Kris McIntyre investigates Elgin Street, SoHo and discovers cocktails, massages and tapas.

There seems to be a universal truth that wherever there is a ‘Soho’ you’ll find the cool part of any city. In Hong Kong, SoHo (meaning ‘South of Hollywood Road’) is full of antique shops, galleries, restaurants, cafes and bars. Located in Central, it is bounded by Staunton Street, Hollywood Road and my favourite – Elgin Street. For the most part Elgin is a trendy eat street of predominantly western restaurants. But its best asset is the ability to offer the chance to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail in a groovy bar before ambling across the road for a massage followed by dinner in a funky dining room afterwards. 

Drinking

Bizou Bistro & Wine Bar (#49 Elgin Street) offers an extensive selection of wines by the glass and vintage bottles with a modern menu specialising in rotisserie-cooked poultry, meat and fish dishes. Havana Bar & Grill (#35) offers a Cuban-Caribbean menu with great tapas dishes, cocktails and mocktails.  The ultra-hip BOCA Tapas and Wine Bar (at the lower end of Elgin on Peel Street) offers ‘Asian tapas’ and dim sum with wines from around the world, Spanish sangrias and glam cocktails suit the setting.

Dining*

Behind its big red doors Bistro Manchu dishes up tongue-in-cheek fine dining with authentic Northern Chinese/Manchurian-style cuisine. Rumour has it that the lamb shank and string beans are to die for, the wine list is good and you can also try traditional rice wine and Chinese tea. For lovers of Italian fare and traditional pizzas try the super-stylish Cecconi’s (#43), the trendy Vivo (#41) or Enoteca (#47) which boasts great tapas and salads with a good wine list. Olive (#32) specialises in Greek, Middle Eastern and North African cuisine with a good selection of vegetarian options. For Vietnamese and Thai-style dining drop into Soho Spice (#47B).

*Mains generally range from HK$100-$250.

Pampering

The Healthy Foot (upstairs, opposite Bistro Manchu) offers blissful reflexology (around $153 for 45mins), Shanghai’ pedicures (approximately $160), full body detoxification massage (around $368 for 60mins) and aromatherapy massage (approximately $298 for an hour).

Shopping

There’s not much by way of shopping on Elgin Street, but at Tree (22 Elgin Street, www.tree.com.hk) you’ll discover sleek, contemporary teak furniture and homewares to envy or send back home.

Getting There

Part of the fun of Elgin Street is getting there via Hong Kong’s crazy, but pragmatic pedestrian escalator system. Catch the MTR railway to Central, take the D2 exit and catch the escalator from Queen’s Road.