October openings

Cafe Gray Deluxe
After four years of being a Manhattan haven for finance wine geeks and their jewel-encrusted wives, Café Gray in New York shut down on June 30. Now, the temperamental and meticulous chef Gray Kunz is returning to the metropolis that first put him on the map: Hong Kong. A graduate of Plume at The Regent (now the InterContinental), Kunz is about to open the 85-seater Café Gray Deluxe at the Upper House, a new boutique hotel at Pacific Place. This time he is doing away with the brown-tinted mirrors and chandeliers in favour of something more modern.

Also notably absent are his expensive price tags (the restaurant is projecting an avg $250 for lunch, avg $500 for dinner). But just because they’ve taken off their ties, doesn’t mean the food is any less refined. We’re looking forward to Kunz’s saffron pasta flora, herb broth red mullet, short ribs with grits, and chocolate gateau in a lotus leaf. The food and beverage director is a young Dutchman named Willem van Emden and the bar consultant, from Britain’s Alconomics, is 31-year-old Sam Jeveons.

There is still something for wine geeks, with a world-class wine programme devised by Kimberly Drake, former sommelier of Jean Georges in New York. The New York Times gave Gray’s previous restaurant four stars (its highest rating). As the newspaper’s former food critic Frank Bruni said: “You can take the chef out of the four-star restaurant but you can’t take the four-star restaurant out of the chef.” 49/F, Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, 2918 1838. Opens Oct 2.

Hullett House
Wondering why they decided to call this place Hullett House rather than just ride on the already established Heritage 1881 branding? Because Aqua Group owner David Yeo says so. Apparently Yeo was so enamoured with the “HH” logo he created (above) that he started coming up with names beginning with the letters. Hullett House, the name of the boarding house he stayed in at school in Singapore, triumphed. This complex will comprise five bars and restaurants, some housed inside the old Marine Police Station’s horse stables.

The first floor will be dedicated to a contemporary European fine-dining spot while the ground floor will house a Cantonese eatery, the Empire Bar (an all-day tea room), a Champagne bar and an English pub (complete with jail cells). We’re also excited by the courtyard, which will play host to many drinking sessions in the (cooler) months to come. 2 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, 3988 0000. Opens Oct 1.

Sushi Uogashi
Eleven Stanley Street has become the address of the moment. Lan Kwai Fong’s hip new eateries are taking turns to open up in this building, which is pretty much dedicated to eating and drinking. Sushi Uogashi will deliver what this area really doesn’t need – another Japanese spot – but it promises high-quality sushi at decent prices (for lunch anyway) and other Japanese delights. 11 Stanley St, Central, no phone yet.

French Window
This is Justin Quek’s real baby. He didn’t quite do himself justice with Cépage, but he has (almost) been given free rein to show his stuff at the French Window, opening in IFC. He won the Best Chef of the Year award at Singapore’s World Gourmet Summit and his reputation for modern French cooking has seen him in charge of some the finest eateries in Asia. This venue should be nothing short of spectacular. 3/F, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St, Central, no phone yet.