Cépage opened in Hong Kong on February 18 (a date chosen by a feng shui master) to the disparate sounds of a lion dance and the corks being pulled from excellent bottles of white burgundy and red bordeaux.

These fine wines are the trademarks of Les Amis group, which has 12 branches in Singapore. This is its first foreign foray and the opening of restaurant number 13 has been far more painful and expensive than anticipated. Having planned to open another branch of Les Amis, legal difficulties meant that the group had to delay the opening and find a new name.

A hoarding had gone up last September announcing that Les Amis would open a branch in Hong Kong. Randy See and Raymond Lim, who run Les Amis for its three directors, had initiated the process of applying for both a restaurant and a liquor licence. The plan was to open in mid-December.