Tuesday night, upstairs at the bistro Ici, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, a handful of hopefuls pushed snacks upon invitation-only guests and waited for the passing of judgment. One of them would take home the “I’m a Winner” trophy and, more important, win the consulting expertise of the Rooster Design Group. It was the culmination of the company’s first “The Next Big Small Brand Contest for Culinary Genius.”

Next fall, Rooster will repeat the contest, so start working on your products. Children will be offered classes in home brewing should you want to get in on the kombucha action. That probably won’t win you the title, though. Chocolate-dipped spiders, anyone?

Reference: NY Times

Busy Suzie is the new Japanese Restaurant by our good friends at Emporor Group in Hong Kong. A beautifully designed building in the shape of a sphere which echoes the brilliance of well renowned French designers who have brought couture to Japanese traditional thread and interior. The walls are flooded with long beautiful strips of bamboo, where mysterious artwork hides in the shadows only to make the experience more the worth while. It was a fun night from the start, sharing saki to warm the chest followed by some delicious Japanese seafood and succulent beef, only to finish with a tasty milk desert.

The Cipher team shared laughs and good food, with nothing but positivity to cap the night with a ferry ride back to the Hong Kong Island. We hope that Busy Suzie gets the recognition it deserves so go and check out what Kowloon side has to offer.

~ Oh and look out for our Cipher sneakers on the staff ! That’s our touch.