New Japanese Izakaya by Maximal Concepts Opens at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
The Aubrey, an eccentric Japanese izakaya located on the 25th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, features three distinctive bar experiences, a drawing room, a curio lounge and a leading culinary team that will form the city’s most creative and artistically rich hospitality destination. With coveted and uninterrupted views of Victoria Harbour, The Aubrey will offer guests one of the most awe-inspiring dining locations in Hong Kong.
Set to be a home-away-from-home for local Hong Kong and global guests alike, The Aubrey is inspired by the journey of a hungry mind with three distinct spaces that channel the vibe of Japanese izakayas in Ginza. Using high-quality Japanese ingredients and traditional cooking techniques, guests will enjoy culturally rich beverage and dining experiences.
Leading The Aubrey’s bar programme is Devender Sehgal, most recently bar manager at Otto e Mezzo Bombana and a popular and renowned drinks professional celebrated in Hong Kong and India. At the first of the three bars—known as the Main Bar—Devender and his team will offer a signature cocktail menu inspired by the game of chess. Chess originated in India, then made its way to Persia and throughout the Arab world before reaching Europe. This cocktail menu represents the meeting of cultures and tastes which will be celebrated in each drink. There will also be a core selection of Highball & Chuhai cocktails, in addition to a rotating selection of three seasonal cocktails based off a singular ingredient.
A small and intimate, four-person Omakase Cocktail Bar will also be available which reinvents the quintessential omakase experience. Resident mixologists will take guests on a unique beverage journey across Japanese spirits and flavours. Finally, the Champagne and Sake Bar celebrates the age-old tradition of oysters and champagne, while also playing with sparkling sakes.
Dining at The Aubrey falls under the watchful eye of Chef Yukihito Tomiyama, a Japanese national most recently at the one Michelin-starred Shinji by Kanaseka in Macau. At lunch, elevated bentos are created with decades of core Japanese cooking experience. Presented in beautiful hand-crafted wooden boxes, their layers reveal fresh ingredients made with impeccable technique from The Aubrey’s raw, tempura and robata menus.
Guests will also appreciate the world-class sushi and sashimi skills of Chef Tomiyama and his team, specializing in traditional Edomae sushi-making techniques. In addition, the robata grill takes diners on a journey from the ocean to the soil where prime ingredients are cooked over binchotan charcoal, while the tempura menu shows the cuisine’s art, craft and lightness.
Sustainability is one of the key tenets for both Maximal Concepts and Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, impacting every decision taken at each level of the genesis of The Aubrey. From using the world’s first viable compostable clingwrap to bamboo and paper products from sustainable sources, The Aubrey is as much as possible zero-waste with the goal to remove single-use plastic from all operations. The vision is to be a pioneer and educate in the sustainable hospitality space.
Matt Reid, Co-Founder of Maximal Concepts, explains the creativity and inspiration behind The Aubrey by saying, “Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong is one of the world’s most storied hotels, a global bastion of travel for more than half a century, and The Aubrey is set to honour the incredible cultural elements and exchanges that have happened here over the years. Creativity is like pollination in that one idea has to come from another source and nothing promotes it more than the sense of wonder, curiosity and discovery of food and travel.”