Does Lamma’s new ‘hipster’ restaurant Terracotta deliver? The Quality Goods Club group behind Shady Acres has moved into Yung Shue Wan with a waterfront Mediterranean concept
- The group behind Honky Tonks Tavern and Mendel’s Delicatessen in Kennedy Town have landed on the notoriously rustic, ‘hippy’ outlying island of Lamma – and locals may need time to adjust to the coming wave of gentrification
- In the weeks since the Mediterranean restaurant Terracotta opened, Yung Shue Wan Main Street has also welcomed the rowdy Spicy Island Kebab House, while traditional CCT Man Kee has been reimagined in hipster hues
Of Hong Kong’s big four island escapes, Lamma might be the most resistant to the passing of time. Unlike Cheung Chau, and Lantau’s Discovery Bay and Mui Wo communities, there are no American fast food chains or convenience stores to be found. And Lamma’s infamous counterculture ethos hasn’t taken root on the tiny dumbbell of Peng Chau – another car-free, time-capsule escape with a population not yet approaching five digits.
Lamma’s substantial expat community has long celebrated its laid-back vibes, outsider status and wilful indifference to the double-edged sword of gentrification. So there was considerable consternation when rumours started to circulate that “townies” were eyeing up a prime waterside spot in Yung Shue Wan. That a highfalutin F&B “concept” would be upping prices in “the village”, a close-knit neighbourhood where few existing eateries take credit cards, let alone reservations.
“‘The hipsters are coming!’ – I remember seeing that on social media,” laughs Matthew Richardson, co-founder of Terracotta, the sleek, chic Mediterranean restaurant that finally opened its doors on said waterfront in October.
In a sense, many of the locals’ fears were justified. Terracotta is indeed a concept restaurant. And a formal one – you cannot simply walk in and sit down; guests are greeted at the door to be seated. There’s lounge music and mood lighting. Reservations are highly recommended. Staff even wear uniforms. And, yes, it’s from the group behind rowdy SoHo bars Shady Acres and Honky Tonks Tavern, and the sophisticated Quality Goods Club (QGC). Whisper it: hipster hang-outs.
In short, Terracotta is utterly unlike anything else on Lamma – and that might be hard for some nimbys to swallow. “The people who said they’d never come, maybe their friend went and now they’ve realised it’s not sinister or anything,” adds the 33-year-old Brit, hopefully.
This most unthreatening invasion has its roots in the pandemic, when Lamma became a regular recreational hideaway for Richardson, like so many others. “During those years Lamma felt like an escape,” he adds, “like going away to this melting pot of people from different places and backgrounds – I thought of it as a place to relax. We envisioned a real seaside feeling, like when you’re on holiday.”
On one visit, he sat down for a pint at beloved British pub The Blue Goose Tavern that was about to shut up shop in summer 2022, freeing up arguably the best waterside terrace in town. The conversation began instantly. “It was a bit of luck – we went there for dinner at the right time,” he remembers. “We knew it was a location too good to pass up.”
Mediterranean cuisine was a natural fit with the desired getaway vibe, so Richardson turned to Richard Solnik, previously of Bedu and Artemis & Apollo, for the QGC Group’s debut dining-first venture – and fifth venue in four years.