W Hong Kong and Dim Sum & Then Some invite you to experience a night of stylish seduction celebrating the highly anticipated Opening of W Paris – Opéra on Valentine’s Day. Join us on Saturday, February 11th from 9pm onwards as the W Living Room is transformed into a chic Parisian nightclub to welcome one of the hottest female DJs on the planet, Ms. Scarlett Etienne. A night filled with scintillating sounds, sizzling Moulin Rouge performances, fabulous fashion, decadent cocktails, delectable Godiva chocolates and the ultimate trip giveaway to the new W Paris property awaits. Paris, Je T’aime!

Entrance is HK$190 including two signature cocktails and free-flowing canapes. Please RSVP directly to W Hong Kong at: +852 3717 2783 or bf.whk@whotels.com

Become a Locavore

A basket of veggies fresh from a local farm delivered right to your door?  Yes, it’s true, HK has joined the global movement to “eat local” and you can too with Homegrown Foods delivery service, which works with select farms in the New Territories to bring you clean and sustainable produce at its nutritional and palatable peak. Still a skeptic?  Take a trip out to the countryside and pick those peppers yourself with their newly launched monthly farm tours starting Feb 18 (+852 2671 2771).  You may come away so inspired you might even be growing your own basil by February!

Pare Down Your Wardrobe

Take your closet from drab to fab with Jess and Pier of The Changing Room.  HK’s ‘wardrobe warriors’ will give you an honest assessment of what you’ve got, help edit and organize combinations tailored to your needs, and can either recommend a few key additions for you to pick up or personally help you shop for the missing essentials at HK’s hidden hotspots.  A look book of your new styles for every occasion completes the picture of the totally together new you. (+852 6094 6533, thechangingroomhk@gmail.com) Get ready for heads to turn!

Learn a Language

Mandarin or Cantonese? The choice is yours! Tune up your ear for languages with beginner courses in both languages at the YWCA in Central or sign up for a full-time or part time intensive course at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and be ready to hit the ground running in a few months flat.  Looking for a personalized course tailored to your skill level and busy schedule? Jing Ying Chinese Language Institute’s highly experienced Mandarin teacher can work with anyone from complete beginners to advanced business speakers and is flexible to come to offices to teach individuals or groups, face to face and via Skype. (liumingchu@netvigator.com) You’re just an Yi, Er, San away from potential world domination!

Start a New Fitness Regime

You arrived back from holiday and now find even walking up the escalator a challenge after a month of sedentary gobbling.  Help is at hand!  Take radical action and sign up for Bootcamp.  This outdoor exercise regime is held in groups and targets your entire body- that’s right, not a single muscle can hide.  Tough going but results are almost immediate.  Alternatively, if you want to take a more pampered (yet equally rigorous) approach, SWEAT at The W Hong Kong have launched a special 4 month membership where you can enjoy the stunning facilities of the W Hong Kong’s gym while working off calories at high altitude (HK$3000/month, +852 3717 2797).

Volunteer Your Time

Love volunteering, loathe long-term commitments?  HandsOn Hong Kong is the place for you.  Whether you want to work with the upcoming Special Olympics, help underprivileged students with their English, spend the afternoon walking dogs at HK Dog Rescue or discussing current events with the elderly, HandsOn will give you access to unique one-off volunteer opportunities within the local community. Their list of activities is updated weekly, so you can pick the ones that best fit your schedule and sign up right on the site. Doing good has never been so easy or fun!

Learn to Cook

Made it through detox and want to continue being healthy while finally being reunited with all things appetizing? Look no further than Secret Ingredient. Vowing to provide you with all the required ingredients you need to conquer your kitchen in a healthy and delicious way.  Simply log on to their website, choose one of their weekly recipes and they’ll deliver all the ingredients and instructions needed to create magic in your kitchen.  Food is fresh and locally sourced and meat, fish and poultry are of premium quality and all imported.  Dust off your apron, it’s in for a treat!

Recharge Your Brain

If hours spent on YouTube aren’t exactly doing wonders for your IQ, get your seats for the next Intelligence Squared debate, “Let The Bad Guys Be: Foreign Intervention Does More Harm Than Good” on Monday, February 6th. With sold out events each season, this debate presenting leading voices and influential global figures on the subject of foreign intervention and led by TV presenter Deborah Kan promises to be one of winter’s hottest tickets. Or click your brain into gear this week. On Saturday, January 14th, the HK Literary Festival will host an intimate luncheon and discussion with Vikas Swarup, author of Slumdog Millionaire at KEE Club.

Look Your Best

Your body may have been on detox for a week already but your complexion seems to be lagging a week behind.  The Signature Detox Facial at Emmanuel F. uses extracts of chlorophyll and 100% natural organic ingredients in a 75-minute ultra-relaxing treatment to restore radiance and brightness (HK$790 until Jan 31) Desperately need a tip to toe quick fix?  Book in for a combo treatment at new time sensitive spa Fast Beauty.  The Beauty Essentials combo includes a facial, mani and pedi all wrapped up into 45-minutes (HK$950, $750/members), while the Beauty Fast combo fits an eyebrow threading, express mani and express pedi into 15-minutes flat (HK$350, $300/members).

Get into the Arts

Kick off 2012 on a high note, with the International Chamber Music Festival, January 11 – 19th. World renowned Artistic Director Lin Cho-Liang, has brought together an outstanding mix of international talent and sparkling emerging artists to perform a program ranging from Vivaldi to Tan Dun.  The programme will culminate in a Closing Night Gala showcasing Viennese masters including Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Brahms featuring clarinet, piano, strings and startlingly beautiful soprano voice. Next up, mark your calendar for the HK Arts Festival, with performances starting January 28th.

You’ll be taking New Year, New You to a whole new level! 2012 won’t know what hit it.

New Year’s Eve will be here in a hot Hollywood minute. No plans? No problem! There are still some tickets left to get you beyond the velvet ropes and on the red carpet at Hullett House and Dim Sum & Then Some’s Hollywood Glamour Show-stopping New Year’s Eve Extravaganza. Lights, camera…let the countdown begin!

10 people in your entourage? Get one complimentary golden entry ticket

9 pm: the red carpet rolls out for your night of glitz, glamour, stars and style

8 signature dishes in the Suzie Wong dinner buffet, where you can dine like Hollywood royalty

7 hours to party like the Star you are to the sounds of Celebrity DJ Hallex.M

6 famous faces (think Marilyn, Audrey & Frank) will put on a swinging cabaret show

5 times the fun with a cinematic countdown on our silver screen

4 stars! Critics calling the Hullett House party the “A-list event of the year”

3 days left to get your VIP table and star on the Hullett House Walk of Fame

2 time award winning celebration

1 star-studded night you’ll never forget

Please RSVP online or by emailing contact@dimsumandthensome.com.hk or contact Hullett House at NYE2012@Hulletthouse.com / +852 3988 0000 / +852 3988 0206.

Ready for a sneak preview? Here’s a little glimpse behind the scenes…

Tickets: HK$330 in advance/ HK$380 at the door
Tickets + Dinner: HK$620 in advance / HK$690 at the door, including “Suzie Wong” Dinner Buffet from 9:30 – 11:30pm
VIP Tables: HK$5000 for up to 6 people including 2 bottles of Champagne, 1 bottle of Spirits and your name on a “Walk of Fame” star.
Group Package: Buy 9 tickets and receive 1 complimentary

Hullett House and Dim Sum & Then Some invite you to celebrate the start of 2012 in stunning silver screen style at our HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR Show Stopping New Year’s Eve Party. Join us on Saturday, December 31, 2011 from 9:00pm – 4:00am for a night filled with, Motion Picture Magic, Retro-Red Carpet Glamour, Scintillating “Starlight Dancers”, Swinging Electro Jazz and Modern Sounds by Celebrity DJ Hallex.M in the Stunning Palm-Fringed Courtyard of Hullett House. Please RSVP online or by emailing contact@dimsumandthensome.com.hk or contact Hullett House at NYE2012@Hulletthouse.com / +852 3988 0000 / +852 3988 0206.

Ready for a sneak preview? Here’s a little glimpse behind the scenes…

Tickets: HK$330 in advance/ HK$380 at the door
Tickets + Dinner: HK$620 in advance / HK$690 at the door, including “Suzie Wong” Dinner Buffet from 9:30 – 11:30pm
VIP Tables: HK$5000 for up to 6 people including 2 bottles of Champagne, 1 bottle of Spirits and your name on a “Walk of Fame” star.
Group Package: Buy 9 tickets and receive 1 complimentary

We welcome with love…The Tonno! Home to the legendary Tonnochy Ballroom in the 1960s, this three story, multi-faceted 35,000 square foot building has been revamped and renovated by nightlife tycoon Steven Lo and is now redefined as the Renaissance of Glamour. And it’s easy to see why. This sleek and sultry hot spot now boasts a hip and casual bar, a sweeping outdoor terrace decked with lounge cabanas, a live music bar and a karaoke club with 31 individual rooms where guests are invited to sing their heart out to classic favourites. The highlight? Tonno Kitchen, the stunning restaurant serving up authentic and divine Shanghainese cuisine (must try the sumptuous Lion’s Head and pork and vegetable dumplings!). This in-house restaurant, run by Jackson Ng of former dragon-i fame, serves up delectable preparations of fresh and fiery Shanghainese favourites, which can be enjoyed anywhere in the venue. This is exactly what Wanchai (and your nights out!) have been missing. Don your best Shanghai Chic as we’re off to Shanghai, baby… well, the next best thing at least!

The Tonno
5 Tonnochy Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
+852 3125 3888

Made the “nice” list this year? If you’ve been good and we mean really, really good, we have the ultimate gift that will have you sparkling all the way into 2012 and beyond…a one-of-a-kind piece from Chow Tai Fook’s ‘Danseuse de Ballet’ Diamond Collection.  Inspired by the timeless beauty of ballet during the Renaissance, the never-been-seen-before fancy diamonds collection features a stunning selection of extremely rare and expertly designed pink and yellow diamond jewellery.  The collection was first revealed to the world in a decadently delightful afternoon tea and jewellery show at the Grand Hyatt’s glass encased poolside featuring Hong Kong’s top supermodels alongside some of the world’s most accomplished ballerinas.  Turning heads from center stage to the city streets, ‘Danseuse de Ballet’ boasts more than 200 custom-designed timeless pieces, including bejeweled rings, bracelets and necklaces, which can be gracefully passed from generation to generation.

It’s time to call in a favor at the North Pole…

Chow Tai Fook ‘Danseuse de Ballet’
Pricing and Availability Upon Request
+852 2526 8649
www.chowtaifook.com

Stop, collaborate and listen, Cochine’s back with a brand new invention… By this, we mean the launch of the new warming and intoxicatingly rich Vanille & Tabac Noir scent by much adored Hong Kong-based, Vietnamese-made fragrance brand, Cochine. Launched just in time for the holidays, the Vanille & Tabac Noir Candle in its magnificent mirrored glass is the ultimate luxurious hostess gift and the ideal piece to accent your own stunning festive décor.  Want to spread the scent of the holidays throughout your home?  The Vanille & Tabac Noir fragrance is also available as a gorgeous Reed Diffuser, or an indulgent Fine Liquid Hand Wash and Hand & Body Cream.  Looking for the perfect present for the friend who has it all? Selling out on the shelves from Harrods in London to Harvey Nic’s in HK, Cochine has just launched the Votive Candle Gift Set featuring three of their top fragrances, White Jasmine & Gardenia, Water Hyacinth & Lime Blossom, and Vietnamese Rose & Delentii, and packaged to perfection in their signature elegant style. Available online with complimentary gift-wrap and delivery straight to your door, HK’s Christmas wish lists just got a whole lot cooler.

Ice, Ice, Baby…

Cochine
Available at Harvey Nichols Hong Kong, Indigo Living or online at:
www.cochine.com

Now filling the front rows at Fashion Weeks from Paris to New York, the world’s top fashion bloggers are bringing style, design, and global trends to the masses.  One of Hong Kong’s hottest, Christing of Fashion Hedonism has taken her much-loved personal style straight from the web and onto the streets, with the opening of her namesake womenswear boutique, Christing C. Styled as an edgy, urban loft space warmed up with unique personal touches, the shop features a carefully edited collection of dresses, tops, skirts and accessories from young cult Australian, Swedish, and American designers.  True to her roots, all of the stunning pieces from the boutique are all available online, with same day delivery throughout HK. But for the full experience, pop up to the shop on Wyndham Street to check out the latest hot to trot numbers firsthand, or you can even book an appointment to be shown around and styled by the fashion-maven herself.

Looking for a sparkly show-stopper for NYE? Christing recommends Aje’s exclusive resort collection featuring the brand’s famous handmade matte sequin dresses (available in store only) or Rachel Gilbert dresses, a celebrity favourite and perfect for party season.

**Exclusive Reader Discount**: Christing C. is offering Dim Sum & Then Some readers an amazing 40% discount on everything in her store, from now until January 8, 2012.  Just mention “Dim Sum” in-store or type in code “DSTS” online to take advantage of this very special offer.

Christing C.
3/F, 13 Wyndham Street
Central, Hong Kong
+852 6907 5053
http://www.christingc.com

This weekend, soak up the Christmas spirit at Hullett House’s first-ever Traditional Christmas Market. In addition to bespoke gift items, holiday ornaments and toys, the hotel’s historic courtyard will be packed full of delicious treats from cakes and gingerbread cookies to Stollen and mince pies to traditional sausages, foie gras, French cheeses, Swiss chocolates and hot out of the oven delights, freshly prepared by Executive Chef Philippe Orrico. Bundle up and get ready for a festive open-air market in quintessential European style.

Traditional Christmas Market
Hullett House, 1881 Heritage,
2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Friday, December 9, 4pm – 9pm
Saturday, December 10, 12noon – 9pm
Sunday, December 11, 12noon – 9pm

Join Marisa Zeman of Nude is Rude for a festive Christmas Fair this Saturday, December 10th from 11am – 7pm at Indochine in LKF. Shop for jewellery, cashmere, resort wear, homeware and more and don’t forget to bring a wrapped gift to put under the tree, to be donated to the children of Mother’s Choice just in time for the holidays!

Christmas Fair by Marisa Zeman
Saturday, December 10, 11am – 7pm
Indochine, 4/F, The Plaza, 21 D’Aguilar Street, Central