Bank.

The China Club and restaurant opened its elaborate doors, thanks to Sir David Tang (of Shanghai Tang and Tang Tang Tang Tang fame), in 1991.

A gorgeously-decorated dining room (think old world ceiling fans, modern artwork, art-deco mirrors, fans and elaborate chandelier-lighting), delicious food, and a couple of “shows” – the tea ceremony is fun but doesn’t quite match the lovely noodle man and his deft mastery of traditional noodle-making – seem to be just the right ingredients needed for a fun night out.

After stuffing ourselves with crispy duck pancakes, dim sum and an assortment of Sichuan and old Hong Kong dishes, we wound our way up the stairs to the small roof terrace and bar to the side of the library. The cityscape views over the Harbour to one side and the twinkling lights of mid-levels and the Peak to the other are spectacular.

And for good luck we did race around to the front of the neighbouring HSBC building to pat Stephen the lion’s paw while we were waiting for our ride home. You can never have too much good luck, even when you’re fortunate enough to call Hong Kong home.

To dine at the China Club you need to be a member, or be dining as a guest of a member. The China Club, 13, 14/F, Bank of China Building, 2A Des Voeux Road, Central, 2521 8888.