Client Development Events And a Private Kitchen Surprise Birthday Dinner

I realize I’ve been complaining a lot about the weather, and Lola being sick, and my being tired and sick, and our helper being sick and hurt – but actually there have been lots of really fun and positive moments this month as well.

Over these past few weeks, I have been trying to attend more client development events and network more.  I went to a cocktail party hosted at WeWork in Causeway Bay for one of my friend’s funds.  The people working in these tech startups speak a completely different language.  While there, I happened to bump into one of my sister’s childhood friends that I have known since I was in middle school/they were in elementary school.  What a small world!  I also got a nice view of the Hong Kong harbor at dusk. 

 

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a grand opening for a medical building in Central, consisting of nearly 20 floors, each of which host a different specialty.  It’s the largest such private medical center of its kind in Hong Kong to date.  I represented a group of doctors who invested in the private medical practice, and it was pretty stunning to see it all come to fruition nearly a year and a half later (from inception to completion).   

 

 

While the party was packed, I did manage to see my clients and also spent some time chatting up the lawyer that worked across the deal from me.  We exchanged a very pleasant conversation, which reminded me of why I enjoy doing corporate work over litigation.  While negotiations may be contentious from time to time, the end goal is always the same and everyone is cordial and friendly after the transaction is complete (ideally).  I was strongly reminded of this this month when I was pulled in to advise on some specific points in a litigation matter this month.   I was really surprised at the posturing and the delaying tactics and the stratagems that each side engaged in as they strived to win and score points in an arbitration tribunal.  It not only seemed so inefficient, but so pointless!

One of my friends in Hong Kong just turned 40 and her husband (who deserves a husband of the year award for this) arranged an incredible surprise birthday party for her at a private kitchen in an industrial building in Wong Chuk Hang, consisting of a four course tasting menu and fine Italian wine.  It was really amazing because he managed to get nearly 20 people in attendance, arranged for my friend’s brother and sister in law to fly in from Singapore as a surprise, and actually got the surprise to go off as intended!  I couldn’t believe it.  I haven’t really been a part of a surprise party in recent memory but I have to say, watching the emotions fly across her face as we all shouted surprise and she nearly had a heart attack – it was really touching and fun.  

The food was served in the private apartment of the chef, in a loft full of books and decorations from his travels all around the world.  The apartment was in an industrial warehouse, though.  These are technically not zoned for living, so it's an illegal structure, but so far as I can tell the Hong Kong government seems content to let it remain unenforced for now.

This is the lobby of the building

The elevators are intensely industrial, with crazy manual sliding doors

This is the door to the private kitchen!

It opens up to this big open space

 

The first course was burrata cheese that had been flown in from Puglia that morning, followed by a pear ravioli with pistachio and parmesan, followed by a chick pea and pomegranate pumpkin curry, followed by a very dense, flourless chocolate tart.