In Hong Kong, Inventive Ice Cream Is Everywhere
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A Gelato Renaissance in Hong Kong
By Eric Wilson
In a snack-obsessed city like Hong Kong, there's always room for a dessert craze, the latest being weirdly wonderful flavors of ice cream. Six new gelato specialists have opened over the past year or so within a few blocks of the Central District alone, each vying to one-up the Australian-import Messina, which kicked off the trend with its locally inspired milk tea and egg tart creations when it opened on the steps of Pottinger Street in 2021. To sample more outrageous concoctions, start on nearby Wellington Street with a cone of salted duck egg milk jam gelato topped with puffed black quinoa at Liz & Tori, from the celebrated chef Vicky Cheng, who's otherwise known for his French-inflected Chinese restaurants Wing, VEA and Medora. Then walk up to Gough Street for a tropical fruit float from the Ice Cream & Cookie Co., which originated in Singapore. Farther down that street is Sleep Well Eat More, where the often-changing menu highlights seasonal and exotic ingredients — recent flavors have included Musang King durian, juniper berries with black grape and cinnamon blended with bits of dried persimmon. For a taste of Japan, try Tokachi Milky's soft ice cream made from the famed milk of Hokkaido, then go for an Italian aperitivo next door on Aberdeen Street at L'antico, which for two days this past April featured a limited drop of black truffle gelato spritzed lightly with whiskey. End at the retro-styled Snack Baby on Hollywood Road, which stays open late serving cocktails that complement its biweekly specials, such as a rum daiquiri that was paired with kaya toast gelato in June. Certain signature flavors, like the smoky vanilla, are always on offer.
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Artisanal Birdhouses on View in Blue Hill, Maine
By Gisela Williams
For much of her career, the entrepreneur and ceramist Em Gift has supported other people's projects, working behind the scenes at the San Francisco-based boutiques Gravel & Gold and Reliquary, where she is currently CFO. But last year, when a friend told her about an available commercial space on the central thoroughfare in Blue Hill, Maine, 'I thought, 'Why not?' ' Gift says. She arrived in Maine 12 years ago to do a residency at Watershed, a center for ceramic arts, and loved the area so much she stayed; she lives in Brooklin, another town on Maine's Blue Hill Peninsula, about a three-hour drive north of Portland. In June 2024 she opened Working Loose, named after a '70s Quaker-inspired book about the importance of vocation over work. 'I wanted to create a hub that was about art and community,' she says. 'Commerce is definitely secondary.' In the 1,600-square-foot space that was originally a pharmacy, Gift sells everything from Hyperlite Mountain Gear camping equipment to Captain Blankenship bath products, a selection of ironic bumper stickers and Maine-friendly clothing, including wide-legged cotton pants from the Los Angeles brand Meals. Over the past year, Working Loose has hosted concerts, a community karaoke night and a leather-sandal-making workshop. At the back of the boutique is an exhibition space. Last month, in collaboration with the Miami-based gallerist Nina Johnson, who lives nearby during the summer, Gift opened a show featuring birdhouses created by artists including Katie Stout and Minjae Kim. The display has sparked other events: On Saturday, Aug. 2, the expert birder Evan Obercian will lead a late afternoon walk to identify local bird species. 'Birdhouse' is on view through Sept. 1 at Working Loose, Blue Hill, Maine, workingloose.com.
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A Barcelona Restaurant That Offers a World Tour of Food and Wine
By Stan Parish
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