At Tell Camellia, Hong Kong’s newest bartender-driven cocktail bar, acclaimed cocktail gurus Gagan Gurung and Sandeep Hathiramani go back to basics with a tea-themed concept, a speakeasy-esque location, and a simplistic yet thought-provoking menu that will appeal to a wide range of palates, discovers Nick Walton.
In my opinion, Hong Kong was due a new bar concept to champion. After a wave of faceless new nightclubs opened in Lan Kwai Fong, followed by a few cookie-cutter concepts that had great pedigree but little else, fans of a decently made drink were starting to get antsy. Fortunately, they have a new home in Tell Camellia, a pint-sized watering hole hidden away below Central’s new H Code building.
Leading the Pack
I’ve been a fan of award-winning bartender Gagan Gurung’s drinks since his days at Fang Fang, where he artfully played with Chinese mythology and cosmetology to create cocktails that not only sounded interesting but actually tasted good. His ceaseless imagination, coupled with a humble, ever-smiling personality, make him accessible in a world where bartenders are starting to believe a little too much of their own hype.
At Tell Camellia he joins forces with fellow industry stalwart Sandeep Hathiramani, co-founder of the Gin Festival HK, as well as a few familiar faces from the now-shuttered Fang Fang, to create a down-to-earth yet refined cocktail experience framed around the humble tea leaf.
We arrive late on a Friday night to find the bar, which is dressed in deep green and naked timber, with low ceilings and windows overlooking the alleyway, almost at capacity, the team holding court behind a broad marble bar that’s noticeably absent of liquor bottles. If you want a martini or a manhattan you’ll need to climb back up to Wyndham Street – the focus here is tea, the heritage and subtle flavour nuances of which are captured with state-of-the-art technology, including micro-redistillation and rotovaping.
Tea Travels
Tea is produced in some pretty fascinating places, and Tell Camellia – named for Camellia Sinensis, the original tea bush – tells the story of teas from across the world through convention-challenging mixology that’s innovative and imaginative without being pretentious.
The initial menu is split into five cocktails, each named for a different tea growing destination, and five gin and tonics, named for their principle ingredient infusions.
We kick off with a ‘Turkey’ – Rize tea, apricot, sumac-infused water, carbonated grapefruit, kimyon leaf, gin and raki – and Australia, a curious blend of Tim Tam chocolate biscuit-infused whisky, blue cheese, yalangi rain tea from northern Queensland, clarified strawberry and koala munchies, another Aussie staple.
The Turkey cocktail, which is served in a traditional Arabic tea glass, is refreshing and perfectly balanced, the carbonation ensuring the sweetness isn’t overpowering. By contrast, Australia is jammy and easy to drink but hints at a headiness that might catch up like XXXX longnecks on a Sydney scorcher.
Next up we try the ‘Sri Lanka’, with Ceylon tea, coconut, basmati rice, Ape Amma wine, green algae, sea coral and rye whiskey; and ‘Kenya’ a blend of traditional marinyn black tea, banana wine, orange-fleshed sweet potato, cornflakes, egg white, honey, and aged rum. Sri Lanka is another symphony of flavours, with a mellowness from the rice, a touch of sweetness and a clean, citrus-heavy finish. Kenya is more earthy, with warm cloves and a creaminess thanks to a thick foam cap.
Science Meets Senses
We move on to the ‘T & Tonic’ menu, opting for the Italian Almond & Truffle, and the Mango & Strawberry. The bar team achieve fantastic flavour infusions through redistilling the gin with fresh ingredients; the sweetness of the almond and the lingering depth of the truffle are undeniable in my drink, as is ripe summer fruit in my wife’s gin and tonic, good quality tonic water elevating the flavours rather than repressing them with sweetness.
Each T & Tonic comes garnished with a striking, skeletonized tea leaf sourced from Thailand, which guests can take with them when they leave.
All drinks are priced at a very sensible HK$95 (US$12) given the complexity of their execution and the best seat in the house has to be front-and-centre at the bar top so you can watch Gagan and team in action.
Summary
This is the kind of bar I love, one with a theme that makes sense but isn’t flogged to death, run by talented and passionate bartenders filling a niche in a city always on the lookout for a new sensation.
Tell Camellia, LG/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central, Hong Kong
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