Hong Kong’s Chinnery Is a Historical Gem Offering Anglo-Indian Fare

The Chinnery, located on the second floor of the Mandarin Oriental, opened in 1963 and was originally designed to resemble an English private gentleman’s club from the Victorian era. Not much has changed. The cozy windowless space is warmly clad with dark wood paneling and red fabric, interspersed by paintings of various figures by George Chinnery, an English artist who spent the first half of the 19th century living in India and Macau.

Booths line one wall, separated by glass and wood dividers to allow privacy, while there are also stools at the whisky-lined bar for dining. Despite booking almost a week in advance for lunch, I was only able to secure seats at the bar for my guest and me — “roughing it.”