Maxim’s Palace Opens 7th Branch in Mong Kok, Launches "Maxim's Dim Sum Classroom" for Hands-On Experience

The seventh branch of Maxim's Palace, the flagship Chinese cuisine brand of the Maxim's Group, officially opened on Tuesday (March 10) at MOKO in Mong Kok. The new location preserves the tradition of the dim sum trolley, allowing guests to select their favorite dishes tableside. Committed to serving handmade dim sum and dishes, the restaurant also marks a Hong Kong first for Maxim's Chinese restaurants with a live station where diners can watch the preparation of instant-roasted crispy suckling pig, offering both local patrons and visitors an authentic taste of Hong Kong's unique dining culture.

The new location preserves the tradition of the dim sum trolley, allowing guests to select their favorite dishes tableside. Photo by Bastille Post

The restaurant also marks a Hong Kong first for Maxim's Chinese restaurants with a live station where diners can watch the preparation of instant-roasted crispy suckling pig. Photo by Bastille Post

In a response to evolving dining trends, the new Maxim's Palace branch introduces several innovative elements, with the "Maxim's Dim Sum Classroom" as its key highlight. Conducted by Maxim's Chinese chefs in both Cantonese and English, the hands-on classes offer trainees the opportunity to learn how to make over 20 different dim sum items, with two dishes featured per session. Tuition starts from HKD $450 per person per class. Upon completion, trainees can receive a take-home apron, a certificate of completion, and an HKD $100 dining voucher for Maxim's Palace.

On the site, the LegCo Members, Ms. Vivian Kong and Mr. Jonathan Leung, experienced making sesame rolls under the guidance of a dim sum chef. Photo by Bastille Post

On the site, the LegCo Members, Ms. Vivian Kong and Mr. Jonathan Leung, experienced making sesame rolls under the guidance of a dim sum chef. Rolling up the pre-laid sesame rolls proved to be a task requiring real skill. After donning aprons and gloves, they held their scrapers and followed the chef's step-by-step instructions: "The first step is crucial. Scrape along the bottom edge, divide it into three equal sections, and then begin rolling."

The two held their scrapers and followed the chef's step-by-step instructions for making sesame rolls. Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

When it came time to roll, the two gently ran their scrapers. Ms. Kong was the first to complete her roll, her face lighting up with a happy laugh. Though her sesame roll didn't turn out perfectly, it was still deemed a success. When someone complimented her effort, she beamed and replied, "Thank you." Mr. Leung, meanwhile, needed a bit of guidance from the chef, but with that helping hand, he too successfully finished his roll. Finally, the two savored the fruits of their labor. Taking a bite, Ms. Kong exclaimed, "Wow, so delicious!"

The two successfully finished their rolls. Photo by Bastille Post

Finally, the two savored the fruits of their labor. Taking a bite, Ms. Kong exclaimed, "Wow, so delicious!" Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Lee Man Yin, COO of Chinese & Western Cuisine at Maxim's, stated that the Dim Sum Classroom will officially open on April 1 this year, with internal testing currently underway. "We need to make sure everything is operating smoothly first," he said. He noted that several factors are needed for consideration for the Dim Sum Classroom, beginning with the selection of dim sum varieties. "Beyond dim sum, we also plan to offer courses on other Chinese dishes—like teaching turnip cake and New Year cake during the Chinese New Year period. We believe there's strong demand for this from the market, especially from tourists."

Mr. Lee Man Yin, COO of Chinese & Western Cuisine at Maxim's, Photo by Bastille Post

Secondly, course offerings will be tailored to different age groups. "For safety reasons, we won't let children handle knives or work with frying in our courses," he explained. "But for courses designed for adults, where some trainees may already enjoy cooking, we can offer more hands-on practical opportunities."

Mr. Lee revealed that, for the time being, the Dim Sum Classroom will initially target three types of customers. The first is children—following a trial with 120 children, the "response was quite good." The second is hobbyists, with courses to be offered in partnership with various social media platforms. If tourists visiting Hong Kong are interested, they can experience the dim sum and Chinese cuisine making courses. The third is corporate clients, as "many of our group partners are interested in team-building activities." He added that the ideal course schedule would run from 5 pm to 7 pm, lasting two hours, after which participants could be arranged to have dinner in a private room at the restaurant. Mr. Lee noted that the specific course design is still under study.

Government to introduce resolution to raise borrowing ceiling to $900 billion for Infrastructure Bond Programme and Government Sustainable Bond Programme

The Government served a notice to the Legislative Council (LegCo) today (March 11) to introduce a resolution under the Loans Ordinance to raise the borrowing ceiling from $500 billion to $900 billion for the Infrastructure Bond Programme (IBP) and the Government Sustainable Bond Programme (GSBP) under the Capital Works Reserve Fund.

The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said, "As the Government will accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis (NM) and other public works projects relating to the economy and people's livelihood, we need to raise the borrowing ceiling to $900 billion to increase our capacity to finance public works projects. The Government's capital works expenditure for 2025-26 is estimated to be about $125 billion. The 2025 Policy Address announced that the Government would earmark an additional $30 billion in the next two to three years to increase expenditure on public works projects to drive sustained economic development and support the local construction industry. The capital works expenditure is estimated to be about $128 billion for 2026-27 and will remain at a similar level from 2027-28 to 2030-31.

"Issuing government bonds is one of the public financial management tools. Issuing bonds to support infrastructure development is a common practice worldwide. As public works projects are long-term investments, in particular those in the NM, there is a need for the Government to issue more longer-term bonds to align more closely the cash flow duration with project requirements. A higher borrowing ceiling and a larger mix of longer-term bonds will bring in more net proceeds. The Government plans to issue about $160 billion to $220 billion worth of bonds per annum from 2026-27 to 2030-31, and the corresponding ratio of government debt to Gross Domestic Product will rise from 14.4 per cent to 19.9 per cent, which is a highly prudent level and well below that of most advanced economies. We hope that the new borrowing ceiling can be effected as soon as possible," Mr Hui emphasised.

The GSBP (previously known as the Government Green Bond Programme (GGBP)) was established in 2018 to promote market development and to further consolidate Hong Kong's position as a green finance hub. The IBP was established in 2024 to enable better management of the cashflow needs of major infrastructure projects and facilitate their early completion. Along with the establishment of the IBP, the GGBP, renamed as the GSBP, was expanded to cover sustainable projects, and the total borrowing ceiling for the two programmes was raised from $200 billion to $500 billion, pursuant to a resolution passed by LegCo in May 2024. The 2026-27 Budget further announced raising the borrowing ceiling to a total of $900 billion for these two programmes to increase the capacity to finance public works projects. The two programmes are overseen by a steering committee chaired by the Financial Secretary.

Subject to the legislative process, the Government will move the resolution in LegCo on April 1.

Source: AI-found images