Insider Art

For fast-track viewing of Hong Kong’s cutting-edge contemporary art, SHANE MITCHELL shadows leading gallerist Angela Li.

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Angela Li has impeccable taste in dumplings. We’re waiting for our mutual friend Tony Tan, author of Hong Kong Food City and GT contributor, who is running late for lunch at Duddell’s, the clubby Cantonese dining room and art venue in Hong Kong’s Central district. The elegant gallerist surveys the dim sum menu. “I rarely come over this way for lunch – it’s too far from Sheung Wan,” she says. “Let’s order the rice rolls to start.”

By the time Tan arrives, the table is splashed with soy and the barest morsels remain untouched, so he orders more. Barbecued Ibérico pork buns, abalone puffs, steamed beef balls. Li shows me her technique for eating soup dumplings without a tongue-scalding: pinch the opening with chopsticks, slurp some of the broth, then pop the whole piece in your mouth. The sommelier pops a bottle of Famille Perrin Vacqueyras “Les Christins” grenache. As well as rotating exhibitions in the foyer and lectures on art relevant to the region, Duddell’s cellar contains an impressive collection of Chateâu Mouton Rothschild, including artist-series labels designed by mainland China superstars Gu Gan and Xu Lei. But we didn’t want to give Tan a heart attack when the bill arrived.