Meet Hong Kong’s best bartender and best wine list sommelier of 100 Top Tables 2023, Devender Sehgal of Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s bars, and Nordic fine dining restaurant Embla’s Yulia Ezhikova
- Sehgal, beverage manager at the hotel, oversees The Chinnery and Captain’s Bar as well as The Aubrey, where he offers an omakase experience introducing spirits like shochu and awamori
- Contemporary Nordic fine dining restaurant Embla is headed by chef Jim Löfdahl, formerly of Frantzén’s Kitchen; Ezhikova opts to emphasise ‘quality over quantity’ in her wine list
Hong Kong’s drinks scene has never been better. Never before has there been such an array of world class options. Whether you want a cocktail, craft beer, wine, whisky, sake or soju, there’s an attractive option for every parched throat.
All of which makes selecting the city’s most outstanding bartender and wine list for South China Morning Post’s 100 Top Tables fine dining guide this year incredibly difficult.
Sehgal has come a long way since he first started bartending 12 years ago in New Delhi. Key to his success this year was his expert hospitality.
“As bartenders, we’re here to provide a service,” explained Sehgal. “So for me, one of the most important things as a good bartender is being able to read the room. It’s really important to be able to understand the guests that come into your bar, to listen to what they are saying and to listen to what they are looking for, what they are curious about and what they may not like.”
Sehgal’s hospitality as a host is witnessed most clearly in the cocktail omakase experience he curates at The Aubrey. An intimate affair, Sehgal prepares a custom menu for no more than a handful of guests, providing a tailored and intimate experience like no other in Hong Kong.
