“Be hungry. Be excited. Be ready,” BaseHall tells Hong Kong foodies, as it gets ready to launch at Jardine House on 15 June. The new food hall will comprise of 10 artisanal outlets including Honbo, Moyo, Co Thanh, 11 Westside, Young Masters, Cookie Dpt, Treehouse, Return of Lemak and Roti Tori from the team behind Yardbird.
BaseHall will be taking over Grappa’s Cellar, which for more than 20 years had existed as an Italian restaurant and live-music venue, hosting top international musicians from José González to Imogen Heap and Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries. But there’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to celebrating the culinary diversity of the city, and creating a space that will foster a new kind of talent.
Highlights include Sheung Wan staple Co Thanh who will be serving up authentic Vietnamese dishes, while going back to its roots. The man behind the brand Brian Woo was apprentice to Nyguen Thi Thanh whose popular Ho Chi Minh City food stall, The Lunch Lady, was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show No Reservations.
Then there’s 11 Westside, from Chef Esdras Ochoa, who also found fame on Netflix’s cooking show The Final Table, and will be dishing out delicious Mexican-inspired snacks. Other hot spots include Roti Tori, a brand-new Japanese rotisserie serving up local chicken, and stalls from Hong Kong favourites including American-style burger joint Honbo and Moyo Sik for modern Korean bistro food.
Some names will be new to Hong Kong foodies too, like Return of Lemak by the former chef at Beet Barry Quek, who will be serving up contemporary nasi lemak. Considered to be the national dish of Malaysia, it consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf.
There will be a modern craft beer pub by Young Master for a tipple while you eat too, and live DJs playing all the best tunes. All in a space that draws on nostalgic depictions of Jardine House in 1970s Hong Kong cinema, with brushed brass, neon lights, and pastel-coloured walls of pink and blue.
BaseHall is open from 15 June, from 11am till late Monday through Saturday; basehall.hk
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Emma RussellCredit
Lead photo: Gunter Fischer/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
