First, to the Lobster Bar, for an entertaining meeting with a Chinese debt banker who is helping shake up Asia’s bond markets.
For their rivals, China’s increasingly prominent bond bankers are causing a dramatic change. But for their friends, it feels like a return to form. Too many bottles of vino consumed, our affable guest stumbled off for a late-night conference call. One only hopes he wasn’t the host.
There was not a day to recover before I was back out meeting an old friend and a market legend. I suggested Alfie’s, a charming watering hole that I haven’t been to for years. He laughed at quite how out of touch I was, informing me that Alfie’s is long closed.
Instead, he suggested Bit Point in Wyndham Street. When I arrived I found I was not the only one out of touch; this, too, had closed. We ended up in Solas — except of course Solas has now been replaced by Halcyon. In Hong Kong, nothing stays the same for long.
The week included an enjoyable lunch at the Buenos Aires Polo Club, a venue that boasts real colonial charm (and a wine menu longer than an IPO prospectus). It was impressive enough that an immediate return has already been booked.
After all this, though, I can make a pledge. Next week will be different. It will be one of dedicated exercise, healthy eating, and a plurality of vegetables. And if not next week, then most certainly the week after that.