Amigo has a visibility problem. Despite being the date-night spot of choice for generations of well-heeled Hongkongers and an unmissable sight on the way into Happy Valley thanks to its distinctive golden sun sign, the 59-year-old restaurant has always maintained an air of mystery behind its Spanish Revival-style facade.
“A lot of people don’t know we’re a restaurant,” says veteran hospitality consultant Nelson Chow, who was brought in by the owners last year to rejuvenate the restaurant’s offerings. “There was a time last year when the sun sign was taken down for repairs, and somebody reported that we had closed for good on social media. We got so many phone calls that week!”
Amigo, in Happy Valley, 1989. Photo: SCMP Archives
Opened in 1967 by businessman Yeung Wing-chung, Amigo quickly established itself as one of the classiest tables in the city, due in no small part to Yeung’s willingness to spare no expense: all the sterling silver tableware is vintage Christofle, still sent back to the brand regularly for a professional polish; each wall is adorned with paintings collected by Yeung on his frequent travels, including works by William Russell Flint; and the restaurant even boasts its own brick-clad wine cellar, which can hold up to 3,000 bottles.
The waiters are an attraction in and of themselves thanks to their tailcoats, bow ties and white-gloved gueridon service – the longest-serving has worked here for 53 years. And then there’s the famed band, whose vast repertoire ranges from Bob Dylan to Ed Sheeran.
Staff members who have served at Amigo for more than 50 years. Photo: courtesy Amigo
For all the illusions it gives of being frozen in time, Amigo still has some tricks up its sleeve, as evidenced by this month’s debut of its very own house brand of caviar. Sourced from Heilongjiang sturgeon, Amigo Caviar forms the centrepiece of a new six-course menu priced at HK$980 per person, with each course staying true to what Chow dubs “local French” cuisine – a higher-end take on Hong Kong’s tradition of soy sauce Western restaurants.
Dining and Cooking