HONG KONG From sky-high dining rooms to tucked-away neighbourhood favourites, the city has turned brunch into an art form. Here, we round up the tables worth booking. This list was last updated on July 9, 2026. Photo credit: Victoria Chan Twist Pasta Bar The HK$280 set is designed to be shared across the table, starting with Cerignola olives and Cacio e Pepe Croquettes before moving into a lunchtime-only Prosciutto and Melon starter. From there, pick a pasta to share — the cu

There's a particular kind of confidence that comes with decades of iconography. Marshall has always known that its home speakers don't just need to sound good — they need to look like they belong on a stage. The Acton has long been the entry point into that world: compact enough to fit on a bookshelf, powerful enough to make you forget you're not at a gig. With the Acton IV, Marshall isn't reinventing the formula. It's refining it — and in doing so, it's produced what may be

HONG KONG Bridges Street has had a good thing going since last October, when Twist Pasta Bar quietly opened and turned into one of the neighbourhood's most talked-about tables. The formula — Italian pasta technique filtered through a Hong Kong sensibility — has clearly struck a chord. Now the team is doubling down, adding weekend lunch service, a reworked menu, new cocktails, and a happy hour built for after-work crowds. Weekends Just Got Longer The HK$280 weekend set menu is

The Stanmore has always occupied a curious position in Marshall's home speaker lineup. Larger than the Acton but smaller than the Woburn, it's the speaker that demands you justify the step up: what exactly are you getting for the additional spend and the extra footprint? With the Stanmore IV, that question is easier to answer than ever. This is a genuinely refined product — not a flashy generational leap, but the kind of careful, considered upgrade that makes a good speaker b

HONG KONG Years of sun exposure in Hong Kong can lead to freckles, pigmentation and uneven skin tone. M22 IPL at Jolie Beaute in Jordan offers a comfortable, non-invasive way to treat these common concerns. What Is It? The M22 is a medical-grade intense pulsed light device — and not all IPL is created equal. Where older or less sophisticated systems deliver a broad, less controlled burst of light energy, the M22 operates with considerably more precision, emitting multiple wav

HONG KONG I was born and raised in Sai Kung, and I've just moved back after years away — I barely recognised the place. There's a wine and cheese bar, a sourdough bakery with a line out the door, a burger joint that rivals anything on Hong Kong Island. But underneath the new gloss, it's still Sai Kung: the pineapple buns still sell out by mid-morning, the seafood still comes straight off the boats. Here's my honest guide to what's worth your time — the old guard I grew up on,

HONG KONG The JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong has long stood as one of its most enduring symbols of five-star hospitality. Opened on 27 February 1989, it holds the distinction of being the first Marriott International property in the entire Asia-Pacific region — a milestone that speaks volumes about both Hong Kong's global stature and the brand's confidence in this storied metropolis. Image courtesy of Adam Thompson | CSP Times More than three decades on, the JW Marriott has not

Summer in Asia is a test of endurance – not just for your spirit, but for your skin. Humidity turns smooth swashes into sticky messes. Air conditioning saps moisture. Sun exposure accelerates visible ageing. And the heat? It makes even the most dedicated among us want to abandon the whole process altogether. The solution is not to do more. It is to be smarter. This summer, we have curated a lineup of brands and products that work with the season, not against it. From scientif

INTERVIEW There was a time in my early twenties when going out wasn't even a decision — it was just what you did. Wednesday drinks turned into Thursday drinks turned into a weekend you don't fully remember, and somehow you'd still show up functional-ish on Monday. Now? A "big night out" means one glass of wine and being in bed by 11. I'm not alone in this. Ask around and you'll find a whole generation quietly opting out of the culture we used to live for — burnt out, more hea

SYDNEY Set in the heart of Western Sydney, Pullman Sydney Penrith offers a contemporary five-star stay that blends upscale comfort with the region's growing appeal as a business and leisure destination. As the region's first international five-star hotel, Pullman Sydney Penrith combines sophisticated accommodation, premium facilities, and an unbeatable location. Image courtesy of Pullman Location Perfectly positioned in the heart of Penrith, Pullman Sydney Penrith places gues

HONG KONG All images courtesy of Fox and the Barber. The Pitch Why Fox and the Barber? It really should be Fox the Barber. Once upon a time (well, in 2015), British hairdresser Paul Fox decamped to Hong Kong and founded a classic barbershop inspired by a hazy romantic vision of better days gone by. Think an imperial, Anglo-take on Jazz Age machismo. It’s all very Peaky Blinders – staff are pictured online clutching whisky tumblers and garbed in waistcoats. Scowls and slicked-

Ashley Avignone inspired Taylor Swift's song "22" and has been a fixture at her side for nearly two decades. Here's everything to know as she emerges as a bridesmaid frontrunner. She's been called the "blonde friend" standing next to Taylor Swift in countless NFL suite photos, but Ashley Avignone's history with Swift runs far deeper than American football season — and as wedding weekend odds tighten, she's emerged as one of the top picks to stand in Taylor's bridal party. REA

As Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding weekend unfolds at Madison Square Garden, all eyes are on the family surrounding the bride — and that starts with her only sibling, Austin Swift. Here's everything to know about the man who's spent three decades as Taylor's closest confidant off-stage. He's Taylor's Younger Brother by Two Years Austin Kingsley Swift was born March 11, 1992, in West Reading, Pennsylvania, making him almost exactly two years and three months younger th

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Madison Square Garden wedding weekend has turned New York into the site of the most-watched celebrity nuptials in years — and one of the biggest lingering questions is who's standing next to Taylor when she says "I do." With roughly 1,000 guests reportedly expected for the Friday, July 3 celebration, speculation over her bridal party has become its own cottage industry, complete with real-money betting markets. Here's everyone currently in the

Abigail Anderson Berard is the real-life "Abigail" from Taylor Swift's song "Fifteen" — and the betting-market favourite for maid of honour at her wedding. Here's her full story. She and Taylor Met on the First Day of High School Swift and Anderson met as freshmen at Hendersonville High School in Tennessee in 2004, seated next to each other in English class. They became fast friends and have remained close for more than two decades since. READ: What Happened to the Desi Bling

HONG KONG Whiskers N Paws has just opened its first dedicated grooming studio inside Elements Mall in West Kowloon, and as the owner of a golden retriever and a long-haired miniature dachshund, I couldn't resist putting it to the test. I arrived with Bella and Pepper in tow on a recent weekday afternoon. READ: The Best Vets in Hong Kong – 2025/2026 Image courtesy of CSP Times The Studio Located at Shop 1049B, Water Zone, L1/F of ELEMENTS, the studio is calm, well-lit, and not

The qipao, or cheongsam as it's known in Cantonese, has journeyed from Qing dynasty court dress to red-carpet favourite, cinema icon, and contemporary wardrobe staple. Along the way, it has been worn by Hollywood legends, Cannes royalty, and a new generation of stars who understand that the qipao is not merely a garment — it's a statement of heritage, elegance, and identity. Here are 14 celebrities who have worn the qipao beautifully over the years. Photo courtesy of Qipology

Jessie Mei Li, the star of ‘The Season, ’ opens up about playing Cola Pierce, her experience filming in Hong Kong, and working with the "dreamiest" cast in this exclusive interview with CSP Times.

INTERVIEW In an era when luxury hotels increasingly resemble one another — same marble lobbies, same scented candles, same carefully calibrated version of global chic — A Curious Group of Hotels has taken a different path. Its collection spans a literary hideaway on Paris's Left Bank, a canal-side mansion in Amsterdam, an eccentric Notting Hill institution and a seaside retreat in Brighton, united less by branding than by personality. Two of its properties — Canal House in Am

When photos surfaced in February 2026 of Orlando Bloom leaving the Super Bowl arm-in-arm with an unknown woman, the internet wasted little time tracking her down. The woman in question was Luisa Laemmel — a 28-year-old Swiss model and psychology graduate based in New York. Since then, the two have been spotted together on multiple occasions – including Milan for Fashion Week – though neither has publicly confirmed the nature of their relationship. Here's what to know about he