Fancy French: VEA is a swank French fine-dining concept offering modern Gallic dishes and impeccably prepared cocktails. It’s located at The Wellington, a new building straddling the border of Central and Sheung Wan.

Look & Feel: The restaurant is two stories high, with a casual bar on the 29th floor and a brass-toned dining space on the 30th.

On the Menu: The food here is imaginative, to say the least. At the bar on the 29th floor, you can get fries served on top of a gardening glove, and in the fine-dining space upstairs you can expect your oysters to be topped with foam. Even though the cuisine is French, you’ll find some Hong Kong-style touches here and there. Expect to be shelling out over $1,000 for the multi-course tasting menus on the 30th floor. The 29th floor is a bit more casual, and you’ll be able to grab crazy cocktails like a bone marrow old fashioned ($160) or a salted negroni ($140).

Meet the Chef: The talented chef Vicky Cheng, formerly of Liberty Private Works, is at the helm. He works alongside one of Hong Kong’s most well known mixologists, Antonio Lai, who will be crafting creative cocktails to go alongside the dishes.

Jeng: We’re in love with both the drinks and the food at VEA. The menu will change from time to time but don’t be surprised if you’re asked to pick things off the table or drink things out of test tubes. From the Hong Kong-style quail eggs and “hairy crab” platter to the heavenly fennel- and salsify-topped langoustine, chef Cheng’s flavorful dishes are enhanced by their creative and beautiful presentations — they’re much more than Instagram-worthy gimmicks. Paired with Lai’s crazy-cool cocktails that combine Asian ingredients like dashi and shiitake mushrooms with gin, whisky and rye, the result is a pretty stellar meal.

Not So Jeng: Although upstairs is the fine-dining restaurant and downstairs is the bar, the similar labeling makes it unclear which is which.

Service: Service at VEA is spectacular, as you’d expect. There is always someone on hand to refill glasses, clear plates and deliver all the dishes at the perfect time.

Great For: An all-out celebration, a fancy first date.

FYI: VEA stands for Vicky Et Antonio. The woman behind the establishment is Charlene Dawes, who also runs Quinary, Angel’s Share and The Envoy, just to name a few.

This writeup was based on a complimentary media tasting. The Loop doesn’t guarantee/sell restaurant review coverage. See our editorial policy here.