Edun: Style+Sustainable Development

I was writing an entry on my new-found infatuation with Macau just now (still haven't finished it), but got side-tracked when I received a mail from AC. "I was flipping through a magazine whilst getting my hair done the other day...," starts the email. A write-up about Little Cream Book had caught her eye. She made a mental note, looked up our website, came across my blog and realized we're both INSEADers (she's a soon-to-graduate student)! But what excited me most about her email was a mention of her upcoming internship with Edun. Hmmm...I hadn't heard of Edun, so I clicked through the their website. And lo and behold, it is a really cool, interesting, fashion company with great heart and soul (another serendipitous moment). I wondered why I hadn't heard of them before. Afterall, the company is founded by Bono, Ali Hewson and designer Rogan Gregory. So now I'm thinking it might be fun to research a Little Cream Book on Goodwill Shopping around the world.

Anyway, I really like Edun's designs. Their F/W line for women is stylish and easy to wear. Am planning on doing some shopping for their stuff at Beams when I'm in Tokyo next month. If you can't get to one of the shops to buy their clothes, you can still support them and ONE by buying their Lesotho-made ONE shirt online (US$40 each with US$10 going to the ALAFA fund to fight AIDS).

And a video reminder from ONE to all Americans: VOTE on Tuesday, 7 November 2006!

Macau: My new infatuation

Investment strategies come a dime-a-dozen; with many worth less than a dime. I'm what you would call a simple-minded, intuitive investor. I invest in what I love, the companies that are a constant in my life each and every day -- Apple, Google and Starbucks. Following this admitedly pollyanna-ish logic, Macau is my latest new love (but my simple logic also dictates that when everyone is talking about buying flats for investments in Macau or buying small, ground floor shops for investment to lease to Circle Ks and 7-11s, everything must also be overvalued. So the trick is in finding the overlooked gems.).

Prior to this October, I had not been to Macau (despite its close proximity to Hong Kong -- an hour by TurboJet, 15 minutes by HeliExpress) in at least 5, maybe even 7 years; even the opening of Sands could not get me there. But since the opening of Wynn Macau, I have already been there twice this month. Had it not been for a conflicting engagment, I might have been at Wynn again this weekend with another group of friends. I guess this also proves the point that competition is the surest way of spurring economic development. When Stanley Ho had a monopoly on gaming, casinos in Macau were some of the most undesirable places to visit. Currently, Sands, based on rather unscientific research (i.e. cocktail and dinner table conversations) is probably more popular with serious gamblers (many Chinese customers even find Sands to be aesthetically more impressive; don't ask me why). Wynn Macau, however, has gotten me, previously a non-gambler, interested in spending my leisure time in their little fantasy world. Apparently, they pump fresh oxygen into the gambling halls, which is why I managed to stay up until 4:30am making HK$100 bets at their blackjack tables and still feeling giddy and fresh. Maybe offices should consider using similar systems and perhaps it will yield higher productivity from their employees. Apparently, in the first 13 days of its opening, Wynn Macau took in US$900 million in chip sales, but I wonder how much of that they manage to keep as gaming revenue (actually, I'm really interested in finding out how this whole gaming business works). Afterall, both times I've been there, I have walked out with more money. But then again, I always end up spending more money than my winnings in their spa or F&B outlets. Thus far, I've not made any purchases in their shops.

But retail in Macau is apparently very hot; I'd love to see the sales numbers for luxury retail stores (I was told that Louis Vuitton Macau store sales have topped Las Vegas store sales, but one never know if it's just hype or reality). Over dinner with a trio of shopping mall REIT guys in Wynn's Il Teatro, a pretty competant Italian restaurant with a reasonably-priced wine list, I got an interesting picture of Macau visitor spending habits: the big spenders are guys and spend are mainly spending on themselves. In Wynn, watches and men's apparel from Giorgio Armani is doing very well. Bags and accessories also do well. Jewellery, on the other hand, does not. Hermes is probably kicking themselves for missing the boat on a store in Wynn's first phase (apparently, the space went to Giorgio Armani). I wonder if luxury cars would do well. A high-roller might win enough to buy himself a Ferarri. For myself, I would definitely spend more on destination dining, shopping or entertainment.

By destination shopping, I mean brands or shopping experiences that are hard to come by in Hong Kong or even other major shopping cities. Actually, after my post on Edun, over a Starbucks coffee break with BL, I suggested that someone should create a goodwill shopping mall. It would be a destination bringing together all the brands that allow shoppers to do good while consuming and highlight companies that practice fair trade practices. So you'd have Edun, People Tree, GAP highlighting their (RED) clothes, G.O.D. highlighting their condom line of bed linens for AIDS Concern, Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony products benefitting breast cancer care and prevention, Marc Jacobs' Al Gore Fashion Line benfitting The Climate Project, etc.

These are exciting times in Macau. Galaxy's Star World just opened last week right next to Wynn Macau; it was packed. Sands' Venetian is expected to open summer 2007 in Macau's approximately 250-acre Cotai Strip and MGM Grand in late 2007/early 2008.

New Hollywood Road Haunt: lazy Sunday morning brunch @ Classified

It's been ages since I walked along Hollywood Road beyond Peel Street. When I used to work around the Hollywood Road/Wyndham Street area, I might venture towards Sheung Wan in search of new lunch spots (i.e. Gough 40, Song...yes, it was that long ago). But since setting up shop in Causeway Bay, I've not gone beyond the imaginary boundaries of SoHo. It's a very urban phenomenon that we get stuck in our limited neighborhood mindset. Hong Kong people don't venture to Kowloon (even though it's just a 7-minute Star Ferry ride across the harbour), Upper East Siders get stuck within a 10-block radius, Parisians in the 6th don't really see any reason to head to the 4th, etc. When we live in a city, we all get neighborhood myopia, which is really just laziness. But once in a while, a great shop, restaurant, spa or club opening will jolt us out of our contentment zone and send us trekking to unchartered neighborhoods in search of cool, new experiences.

Such was the case with Classified. Which was how, on this rare, blue-sky Sunday morning, I found myself strolling down Hollywood Road in the Sheung Wan direction hunting for this awesome cheese, wine, ham, coffee shop and its soon-to-open bar-brasserie, The Pressroom. I had received an sms from dy raving about this place opened by one of his friends. He said it was below m1nt, a private club concept ("the world's first shareholder's club") which I find a bit hokey. The location sounded a bit iffy, but if dy (who hardly ever gets excited about food) raves about a food place, it's must be worth checking out. And I was not disappointed.

I spotted Classified's canopy a block away (the name pays homage to the building's former life as a newspaper press). The space was beautifully done. In the ground floor space, coffee, ham (think 33-month aged Joselito ham, absolutely delish!) and cheese platters (mainly U.K. cheeses, but I had a heavenly Brie de Meaux) are served. The also sell luxuriously-packaged jams, teas, honeys and olive oils. On the mezzanine floor, there is a temperature and humidity-controlled cheese room, where customers are encouraged to sample their selection of cheeses. Outside is a wine section (didn't pay much attention to the stock since it was before noon on a Sunday morning, but at a glance, there seemed to be a few Alsatian wines). In the wine room, there's a large wooden table that makes for a perfect venue for private wine and cheese tastings. In fact, I was looking was a fun place for another INSEAD gathering next week and this seemed like the perfect place (just wish they carried more smelly, French cheeses like epoisses though)!

While I waited for dy, bl and py to show up, I finished off 24g of Brie de Meaux (only HK$10!)with bread and samplings of their blueberry and buckwheat honey. I sat at the square wooden tasting table with benches (seats up to 12 people), which kind of reminds me of Le Pain Quotidien's communal tables. On the table were 2 olive oils, 2 honeys, jam and cubes of Comte with bread for passers-by to come in and try. With the doors open, the weather beautiful, it was the perfect leisurely, Sunday brunch experience.

As the Michelin guides put it, Classified is worthy of a detour/special journey. Owners AA&P are on their way to creating a new destination neighborhood, but I am hoping success will also allow them to branch out and open up closer to my neighborhood. I could use a new canteen.

Seeing (RED)

It's just been one of those humdrum weeks, where life just kind of floats by without you noticing. But then, we got an order for our complete set of Little Cream Book yesterday; all the way from Brazil! That was new for us. Thus far, the majority of our online sales have come from the US with only a smattering from UK/Europe. That's why I am truly enamoured with the internet. Imagine that: a small business like ours sitting in a speck of a city called Hong Kong, planning trips (I've planned a Paris honeymoon for a client in Seoul I've never even met from hotel rooms) and publishing luxury travel address books, somehow finds its way onto the radar screen of a consumer in Rio de Janiero, who then has enough faith in online transactions to use paypal.com to pay for our books, we get the order in our mailbox and we ship our books to the other side of the world. E-commerce is truly a revolution for small businesses.

So it really annoys me when I get an email from (RED) informing me of all the cool (RED) products that one can purchase, where part of the profits go towards eliminating AIDS in Africa, and yet, I can't purchase them! I really wanted to buy GAP's ultra-cool INSPI(RED) t-shirts to give to friends (in fact, had a friend's b-day in NYC coming up), but of course, they don't take credit cards without US addresses and they don't ship outside the US. Also wanted the Motorola (RED) MOTORAZR with (RED) Bluetooth H500 headset, but of course, the phone is only sold buddled with US cellular networks. Fortunately, I can buy the (RED) iPod nano. As always, Apple, with Steve Jobs at its helm, is at least one step ahead of everyone else. The (RED) movement should be a global movement. The power of consumerism isn't just confined to the UK (where this whole thing started; they even have a (RED) AMEX, where 1% of what you spend gets put to good use!! I want that card, but of course, I don't have a UK address) and US; Asians spend tons of money!!! So I really, really hope that we can get in on the (RED) action soon. In the meantime, all those in the US & UK, buy (RED) for Christmas, and those in the UK, should charge it to their (RED) AMEX!! The rest of us will just have to gift lots and lots of (RED) iPod nanos, which is uber-cool.

On another note, those who are looking for a quick bit of beach R&R can now look beyond Bali and Phuket. Koh Samui, which has been cleaning up its act as an up-and-coming stylish beach destination, has made it onto our radar screens with next year's Four Seasons resort opening. Reservations are being taken for bookings starting 1 February 2007, just in time for Chinese New Year sun-seekers. For a ski and snowboard bunny like me though, I'll be warming up with bombardinos in Cortina.

INSEAD Slacker Six mini-reunion at Hong Kong's ingredients

INSEAD was where I was schooled in the art of living the Little Cream Life. It didn't hurt that I found myself sitting in an amphitheatre with 70-odd other like-minded individuals. INSEAD's admissions process prides itself on selecting people from diverse and international backgrounds. Somehow, they also managed to figure out early on who all the slackers in the promotion would be and stuck them in Section Six (our promotion had 3 other sections: 5, 7 and 8. One of these sections prided themselves in having the most people on the Dean's List). Ours was the section that gifted the "Ding" Bell in the Fontainebleau campus bar (Singapore campus, which came later, has a gong), which is rung whenever someone is "dinged" by a potential employer. Someone at the bar would then buy that person a drink as consolation. In fact, I was the one who hauled the bell back to Fountainbleau from a foundry in London after a day of interviews with Morgan Stanley. After more interviews in Hong Kong, I eventually got "dinged". Obviously, they too could tell that I was a slacker!

So by chance, the stars aligned last Thurday and 5 other slackers (that's at least 1/12 of our Slacker Six section) plus guests found ourselves in Hong Kong at the same moment in time and decided to have a mini reunion at ingredients. There was Indian-American AS (whom I was supposed to sit next to in the amphitheatre, but since he hardly showed up to class, I ended up sitting next to CS), on an 8-month transit from Intel's San Francisco through their offices in Hong Kong and Mumbai before eventually settling into his more permanent position in Intel's Dubai office looking out for investment opportunities in the region. From Shanghai, there was French NG, who left INSEAD with the job we all thought we wanted with Quiksilver in the resort town of Biarritz. He eventually moved to Shanghai to establish and expand the brand's presence in China. From NYC, there was Singaporean KF, who's with jumpTV, which just listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and London's AIM Market over the summer. He had invited Canadian TS, his colleague from Singapore, and PT, his friend in Hong Kong to grace our little gathering. Of the more permanent HK-ers, there was American IE, with Corporate Adventures, Korean-American CK with ABN Amro private equity and myself (American-born Chinese) as well as two younger alums, BL (Australian-born Chinese) with CIMB-GK equity research and VH (another American-born Chinese), consulting for Neil Pryde. We were quite a mixed bag, which was what made the evening so much fun.

ingredients (23 Wing Fung Street, T: +852 2544 5133; ingredients@netvigator.com) made for a great venue for this little get-together. originally a private kitchen started by an ex-banker located on NoHo's Gough Street, ingredients re-opened in its swanky, brand-new 3-story glass-facade building on hip Wing Fung Street just off Star Street on 1 September. Also on Wing Fung Street are Xi Yan Sweets, OVO Garden, agnes b.'s library/gallery space and other eateries and small shops. We were 10 people and fit comfortably into one of their private dining rooms on the 1st floor restaurant space. The ground floor is a lounge, 2nd floor is a bar and the rooftop will open sometime in November. The rooftop is sure to be a great space for parties. I was pleasantly surprised that a brand-new building on this street in the trendier part of Wan Chai was built not built higher than the other building. I can't imagine there being any height restrictions, since across the street is the Three Pacific Place office tower. Is it an ultra-rare case of a Hong Kong developer sacrificing some GFA in favour of aesthetics??

At the New, Old Mandarin Oriental: Welcome Back, Chinnery!

It was as if nothing had changed and time had stopped for the new, old Mandarin to undergo its refurbishment. I walked into the Chinnery Bar with a feeling of familiarity and comfort. It looked pretty much the same with the usual crowd of expat Central office bankers smoking and drinking (although the benches and chairs had been reupholstered, carpet changed). The menu still had what I missed: Chicken Tikka and Bread Pudding. I was having dinner with DH, who is helping me write Little Cream Book: Drives. DH ordered the Fish Pie, which came with a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on your perspective) dose of mashed potatoes on top. The food tasted just as comforting as it had before, although service was not as attentive or together as it was before -- dishes weren't cleared from the table, nobody asked if we wanted coffee or tea with our desserts, it took forever me to get someone's attention to ask for the bill, then it took forever to arrive and once paid, they chased us down the stairs into the lobby because they thought they had given us the wrong table's bill (which, it turns out, they hadn't). Hopefully, with a couple months' time, the service will be back to how it was before.

It seems the staff have been trained well to welcome back old guests, to make it appear as if there's a seemless transition from old to new. When I arrived with my grandfather a few days after their opening, the doorman nodded to my grandfather, "Welcome back. Long time no see." The doorman did not look familiar, at least neither my grandfather nor I recognized him. But I'm sure he's been trained to welcome guests of a certain age with that line. And then there's MP, who got his usual pre-birthday call from the Mandarin Grill asking him, "Will you be having your birthday dinner with us again this year?" I can't wait for them to run everything in again. As I was waxing nostalgic with DH last night, I grew up with the old Mandarin. It was the meeting point for my grandfather and me on Saturday afternoons since I was six years old. He would be get off work on Saturday, walk over from his office in the then Swire Building (now Chater House). Sometimes I would meet him in the lobby. Other times, I would already be in the car and his driver would take us to Country Club for lunch and an afternoon of frolicking in the pool. And when I grew up and came back to Hong Kong to work, I would meet my friends in the lounge for afternoon tea. The scones with rose jam (Incidentally, you can't find the rose jam anywhere else in HK. I once made the mistake of asking the bar at Landmark Mandarin Oriental for rose jam and got was told in a sour kind of tone, "That's only at the old Mandarin. We have something different here.") and clotted cream are my favoured afternoon tea treats. When I recounted this to DH, he called me a sybarite, which I took as a compliment since I am in the profession of seeking out and creating experiences of pleasure and luxury for my clients.

An interesting aside that takes us to Bangkok, I came across a new cute, little hotel. With boutique and design hotels looking a bit past their due date these days, it was refreshing to be introduced by EO to The Eugenia. As its website says, "It's not a hotel; it's a home!" Well, will wait for EO's verdict (he's staying there this weekend) on that, but the website certainly looks promising.

7 October: Mid-Autumn Afternoon Tea Party @ WANLILU Travel Lounge

Am procrasting. Trying to delay the inevitable of having to tidy up our ultra-cluttered, ultra-messy office before tomorrow's Mid-Autumn Afternoon Tea Party/Open House. We'll be hosting four other lifestyle companies. Incidentally, all are started by female entrepreneurs. There must be a good story in-the-making for a women's mag, about the trend for more-and-more ex-professionals quitting their high-paying corporate jobs to pursue their dreams of starting lifestyle businesses. It's not just a chance for us to promote our businesses, but we also hope that we can share our experiences, over mooncake and tea, with other would-be entrepreneurs who have yet to take that leap of faith and jump into doing something they love.

If you're in Hong Kong, feel free to drop by tomorrow, 7 October, between 1-6pm at the WANLILU Travel Lounge (Room 1501, One Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay. It's above the Starbucks across Lee Theatre and just around the corner from Krispy Kreme! T: +852 3162 3729). In addition to us, Little Cream Book and WANLILU Play, there will be:

Becky Kong Photography
Chocolate Unlimited
Fontaine Accessories
Seasoning Make-up Workshops

Hope to see you!

12 Hours in Macau: Wynn, Robuchon a Galera and Sands

Had a blast in Macau yesterday for the National Day holiday. Took the 0945 Turbo Jet, and headed straight to Wynn Macau to drop off an order of Little Cream Book: Goodwill for an upcoming executive meeting as well as to meet up ES and co., who had stayed the night before. Arrived around 11am and checked out ES's room. It was a decent-sized room with two, double beds (56 sq m at HK$2,610++/night for a Grand Deluxe Lake View Room. The difference between Deluxe and Grand Deluxe is use of Wynn Club lounge and VIP check-in counter) and a view looking out over the fountain, towards Hotel Lisboa. The whole place was actually a whole lot more tasteful (such as the the Four Seasons-like floral arrangements) and well put-together than I had expected. While crowded, it was not unbearably so. I had expected throngs of people given that it was China's National Day holidays, Macau's newest casino (it just opened on 6 September, so everything still looks fresh, clean and glittery) and the sms ES had sent me on her arrival: "Too many people at Wynn. Very tiring".




Had booked 1230 lunch at Robuchon a Galera, so walked across the street after I had toured the room and took a quick spin through the casino (Again, better than I had expected. Probably the only casino in Macau with bright, yet soft, lighting). Of course, Robuchon's been open for quite a few years now (since May 2001), but I had not been enticed enough to make the hour-long trip. Maybe because I was still disappointed with L'Atelier in Paris, whereas this time around, I still have memories of my good NYC L'Atelier experience in my mind. In retrospect, it seems a bit silly, because the 3-course prix-fixe lunch (with amuse bouche, coffee and petit fours) at MOP288 (US$36) is probably the best value-for-money meal at that level of quality I've had. For starters, I chose one of the soups, a garlic bouillon with little escargot dumplings. For the main, I had quail stuffed with foie gras, which came with a small serving of the famously delicious (yet deadly on any healthy diet) mashed potatoes. I had a tough time with the dessert trolley, but ended up choosing a port wine and rosemary-poached fig, banana, caramel crumble tart along with scoops of ginger and coffee ice creams. All were absolutely delish.


Appetite satiated, I crossed the street once again and headed for Wynn's spa for my 3pm massage. Thankfully, ES has booked in advance, because on my arrival, there was another woman practically begging for a slot. The spa has the usual sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, but doesn't measure up to the heat experiences at Hong Kong's Four Seasons or Landmark Mandarin Oriental spas. Granted, a 90-minute massage was only MOP900 + mandatory 15% (around HK$1,006) compared to HK$1,350 for only 80 minutes at LMO, with pricing at FS along similar lines. And there is a difference in the level of service and attentiveness. For example, the therapists jump straight into the massage, whereas FS/LMO have a welcome ritual. But the Wynn therapist had a great touch. ES confirmed that, likewise, her masseuse was excellent as well. So while definitely pricey by Macau standards, the Wynn spa is not unreasonable by Hong Kong standards. It helped that afterwards, I managed to win enough money at the blackjack and roulette tables to cover half the cost of my massage.

Out of curiosity, I headed over to Sands around 8pm since it's just next to the ferry terminal. Big mistake. It was like a convention center, and a grotty one at that. Am hoping that the Venetian's standards will be much higher.

I left Macau on the 2245 ferry, having spent exactly 12 hours in three hotels (didn't even get a chance to show AS any of the more picturesque parts of town or to indulge in egg tarts!).

On a different note, am dying to go have afternoon tea at the just re-opened Mandarin Oriental. Am craving their scones with rose petal jam and clotted cream. I had a look around the hotel with my grandfather (we used to always meet in the hotel lobby). Only the coffee shop (now known as café causette) and cake shop (both moved to the Mezzanine floor), Clipper Lounge, Captain's Bar and The Chinnery are open at the moment. The Grill Room and Man Wah will re-open on 11 Oct and Pierre (as in Pierre Gagnaire) on 17 Oct. The totally revamped spa re-opens on 23 Oct. I'm glad they didn't change the look and feel of the hotel too much. It still feels like the classic Mandarin Oriental (even though my grandfather thought it was too contemporary).