Born in Marseille and now based in Copenhagen, Chef Karim is the owner of Restaurant Texture and has earned international recognition for his distinctive interpretation of French-Nordic cuisine. His cooking combines the precision and artistry of French gastronomy with the purity, seasonality and minimalist approach associated with contemporary Nordic culinary traditions.

During the residency, guests of Sirru Fen Fushi will have the opportunity to experience a series of specially curated dining events showcasing Chef Karim’s signature style. The menus will highlight premium ingredients, refined techniques and a strong connection to nature and the changing seasons.

The collaboration forms part of the resort’s ongoing Sirru Icons Series, which brings celebrated chefs, artists and cultural figures to the island for immersive guest experiences. Set within the private lagoon of Shaviyani Atoll, Sirru Fen Fushi continues to position itself as a destination where luxury hospitality and world-class gastronomy meet.

Further details about the residency and dining programme are available on the resort’s official website: Sirru Fen Fushi – Chef Karim Khouani residency.

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The most interesting new releases do not announce themselves from across the room. They create atmosphere. They feel like a well-cut coat, a dark wooden interior, or the last hour of light in a coastal city.

The season in five notes

This is what dominates the current editorial conversation:

• Mineral marine freshness instead of aquatic sweetness
• Dark fruit accents such as grape, blackberry and fig
• Green woods — cypress, vetiver and cedar
• Soft smoke and incense without heavy oriental density
• Skin scents that blend into the wearer rather than sit on top of him

1. Rabanne Invictus Elixir (2026)

Freshness that finally feels grown-up

The new Invictus Elixir leaves behind the gym-and-adrenaline energy of earlier editions. Rabanne pushes the line toward a mineral salt accord, aromatic cypress and a warm woody-vanillic base.

• Opening: sea salt and mineral notes
• Heart: cypress and aromatic herbs
• Base: vanilla and woods

What makes it stand out is the texture. The freshness feels stony and cool rather than citrusy, like waves hitting dark rocks at dusk. It works unusually well both in an office and in the evening, which is rare for a modern fresh release.

2. Jo Malone Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense

Quiet luxury in fragrance form

Jo Malone strengthens one of the most elegant green-woody compositions of recent years. There is no obvious sweetness here — only cypress, grapevine, cedar and warm amber.

• Cypress
• Grapevine
• Cedar
• Amber

It smells like cashmere, dark wood and an impeccable white shirt. This is the kind of fragrance that appears repeatedly in fashion-editor favourites because it feels expensive without trying to be dramatic.

3. Dior Paradise Eau de Parfum

The most talked-about launch of the season

Instead of another variation on Sauvage, Dior takes a more sensual direction: almond, mandarin, sea salt and a smooth woody base.

• Almond
• Mandarin
• Sea salt
• Tonka and woods

The tension between the salty and the softly gourmand is what makes it modern. It evokes sun-warmed skin and evening air on the Mediterranean, but with the polish of a contemporary city fragrance.

4. Calvin Klein CK One Night Essence

A return to intelligent masculinity

Perhaps the season’s biggest surprise. Rather than revisiting the transparent freshness of the original CK One, Calvin Klein explores a more intimate, understated idea of masculinity.

• Cardamom
• Iris
• Patchouli
• Musk

This is not a compliment-chaser. It sits close to the skin and reveals itself in conversation. Think a perfectly tailored shirt, a late-night bar and good lighting, not a crowded nightclub.

5. Tom Ford Figue Érotique

The season’s most seductive fragrance

Officially unisex, but it is men who have made it one of the most discussed launches of 2026.

• Fig
• Fig leaf
• Woody smoke
• Resins

This is not dessert fig. It is green, dark, slightly leathery and faintly smoky. The effect is cinematic: a terrace at night, heated wood, a trace of smoke in the air — the kind of sensual atmosphere Tom Ford does exceptionally well.

Which one should you choose?

By Boris Romanov

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The most meaningful part is who chose it, not the ranking.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of well-travelled readers vote for the places that have stayed with them long after they’ve returned home.

Which raises an interesting question. What makes a small natural island earn this kind of loyalty?

Because awards are only ever a snapshot. The real story at Baros has been unfolding since 1973, one season at a time, largely unchanged in the ways that matter most.

Сообщение <strong>Baros Maldives</strong> named No. 2 Resort in the World and No. 1 in Asia by Travel + Leisure readers появились сначала на Antenna Daily.

The editors of Antenna Daily have selected the season’s essential exhibitions to include in your cultural itinerary this autumn.

“Trajectories of Intervals”

Sevkabel Port Until 18 October 2026

An autumn journey through contemporary art should begin at Sevkabel Port, where media art ceases to be an object of observation and becomes a space in which the viewer is a full participant. “Trajectories of Intervals” brings together twelve large-scale installations by artists from Russia, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Mexico and Taiwan.

Each room offers its own way of interacting with space through light, sound, movement and digital technologies. There is no single prescribed route; the exhibition is conceived as an open system in which the path is discovered intuitively and impressions gradually form a personal narrative. It is one of those rare cases where media art demands not speed but attentive presence, allowing visitors to truly inhabit each installation.

“Opening the Palace Chambers: Art at the Court of the Emir of Bukhara”

The State Hermitage Museum Until 4 October 2026

One of the most substantial historical exhibitions of the season has opened in the General Staff Building of the Hermitage. The project is dedicated to the art of the Emirate of Bukhara at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, a period of active cultural and diplomatic dialogue with the Russian Empire.

Around seventy works of decorative and applied art, brought from museums in Uzbekistan and the Hermitage collection, reveal the world of court culture through objects used by the Bukharan elite: luxurious gold-embroidered robes, jewellery, weapons, interior pieces and ceremonial accessories. Particularly valuable are the exhibits that have left Uzbekistan for the first time.

Special attention should be paid to the section devoted to gifts presented by the emirs of Bukhara to the Russian imperial court — rare monuments of diplomatic history that today are perceived not only as museum treasures but also as evidence of cultural exchange between two states.

“Leda and the Swan. Michelangelo (Circle of). From a Private Collection”

The State Hermitage Museum Until 31 December 2026

Small камерal exhibitions often become the Hermitage’s most rewarding discoveries. Presented in the Italian Cabinet of the New Hermitage, this exhibition continues the museum’s series dedicated to Renaissance works from private collections.

At its centre is a painting associated with the circle of Michelangelo and devoted to one of the most famous subjects of classical mythology. For admirers of Renaissance art, it is a rare opportunity to see a work that seldom appears in public; for a wider audience, it offers a chance to encounter a familiar classical theme outside the usual museum context.

“The Great One: The Image of Woman in Russian Art”

The Russian Museum Until 11 January 2027

Undoubtedly one of the year’s largest museum projects. More than three hundred works of painting, graphic art, sculpture and decorative arts from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century are displayed across eleven ceremonial halls of the Mikhailovsky Palace.

The exhibition is less about an ideal of feminine beauty than about the role of women in Russian history and culture. Empresses, princesses, artists, ballerinas, actresses, poets and patrons become part of a broader narrative about time, society and artistic tradition.

Repin, Bryullov, Serov, Kramskoi, Levitsky, Kustodiev and Makovsky are all represented, while historical costumes, precious accessories and objects of palace life add further depth to the display. One of the exhibition’s major sensations is the first large-scale presentation of the watercolours of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanova following their scholarly restoration and study.

Another distinctive feature is the theatrical audio guide, which transforms the traditional museum route into a multilayered audio performance where music, literary narration and acting become part of the exhibition experience.

Rob Woodcox — “Limitless Possibilities of the Body”

Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art Until 8 November 2026

The new exhibition by American photographer Rob Woodcox invites viewers to see the body not as an object of representation but as a language through which humans interact with the surrounding world.

His works balance between photography, contemporary dance and surrealist cinema. Figures seem to dissolve into architecture, water, trees and landscapes, becoming part of a single natural system. Without relying on elaborate digital effects, Woodcox creates images in which physics yields to emotion and reality almost imperceptibly slips into fantasy.

This is one of those exhibitions where photography stops being a document and becomes a visual metaphor — fragile, cinematic and deeply human.

St Petersburg once again offers a rich exhibition season in which classical art stands alongside new technologies, and major museum projects coexist with experimental artistic practices. Whether you are drawn to centuries of history, contemporary photography or media art, the city has everything it takes this autumn to turn an ordinary museum visit into a genuine cultural journey.

By Boris Romanov

Сообщение The Must-See Autumn Exhibitions in St Petersburg: From Media Art to Museum Sensations появились сначала на Antenna Daily.

Jiangnan House is hidden in the heart of Nantou Ancient City, a district with more than 1,700 years of history. Just a few steps separate the lively maze of narrow lanes filled with tea houses, workshops, small galleries and design shops from a space where time seems to move at a different rhythm.

The project was created by the legendary studio Neri&Hu, masters of architectural transformation. Rather than erasing the past, they inserted a contemporary hotel into an ordinary residential building of the old quarter, preserving its imperfections, raw concrete textures, shifting light and the feeling of a real city.

Custom-designed furniture, Taschen books, the silence of the internal galleries and a rare sense of place make the experience feel less like a hotel stay and more like discovering a hidden residence.

What makes Jiangnan House truly special is the opportunity to see Shenzhen not as a metropolis of skyscrapers, but as a city of contrasts. Begin the morning with coffee on the hotel’s ground floor, lose yourself in the labyrinth of Nantou’s alleys, and within half an hour find yourself surrounded by the futuristic towers of Nanshan.

For travelers who think they already know Shenzhen, Jiangnan House reveals another version of the city — quieter, older, more tactile and infinitely more intriguing.

By Stanislav Smirnov

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The azure dial is complemented by silver-toned numerals and hands that shift in tone depending on the light and viewing angle, changing from almost white to a deep graphite shade. In direct sunlight, the dial reveals its full brilliance, evoking the summer sky over Peterhof reflected in the waves of the Gulf of Finland.

The combination of azure and steel creates the image of a new classic while preserving the lightness of a summer breeze. The watch is also accompanied by a genuine leather strap matched to the colour of the dial.

The Raketa Big Zero Azure was originally created in 2024 under the creative direction of Pavel Kaev. The new edition is strictly limited: only 65 anniversary pieces will be produced worldwide in the jubilee year 2026.

At the heart of the watch is a Russian Raketa automatic movement, manufactured from A to Z at the Petrodvorets Watch Factory, one of the few watchmakers in the world that still produces its own fully integrated manufacture calibres. Through the transparent caseback, the movement can be admired in full, with a rotor decorated with the Neva wave motif and finished in azure blue.

The watch is priced at 200,000 rubles and is available at official Raketa boutiques in Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as through the brand’s online store with complimentary delivery.

Сообщение <strong>Raketa</strong> “BIG ZERO” Azure появились сначала на Antenna Daily.

Tucked away in a quiet quarter between Baltiyskaya and the Mariinsky Theatre, the Museum of Christian Culture delivers a genuine sense of astonishment, even for those who consider themselves seasoned Petersburg museum-goers.

You arrive expecting a few halls of ancient Russian icon painting and instead find yourself inside a collection where 17th–19th century Russian icons, works by Fabergé, paintings by Old European Masters, Bryullov, Dutch and Flemish artists, and echoes of the Italian Renaissance coexist side by side. And the question that lingers after the first hour is not “Did I enjoy it?” but “Why is no one talking about this museum?”

A City Secret

St Petersburg is full of grand façades, yet its most memorable discoveries are often hidden far from Nevsky Prospekt. The Museum of Christian Culture is exactly that kind of place. It sits outside the main tourist routes and has not yet become a mandatory stop on the city’s cultural itinerary. Perhaps that is why it lacks the feeling of a museum conveyor belt: dimmed lighting, silence, few visitors, and an almost domestic sense of intimacy.

Many people who stumble upon it by chance later describe it as one of the most underrated places in the city. In a city where cultural institutions are almost impossible to compete with, that is a rare compliment.

More Than Icons

Formally, the museum is devoted to Christian culture, but its exhibition is far broader than the title suggests. The foundation is indeed Russian icon painting — from austere northern images to late academic icons of the 19th century. There are hagiographic icons, rare festive tiers, and works in which the breath of the Byzantine tradition is still palpable.

The real surprise comes when the route suddenly leads from the world of ancient Russian painting into the realm of European art. After tempera surfaces and gold backgrounds appear Flemish Baroque, Dutch chiaroscuro, and the sculptural sensibility of the Italian Renaissance.

The museum does not attempt to rival the Hermitage in scale. Its strength lies in the unexpected dialogue between objects. Here, the Christian theme becomes a thread connecting different eras, countries, and artistic languages.

When Rubens Meets a Northern Icon

In St Petersburg we are accustomed to viewing art in separate departments: Old Russian art here, Western European art there, decorative arts somewhere else. At the Museum of Christian Culture, these boundaries are deliberately softened.

After the severe faces of Russian saints comes the theatrical energy of Flemish painting. After the asceticism of the northern tradition comes the brilliance of jewellery and decorative art. After the stillness of the icon comes the dramatic gesture of European painting.

This contrast is what makes the museum feel unexpectedly contemporary. It does not demand academic discipline from the viewer; it offers a journey through the ways a single spiritual narrative transformed from Byzantium to Rubens, from a medieval Russian workshop to the academic painting of the 19th century.

Fabergé Without the Crowds

Another surprise is the section devoted to Fabergé. Of course, anyone seeking the imperial eggs should go to the Shuvalov Palace, and rightly so. Here, however, the perspective is different: Fabergé as part of Christian and court culture, not merely as a luxury jewellery brand.

In the museum’s intimate setting, these objects are perceived differently. They feel less like a tourist attraction and more like a continuation of the conversation about beauty, ritual, and symbolism.

Bryullov and the Luxury of Silence

There are museums where masterpieces become a backdrop for selfies. Here, the opposite happens: silence compels you to look longer.

When there is no wall of visitors in front of a Bryullov painting, you begin to notice not only the grand academic virtuosity but also the details — the translucency of skin, the cool reflections, the precision of the drawing. The same happens with the Dutch and Italian works: the museum offers the increasingly rare luxury of unhurried looking.

And perhaps this is the most powerful impression of all. Not the list of names — Rubens, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Bryullov — but the possibility of encountering art without the noise that usually surrounds it.

Atmosphere Over Scale

The collection contains hundreds of works, yet the museum never feels overwhelming. It resembles a carefully staged performance in which dark and light scenes alternate. The exhibition is arranged so that the visitor is constantly changing pace: from contemplating an icon to studying a painted detail, from a small devotional object to a monumental image.

There is no aggressive multimedia spectacle here, no attempt to entertain at any cost. Contemporary technology is used discreetly, supporting the mood rather than replacing the works of art.

Why Is It So Little Known?

There are several reasons. The museum is relatively young, located away from the main tourist flows, and its name can be misleading: many expect a purely religious exhibition and have no idea that European painting, Fabergé, and academic art are also part of the collection.

Yet perhaps this very underexposure is what makes it so attractive. In an age when major exhibitions require timed tickets and long queues, here you can almost accidentally find yourself alone with works of museum-quality significance.

Who Is It For?

This museum is not only for believers, and not only for lovers of icons.

Go if you:

• have already seen the Hermitage many times;
• enjoy private collections;
• value atmosphere more than scale;
• are interested in the connections between Eastern and Western art;
• are looking for a place in St Petersburg that has not yet become part of the standard cultural checklist.

Antenna Daily’s Take

St Petersburg has a talent for hiding its treasures. Sometimes they are concealed in courtyards, sometimes behind unremarkable doors, and sometimes behind a title that sounds far too modest.

The Museum of Christian Culture is one of those rare urban secrets that you want less to recommend than to pass on carefully from one person to another. Not because it is better than the Hermitage or the Russian Museum — that would be a meaningless comparison — but because it offers an experience that large museums have almost lost: the feeling of an unexpected discovery.

You step back onto the quiet Lodygina Lane and realise that you have just seen icons from the Russian North, the brilliance of Fabergé, Old European Masters, Bryullov, and an entire history of Christian art — without queues, without noise, and without the feeling that the city has already shown you everything it has.

And perhaps that is exactly what a true hidden masterpiece of St Petersburg looks like.

Сообщение <strong>St Petersburg’s Hidden Masterpiece: </strong>The Museum Almost Nobody Knows появились сначала на Antenna Daily.

On my recent visit, I came not for a ceremonial feast but for the new seasonal dishes, and they revealed the restaurant more clearly than any signature classic could.

The meal began with rapana with tomato, coriander and chilli. The rapana was sliced into thin, almost translucent pieces, retaining a delicate marine sweetness. The tomato added freshness, coriander brought a bright herbal lift, while the chilli appeared only at the end, leaving a gentle warmth rather than overwhelming heat. This is a dish built on balance, not intensity.

The second starter was perhaps my favourite discovery of the evening: chilled cucumber soup with crab and tomato. Served ice-cold, it arrives with the clarity of a summer gazpacho, yet its flavour is distinctly Asian. The cucumber provides a clean, almost crystalline freshness; the tomato adds light acidity; the crab contributes sweetness and depth. The texture is silky without feeling heavy, making it exactly the kind of dish one wants in a Moscow summer.

It is also a good example of how Mr. Lee avoids the obvious. Instead of relying on soy sauce, sesame oil or aggressive spice, the kitchen allows the ingredients to speak in a much quieter voice.

Then came the Peking duck, and this is where the restaurant reminds you that some classics become classics for a reason.

The duck is carved tableside. The skin is lacquered to a deep amber sheen and shatters delicately under the knife. The pancakes are thin and warm, the cucumber and scallions impeccably fresh, and the sauce restrained enough not to dominate the bird.

What impressed me most was the texture of the meat itself: juicy, tender and not separated from the skin, as often happens in less careful versions.

There is a sense of ceremony here, but it never feels theatrical. The service is smooth, almost understated, allowing the dish to remain the centre of attention.

For the main course, I chose fried rice with seafood and XO sauce. This is the kind of dish that often reveals the true level of a Chinese kitchen. Good fried rice is never about complexity; it is about precision. The grains must remain separate, the wok hei — that elusive smoky breath of the wok — must be present but not harsh, and the seafood must stay succulent.

Mr. Lee succeeds on all three counts. The XO sauce adds umami and a gentle marine richness without turning the dish salty or heavy. It is deeply satisfying and dangerously easy to keep eating long after you are no longer hungry.

Dessert was jasmine tea ice cream with mango and sticky rice. The jasmine aroma is beautifully controlled — fragrant but not perfumed. The mango brings ripe sweetness, while the sticky rice adds a subtle chew that makes the dessert more interesting than a typical sorbet or ice cream finish.

It quietly echoes the flavours of Southeast Asia while remaining fully integrated into the meal.

The interior deserves a mention as well. Dark wood, soft lighting, contemporary Chinese art and generous spacing between tables create an atmosphere that feels closer to Hong Kong or Singapore than to the stereotypical image of a Chinese restaurant in Moscow.

And perhaps that is the key to understanding Mr. Lee. This is not a restaurant trying to reproduce China in a nostalgic way. It is a restaurant presenting modern Chinese cuisine as part of a global metropolitan culture.

The seasonal menu is especially convincing because it shows restraint. There are no unnecessary effects, no oversized portions designed for social media, no excessive decoration. Instead, there is confidence in ingredients, technique and balance.

In a city where many restaurants still confuse luxury with abundance, Mr. Lee offers something far more interesting: precision.

And that precision makes it one of the most compelling Chinese dining experiences in Moscow right now.

By Stanislav Smirnov

Mr. Lee

52/55 bldg. 3, Povarskaya Street, Moscow

Сообщение <strong>Mr. Lee: </strong>Peking Duck, Chilled Cucumber Soup and the New Confidence of Chinese Cuisine in Moscow появились сначала на Antenna Daily.

Guangzhou, by contrast, is often reduced to a transit stop or the home of the famous Canton Fair.

That is one of the most unfair reputations in contemporary China.

Over the past decade, Guangzhou has evolved into a city where striking new architecture stands beside early-20th-century neighbourhoods, where some of the country’s most ambitious museums appear faster than guidebooks can keep up, and where Cantonese cuisine remains the benchmark for chefs across Asia.

And yet the city is remarkably free of the tourist frenzy that defines Beijing or Shanghai. Guangzhou does not try to impress; it simply lives its own life. Perhaps that is precisely why it feels so unexpectedly rewarding.

Antenna Daily set out to discover the soul of this city.

Thirty-six hours here convinced me of one thing: Guangzhou is not only one of the most interesting megacities in Asia today, but also one of the most underrated. And every stop on this route proves it.

15:00 — Rosewood Guangzhou: Living Above the Clouds

If there is one hotel worth travelling to Guangzhou for, even for just a couple of days, it is undoubtedly Rosewood Guangzhou.

The hotel occupies the upper floors of the CTF Finance Centre, one of the tallest buildings in China. The first impression is already unusual: there is no traditional ground-floor lobby. A high-speed lift carries guests to the 95th floor in less than a minute, revealing a panorama that attracts many visitors even without a room reservation.

But height is far from the hotel’s greatest achievement. The interiors, designed by Yabu Pushelberg, feel less like a 600-room hotel and more like a private collection of contemporary art. Natural wood, stone, bronze, works by Chinese artists and a restrained palette create the atmosphere of an urban residence rather than a skyscraper hotel.

The scale of the building almost disappears. Instead, it feels as though you are staying in the home of a collector with a passion for modern design and impeccably curated art.

What impressed me most was how dramatically the city changes throughout the day. Morning mist slowly reveals the silhouettes of skyscrapers; by afternoon, sunlight flashes across the glass facades of Tianhe’s financial district; by evening, Guangzhou becomes an endless sea of lights. Even the pool and fitness area double as observation decks with some of the finest views in the city.

Rosewood reveals what the new China has become. This is a country that no longer relies on sheer scale to impress. Instead, it invests in world-class architecture, contemporary art, design and a new language of luxury. A decade ago, projects like this felt exceptional; today, they are becoming the new normal.

Rosewood occupies the upper floors of the CTF Finance Centre, one of China’s tallest towers.

The hotel’s high-speed lift reaches the 95th floor in under a minute.

18:00 — Black Iron: Japanese Cuisine on the 107th Floor

A little higher still, and you arrive at Black Iron, one of the city’s most unusual restaurants.

Perched on the 107th floor, it seems to float above the Pearl River Delta. The concept revolves around three pillars of Japanese cuisine: sushi, teppanyaki and nabe. The focus is not on theatrical gastronomy, but on the absolute quality of the ingredients. Tuna, hamachi, scallops and prawns are delivered daily, and the chefs’ task is simply to reveal the purest expression of each product.

One of the most memorable discoveries was the signature hot pot, a rarity at this level of dining. Guests choose a rich broth, accompanied by paper-thin slices of Japanese wagyu and seasonal seafood. As ingredients are added gradually, dinner becomes a slow ritual in which the process matters as much as the final flavour.

The sake collection is equally impressive, combining classic labels with rare bottles. The team can match a sake to almost every dish, turning the meal into a miniature journey through Japan.

Dark wood, metal accents and open sushi and teppanyaki counters create a quietly dramatic atmosphere. Yet the true star remains the panoramic window. After sunset, Guangzhou transforms into a vast constellation of lights, and it feels as though the entire city is spread out beneath your feet.

It may seem strange to travel to China for a Japanese restaurant, but Black Iron perfectly illustrates how much Guangzhou has changed. It is no longer a city defined solely by Cantonese cuisine. Today, it competes confidently with Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo as one of Asia’s most compelling gastronomic capitals.

22:00 — Too High: Cocktails Above the Clouds

The ideal end to the day is Too High, the bar located just beside Black Iron.

The name is entirely justified. On the 107th floor, you genuinely feel as though you are above the clouds. Outside, Guangzhou glitters in the night; inside, soft jazz plays and the lighting keeps the space surprisingly intimate.

The cocktail menu reinterprets classics through Asian ingredients — tea, citrus, spices and local fruits. But the most important ingredient in every drink is undoubtedly the view.

10:00 — Breakfast with the Clouds

Morning at Rosewood Guangzhou begins not with coffee, but with the panorama.

As the first light filters through the haze above the Pearl River, the towers of Tianhe gradually emerge from the mist. In that moment, you understand why Rosewood is often described as a sanctuary in the sky.

Breakfast is served at Patina, the hotel’s European brasserie beside floor-to-ceiling windows. Instead of a standard hotel buffet, the offering combines European and Asian traditions: fresh pastries, artisanal cheeses, fruit and egg dishes alongside Cantonese dim sum, rice noodles, congee and local specialities.

You can start the day with a light continental breakfast or dive straight into the flavours of Guangdong.

What is striking is how long guests tend to stay. The view becomes as essential to breakfast as the coffee or the perfectly cooked omelette.

11:30 — Dongshankou: Guangzhou’s Most Atmospheric Neighbourhood

After the glass towers of the financial district, Dongshankou comes as a surprise.

It is hard to believe that just twenty minutes by taxi separates one of China’s most futuristic areas from streets lined with early-20th-century villas, bookshops, independent galleries and cafés that feel closer to Melbourne or Copenhagen than to southern China.

A century ago, foreign diplomats, entrepreneurs and missionaries built their homes here. As a result, the district retains a rare atmosphere: quiet streets, historic mansions, shady lanes and facades blending Art Deco and colonial eclecticism.

Today, Dongshankou is enjoying a second life. Young designers, architects and artists have transformed old houses into galleries, bookstores, concept stores and intimate coffee shops.

There are no giant malls here, only the pleasure of wandering without a map.

The greatest delight is peeking into the courtyards. Behind unassuming gates, you often find vintage shops, design studios or tiny exhibition spaces.

This is where you realise that the real Guangzhou is not the skyline. It is a city that knows how to preserve memory while remaining one of China’s most modern metropolises.

13:30 — The Butterfly Room

Back at Rosewood, it is worth pausing at The Butterfly Room, one of the city’s most elegant cafés.

People come not only for the coffee, but for the celebrated afternoon tea, long considered one of the hotel’s gastronomic signatures. French pastries, refined desserts, rare teas and a calm atmosphere make it the perfect interlude before continuing the day.

Rosewood Hong Kong: A Home Above Victoria Harbour

15:00 — Guangdong Museum of Art

Until recently, Guangzhou’s main art institution was the Guangdong Museum in the new business district. But in 2024, the city’s cultural map changed dramatically.

The Guangdong Museum of Art adopted the concept of “One Museum, Two Campuses”, combining its historic Ersha Island building with a vast new museum in the Baietan district.

The new complex immediately became one of China’s largest museums dedicated to contemporary art. Its architecture is conceived as an open public space: soaring atriums, natural light, panoramic river views and flexible galleries designed to accommodate both traditional Chinese art and large-scale contemporary projects.

The collection focuses on the art of Guangdong province, the Chinese avant-garde of the late 20th century and international exhibitions. The museum is intended not only as an exhibition venue, but also as a place for lectures, educational programmes and public discussion.

If Beijing is associated with the National Museum of China and Shanghai with the Power Station of Art, Guangzhou is now steadily building a cultural institution of genuinely international ambition.

A visit here reveals the city not merely as the industrial capital of southern China, but as one of the country’s most ambitious cultural centres.

19:00 — Lingnan House: Contemporary Cantonese Cuisine

The journey is best concluded where the region’s gastronomic story begins: Lingnan House, the Michelin-starred restaurant at Rosewood.

Chef Bill Feng builds the menu around the central principle of Cantonese cooking: do not conceal the ingredient; elevate it.

The restaurant serves exemplary Cantonese barbecue, delicate dim sum, dishes inspired by Shunde cuisine and seasonal specialities sourced from small farms across Guangdong.

The undisputed star is the signature roast goose with perfectly crisp skin. Equally memorable is the Shunde-style minced fish soup, unexpectedly perfumed with kaffir lime leaves. Dessert arrives in the form of a silky ginger milk pudding, one of Cantonese cuisine’s most iconic sweets.

Dark wood, carved screens, traditional lanterns and the open kitchen create the feeling of a contemporary southern Chinese home where ancient culinary traditions meet 21st-century fine dining.

Cantonese cuisine made Guangzhou China’s gastronomic capital long before the skyscrapers, museums and designer hotels appeared. Its philosophy — respect for the ingredient, precision in cooking and the absence of unnecessary excess — mirrors the character of the city itself.

Guangzhou does not rely on spectacle. Substance matters more.

Instead of a Conclusion

In recent years, China has built dozens of new museums, hundreds of skyscrapers and thousands of kilometres of high-speed railways.

Yet Guangzhou shows that the most important transformation has taken place not in architecture or technology, but in the very idea of the city.

It has learned to be modern and calm, cosmopolitan and deeply Chinese at the same time.

And that is precisely why it remains China’s most underrated megacity — a place that does not advertise its virtues, but allows travellers to discover them for themselves.

By Stanislav Smirnov

Сообщение Why Guangzhou Is China’s Most Underrated Megacity появились сначала на Antenna Daily.

Asia has no shortage of luxury hotels, and each knows how to impress with panoramic views, marble bathrooms and impeccably trained staff. Far harder is creating the feeling that you are returning not to a hotel, but to a place that has already become, in some small way, your own.

That is exactly the feeling I have at Rosewood Hong Kong.

A year had passed since my first stay, yet the moment I stepped back into the suite, the city outside the windows stopped feeling like a noisy metropolis, and the hotel stopped feeling like a temporary address.

On a second visit, you understand that the magic of Rosewood is not its scale, but its rare ability to combine international luxury with something deeply personal, almost residential.

A Home Away from Home

The designers of Rosewood Hong Kong set out to create not the feeling of a hotel, but of a home away from home. You notice it not in grand gestures, but in details that reveal themselves gradually.

At the entrance to the suite, guests are greeted by a traditional Chinese lantern and an umbrella stand — objects you would expect to find in a private Hong Kong apartment rather than in one of the world’s most luxurious hotels. Just beyond the door sits a tray for keys, watches and small essentials, as though someone had already anticipated where you would instinctively place your belongings after a long day.

My two-bedroom panoramic suite was located on the 34th floor. The view is, of course, the main event: Victoria Harbour, Star Ferry boats, the glass towers of Central and the ceaseless movement of the city, which becomes almost meditative when observed from above.

There is also a special bonus: in the evening, you can watch Symphony of Lights directly from the living room, without leaving the suite or sharing the waterfront with hundreds of tourists.

The suite itself is vast. Contemporary design is softened by mid-century influences, while expensive materials never announce themselves loudly; they work instead to create a sense of calm. Loro Piana wallpaper adds warmth, and the many references to Chinese symbolism make the interior feel not merely beautiful, but thoughtful.

I was especially drawn to the decorative lattice featuring bat motifs. In Western culture, such imagery might seem sombre, but in China the bat is a symbol of good fortune and prosperity. Another theme reappears in the bathroom: octagons. The number eight is considered auspicious, and here it appears everywhere — in the shape of the basin, the furniture and even the soap.

A large bed, a mirrored bathroom, an enormous living room and a separate dressing room create a space so expansive that on my first evening I genuinely managed to lose my way.

The suites are decorated with works by contemporary artist William Low

Rosewood treats art not as decoration, but as part of its identity.

And, of course, there is art. The suites are decorated with works by contemporary artist William Low, adding character and reminding guests that Rosewood treats art not as decoration, but as part of its identity.

Morning Above the Harbour

The most beautiful moment in this suite is not evening, but early morning.

Hong Kong wakes slowly. First the harbour turns silver, then the first ferries begin to cross the water, and finally the skyscrapers on the opposite shore catch the soft morning light. In those moments, you understand why Rosewood was built in Kowloon: from here, Central looks less like a financial district and more like a theatrical backdrop.

I like to take breakfast slowly, coffee by the window, watching the movement of boats and people below. The city has not yet started asking anything of you, and a few quiet minutes above Victoria Harbour feel every bit as luxurious as the suite itself.

Afternoon Tea as a Gastronomic Performance

On this trip, I had one goal unrelated to museums or restaurants: to experience afternoon tea at Rosewood Hong Kong.

The Butterfly Room was recently named one of the world’s best destinations for afternoon tea by LA LISTE, and I wanted to understand what sets it apart from the many luxurious tea services offered by hotels in London, Paris or Dubai.

The answer turned out to be simple: here, afternoon tea has been transformed into a fully realised gastronomic ritual.

The name is no coincidence. Damien Hirst’s butterfly motifs have become one of the defining artistic elements of the interior, and the space balances between English tradition and contemporary art installation.

The most striking departure is the absence of the traditional three-tier stand. Instead, the set is served in courses, like a tasting menu in a fine-dining restaurant. It immediately changes your perception: you do not decide what to eat first; you follow a carefully composed rhythm.

This summer, the menu was refreshed. It begins with light savouries: chilled green pea soup with jalapeño, miniature sandwiches with Scottish salmon, river shrimp, Hainan chicken and, perhaps the most memorable, egg with black truffle and pumpkin.

But the true climax arrives later.

Caviar is presented in an elegant lacquered chest, opened tableside. Spoon by spoon, it is served in front of the guests, turning the presentation into a small theatrical performance.

A glass of Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut is the perfect companion. Its delicate floral notes subtly highlight the creamy texture of the caviar without trying to dominate it.

The dessert course unfolds at an unhurried pace and remains varied throughout, but what lingers is not a particular pastry. It is the feeling of slowness. The taste matters, but so do the rhythm, the presentation, the attention to detail and that rare sense of occasion that appears from the very first minute.

After Sunset: DarkSide

If The Butterfly Room is about light, porcelain and slowing down, DarkSide is its complete opposite.

Located on the ground floor, the bar feels far deeper and more atmospheric than its physical position suggests. Its name references Kowloon’s history — the “dark side” of the harbour where old Hong Kong’s nightlife once flourished.

DarkSide has long been recognised by international awards, and the reason is clear: rare spirits, precision and atmosphere are treated with equal seriousness.

Live music does the rest. Time begins to move more slowly, while conversations drift across neighbouring tables in English, Cantonese, French and Japanese. At some point, you realise that this is what contemporary Hong Kong truly feels like: cosmopolitan, slightly cinematic and unlike any other city in Asia.

The Legacy House: Understanding Hong Kong Through Cantonese Cuisine

Within Rosewood Hong Kong’s gastronomic collection, The Legacy House occupies a special place. For the past three years, it has consistently retained a Michelin star and remains one of the city’s essential addresses for contemporary Cantonese cuisine.

Here, food becomes an extension of family history. Chef Li Chi Wai has dedicated the concept to the culinary traditions of the Cheng family, owners of Rosewood Hong Kong, weaving them together with the heritage of Guangdong province, the birthplace of Cantonese cooking.

To understand Hong Kong, it is important to remember that geographically and culturally it belongs to southern China. Cantonese cuisine therefore forms the foundation of the local gastronomic identity: delicate, textural and built around the freshness of the ingredient.

Unlike many regional Chinese cuisines, it does not seek aggressive heat or complex spice combinations. Its character comes from the faint natural sweetness of ingredients, impeccable freshness and restrained technique. Sauce does not conceal the product; it extends it. The menu at The Legacy House is built around this philosophy.

One of the most striking dishes was fried beef in a nut crust with the finest threads of Japanese pepper. First comes the crispness of the coating, then the succulence of the meat, and finally a gentle spicy finish that makes the dish unexpectedly elegant.

The signature braised goose is another culinary calling card of the restaurant, cooked slowly so that the meat remains juicy while the skin develops a deep caramel glaze.

Yet my greatest discovery on this visit was the fresh salad with young bamboo shoots and prawns in sweet-and-sour sauce with pineapple and pepper. The sauce is made in-house, which explains its remarkable delicacy: sweetness, acidity and gentle heat exist in almost perfect balance.

The interior of The Legacy House is filled with artworks, references to Lingnan culture and contemporary Chinese design. Despite the panoramic harbour views, dinner feels surprisingly intimate, as though you had been invited into the private home of a very wealthy Hong Kong family.

If afternoon tea demonstrates how Rosewood can reinterpret a British tradition, The Legacy House explains why Hong Kong remains one of Asia’s great culinary capitals.

Art Beyond the Hotel

If I were to choose only one museum in Hong Kong, I would choose M+ without hesitation.

In just a few years, it has become one of the most important museums of contemporary art in Asia, and its collection has long outgrown any purely regional context.

Rosewood makes the visit remarkably effortless: a personal driver takes you directly to the entrance, while a VIP ticket removes the queues and grants access to a private lounge. It feels like the ideal way to encounter contemporary art — without hurry and without unnecessary friction.

Hong Kong is currently hosting a major retrospective of Korean artist Lee Bul, one of the key figures in global contemporary art.

Her works are impossible to confuse with anyone else’s: mirrored installations, futuristic structures and sculptures in which the human body gradually transforms into a machine, while utopias reveal themselves to be less perfect than we once imagined.

They first seduce with beauty, then provoke thoughts about the future, technology and the nature of being human. There is something profoundly Hong Kong about this tension: the city also dazzles with its brilliance while making you wonder what the world might look like twenty years from now.

A Small Travel Ritual

There is another observation that comes with long journeys.

Sooner or later, a moment arrives when you need not only book new restaurants and museums, but also take care of something entirely ordinary — such as refreshing a haircut.

In Hong Kong, I can confidently recommend Rossano Ferretti HairSpa at Rosewood Hong Kong.

Located within Asaya, one of the city’s finest wellness complexes, the salon feels less like a hair appointment and more like a ritual of self-care.

The team works according to Rossano Ferretti’s signature method, which does not impose a shape but enhances the hair’s natural texture and movement. After the cut, you do not feel as though you have just left a salon. It feels as if your hair has simply started looking better on its own.

When travelling, that is especially valuable: not taking risks with unfamiliar stylists, but receiving a consistently high standard in a place you trust.

The Hong Kong You Want to Return To

On my second visit, I realised that Rosewood Hong Kong is not the best way to hide from Hong Kong.

It is the best way to live it.

To wake above Victoria Harbour. To watch the city slowly gather speed. To drink afternoon tea as if it were a fine-dining tasting menu. To dine on Cantonese classics spoken in a contemporary language. To listen to jazz at DarkSide. To explore Lee Bul’s futuristic worlds at M+. And to return in the evening to a space where Chinese symbolism, contemporary design, art and impeccable service come together in the rare feeling of home.

Hong Kong remains a city of contrasts: British heritage and Chinese tradition, financial towers and old markets, frantic energy and unexpected moments of meditation.

Rosewood Hong Kong brings these opposites together with remarkable ease. And perhaps that is why, after a second visit, I find it difficult to think of it as merely a hotel.

It feels more like the address from which my personal Hong Kong begins — and the one to which I want to return again.

By Stanislav Smirnov

Сообщение <strong>Rosewood Hong Kong: </strong>A Home Above Victoria Harbour появились сначала на Antenna Daily.