After opening a series of new standout venues in Hong Kong – including Mostly Harmless, Call Me Al, Ponty Cafe, and Quality Goods Club – bar industry heavyweights and real-life partners Beckaly Franks and Ezra Star are giving the city another cool new spot to enjoy. Located in Jardine House's new BaseHall 2, modern Japanese eatery Artifact is finally opening its speakeasy-style bar adjacent to the restaurant.
Inspired by "surreal geometry and the serene atmospheres found in underground water reservoirs", the venue design is transportative, reminiscent of dystopian sci-fi movies like the 1997 American film Gattaca. According to the founders, the bar experience – through hospitality and service – aims to transport guests to a third place that is neither home nor work.
It will seat 40 people, and the bar will be helmed by J Frank, a hospitality manager with extensive experience in the F&B industry hailing from different venues around London, including Absolute Taste from The View from The Shard, Another House, and Shoreditch Bar Group.
"Transporting guests by way of food or drink is what Artifact does. It is the journey of taste and place by way of flavour and connection," shares Ezra. The bar will feature a rotating cocktail menu inspired by time and terroir, strongly focusing on brown spirits and bottles not found elsewhere in Hong Kong. Expect signature takes on classics as well as unique highballs.
Inspired by the snacks offered at Caviar House & Prunier at Harrods Dining Hall in London, the bar will serve exclusive snacks, which is an extension of the 14-seater Artifact dining experience that focuses on seasonality and quality of produce.
Hong Kong has a lingering speakeasy-style bar trend, and this newcomer is a welcome addition to the city's drinking scene. "Artifact isn't a bar trying to be different or change what is already done in Hong Kong," says Beckaly. "Instead, it celebrates what is done in Hong Kong. Bars are about connections; drinks are the excuse. Artifact is a place for people to connect over a drink. It will celebrate connection, and the evidence of the journey is via what is inside the glass," she shares.
Artifact Bar is set to officially open to public on April 11, and will operate from 5pm to 12am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 5pm to 1am on Thursdays to Saturdays. Watch this space for more information. For updates, follow them on Instagram.
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