One chain bucking the trend of restaurant closures is Gold Moon. Since launching its first outlet in 2019 with Kactus Coffee, the Hong Kong-based group has opened 18 more, including 12 just last year. Most offer Korean cuisine, such as Seoul Noodle, Antidote and BBQ-focused Jeonpo Meat Shop.
The group recently branched out into Italian food with brunch cafe and bar Pecorino, which fills a former HSBC banking hall on Bonham Strand in Sheung Wan and wouldn’t look out of place in the hipster Seoul neighborhood of Seongsu-dong.