Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2014 Offers a Taste of Food & Beverage Trends

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - September 3, 2014 - Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong, the leading fine dining and bar exhibition in Asia Pacific, opened yesterday with exhibitors confident of an upswing in activity in Hong Kong's thriving food and beverage scene in the coming year. Showcasing a wealth of products specifically tailored for hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs and cafés--everything from tableware, confectionary and equipment, to furniture, technology and services--the three-day show is proving to be the perfect place for hospitality industry executives to meet suppliers, be inspired by new trends and source the best products from leading industry brands such as Elite, Tsit Wing, Jetcool, La Marzocco, EuroCave, Nespresso, Frozen Foods and many more.

Now in its 12th year, Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong is the highlight of the local food and beverage industry calendar, providing networking opportunities and access to new ingredients, products and techniques. The exhibition is taking 50% more floor space this year, with 350 exhibitors showcasing innovative food and beverage options. This is a 16% increase over last year, when the show attracted more than 300 exhibitors and more than 16,400 industry visitors.

Exhibitors praised the calibre of visitors to the show, highlighting interest from senior decision makers who influence trends across Hong Kong, Macau and southern China.

"This show is getting more and more popular as the Premier food & wine event for suppliers in Hong Kong -- there are many other Exhibitions and Conventions but this is the best one for the leaders in the local Food & Beverage industry to meet and exchange ideas. Our suppliers of wine, sake, and whisky appreciate being here to learn more about the needs of customers in Hong Kong, and the opportunities we can offer," said Mr. Richard Paine, Managing Director of Fine Vintage (Far East) Limited.

"A wider array of safe high-quality food products is now part of a high-end lifestyle in Asia as consumers become more health conscious. Hotel groups, restaurants and retail shops are showing great interest in our organic pork products this year. The response that we have received has been overwhelmingly positive, with a lot of business collaboration enquiries and more in-depth tasting sessions lined up," said Mr. Alan Sin, Area Manager -- China/HK, ESS-Food (Hong Kong) Limited, subsidiary of Danish Crown.

Spotlight on networking and knowledge sharing
Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong uniquely focuses on serving executives from the high-end restaurant and bar sector. Working in one of the most competitive markets in the world, these professionals must combine creativity and passion to serve a well-travelled and sophisticated dining public that demands quality, novelty and value.

To inspire them, Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong has been developed both as a platform for knowledge sharing and networking, and as a showcase for new ingredients, equipment, technologies and products. The show is presenting a comprehensive educational programme again this year, with Chinese chef masterclasses, cocktail demonstrations, food tastings, tutored wine tastings, bartender training and various workshops and seminars, including a full schedule of demonstrations in the new Bakery & Patisserie Theatre.

Offered for the first time in Hong Kong, the Bakery & Patisserie Theatre hosts cooking demonstrations from master pastry chefs from the very best luxury hotels, restaurants and cooking schools. Visitors will not only have the opportunity to learn from these leading culinary artists, but will also be invited to taste their creations.

Among other highlights of the three-day event, the Show Bar is again proving to be a social hotspot for the hospitality community. Stocked with an unlimited supply of the region's best beers, wines and other beverages, the Show Bar provides a venue for complimentary drinks and networking. It also hosts various award presentation ceremonies.

Outstanding achievements honoured
The awards presented on day one of Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2014 included the Hong Kong International Beer Awards, the Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong House Wine Awards and the inaugural WOM Top 10 Restaurant Awards.

Mr. Toby Cooper, Chairman of the Craft Beer Association of Hong Kong, commented, "Submissions to the Hong Kong International Beer Awards doubled this year, when we also increased the number of award categories to 25. With an overall boost in quality, too, this demonstrates that our market is maturing rapidly. Hong Kong can now boast an outstanding selection of the world's best international beers. We were particularly pleased to see three aspiring local brewers joining the competition this year to bring us an array of superb craft beers made locally with the freshest ingredients.

The top winners of the 6th Hong Kong International Beer Awards were:

Following three years of successful House Wine Awards, Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong again teamed up with the Hong Kong Wine Judges Association to recognize Hong Kong's best wine distributors of 2014.

Mr. Sammy Leung, Chairman, Hong Kong Wine Judges Association, said, "We were very impressed with the high quality of entries this year, especially in the red wine category. Appealing to wider audiences, distributors are now promoting varietals that are familiar to international consumers, both newcomers to wine and seasoned connoisseurs. We are at the dawn of a new era in Asia as economic growth heralds a lifestyle revolution, and wine is the drink with which to toast it."

The top winners of the 4th Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong House Wine Awards were:

"With more exhibitors, more innovative products and deluxe ingredients, and a high level of interest from top-end local buyers, Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2014 is promising exciting times ahead for the food and beverage industry. We are seeing a focus on premium and natural ingredients this year, with a lot of talk about new dining concepts, new restaurants opening in new areas, and more artisanal brewers, bakers and butchers setting up shop in Hong Kong," said Mr. Stuart Bailey, General Manager of Diversified Communications Hong Kong, the organizer of Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong.

Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2014 continues until Thursday with three exhibition halls at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre open to trade visitors from 12:00 noon. Special events include wine seminars, cooking demonstrations by Chinese master chefs and master pastry chefs, and cocktail, barista and young talent competitions. The coveted Hong Kong Wine by the Glass Restaurant Awards 2014 were presented at the Show Bar in Hall 5E at 3:00 pm today.

For more information, please visit: http://www.restaurantandbarhk.com/expo/

Media Contact
Media Contacts
Ms. Ivy Lau
Marketing Director
Tel: +852 3105 3975
Email: ilau@divcom.com.hk

Mr. Jacky Lam
Senior Marketing Executive
Tel: +852 3105 3994
Email: jacky@restaurantandbarhk.com

- Published & Distributed via AsiaToday.com