It's not too hard to pick up eligibility for the frequent flier 貴賓室 lounges as a couple of trans-Pacific flights will pile up the miles pretty quickly, plus some padding from the Taiwan-Hong Kong commuter runs. This causes EVA's flagship lounge in Taoyuan tend to be overrun with folks like me, to such an extent that they had to open another area for the real Diamond-level, first-class frequent fliers. The Taoyuan food is just your standard steam-table Chinese food anyway. Although the high-mountain Oolong teabags are pretty good, such that mom always swipes a bunch when she passes through and so do I.
It also behooves EVA to have a nice place at HKG since it is a major transit point for their customers. Of course, on their home turf nobody can match Cathay's huge and fancy lounge which takes up half a level by itself. EVA shares their HKIA lounge services with Virgin Atlantic, right off the inter-terminal tram up the escalator near Gate 40. EVA fliers probably get more use out of the space, but the original design is definitely all VA. One see Branson's touch of hip in the decorative elements. The space is just a partitioned off open-area in the upper level, and they took advantage of the airy openness along the outside with pastel mod furniture looking out onto the gates and planes. The interior enclosed with a more plush look with dark wood paneling. And of course the bathroom fixtures are also a few steps up in design compared to the standard institutional fare.
The design may be modern-Euro but the free food is Asian fare. A person comes to you to take the order and brings the the food&drink to you, which is a very nice touch. It's simple food such as won-ton soup, congee, and noodles, but served in nice faux-lacquer or real-porcelain bowls with cloth napkins, albeit with disposable utensils. The portions are closer to snack-size rather than full meals, but that's plenty for a quick bite before the flight. I like the shrimp won-tons with big chunks of shrimp although the broth tastes a bit MSG. There's also forgettable finger sandwiches and mini-pastries set out for self-serve.
There's a nice bar but I haven't been inclined to partake in anything alcoholic. I do like to ask for black tea, though. It's only Lipton yellow-label, but as one might expect from a British company, the tea is served on a sleek porcelain service set. Goes well with the bread pudding from the menu.
The Clubhouse
(Virgin Atlantic and EVA Air)
Hong Kong International Airport
Level 7, escalator near Gate 40