Kishore Singh: The fine art of Hong Kong's nightlife

Hong Kong's Art Basel exposition is a universe unto itself, self-obsessed to the point of being delusional. Hundreds have died in a mine in Turkey, in Shenzhen there is flooding, Asean ministers are upbraiding China for its hegemonistic tendencies, and in India the world's largest elections have brought in a change of government, but the buzz is around a celebrity photographer randomly asking a select few to pose for his book, complimenting them on their "perfect" posture, or "great style". Wrapped in that halo, they peek into galleries with a fortune in Renoir, Modigliani, Chagall and Picasso paintings. That art at least is understandable, but it's the contemporary installations where conversations are measured in coffee spoons. Does anyone actually understand it? I'm not sure, but almost everyone pretends to.
 

You'd imagine the art scene would restrict itself to viewings and encounters with artists, but that's apparently only part of the bargain. In London, earlier in the year, bands were at least as important as the Michelin-starred chefs that had a turn at serving up expensive lunches over bad service to appreciative audiences. Now, in Hong Kong, everyone's turning to the food too, though much angst has been exchanged over invitations to after-parties. Which gigs were you invited to? At what venues? Hong Kong drinks well enough in its many pubs and bars, but everywhere around the world free alcohol has its devotees, and it doesn't matter how obscenely rich you are, free is always better.

You do need to be fantastically wealthy if you're looking for a "little something" at the art fair where Chinese mainlanders have been buying "on discount", but some others are here for the food - not the stuff on offer at the fair itself, which is chewy and rather inedible, but in the restaurants near the venue where the menus are in Mandarin but if you aren't too squeamish about the creepy-crawlies, then chances of going wrong are few.

Unlike Singapore, where evening hours tend to get frenetic because you need a reservation at bars and restaurants tend to shut early, Hong Kong has few restrictions. As a result, the evenings are more relaxed, and you can go bar crawling from little places, like The Pawn, that lead off narrow staircases you'd never know unless some veteran pointed it out, to those with spectacular views across the harbour of its neon-lit skyline that can make the jaws of even the most experienced travellers literally drop open. And they do experiment with food - one vegetarian in our group was delighted when the starters we'd ordered turned out to include a dosa stuffed with ratatouille.

That you can order a refill of your wasabi martini, saunter across the road to a Coach store to pick up a bag, or try on a Miu Miu dress, and get back in time to tell the waiter to leave out the extra ice, means that late night shopping is a pleasure in Hong Kong. Even the muggy weather and surly taxi drivers can't put you off the luxury of shopping and dining at will. This evening, though, Hong Kong's dives are booking up faster than the Indians can call in with reservations. The mood here is as upbeat as the Sensex, so even Hong Kongers, famously insular to developments outside their island, can't help shaking your hand and wishing you "good fortune". Some are even asking about investment in Indian art - a sign of change and things to come?