A Word on Hong Kong and Macau:

And so. My 8 days trip has ended and I really enjoyed it. Besides shopping (the clothes are cheap!), we also went around playing tourist. The view from the Star Ferry is awesome!

While we were at the Avenue of Stars, we saw Jackie Chan! I think he was filming something for the Olympics.

Surprisingly, there was no media around and we got to go quite close to him.

The Golden Bauhinia at Wan Chai is Hong Kong’s emblem and this is where the daily flag hoisting ceremony is held.

I was excited when I saw a Rolls Royce parked outside the super luxurious Peninsula Hotel. The car is so huge!

We went to Ngong Ping where we took a cable car up to see the famous Tian Tan Buddha. This was taken from the cable car when the statue came into view.

After climbing 260 steps, we reached the base of the bronze statue. It looked so magnificent! We saw the famous late singer Anita Mui’s tablet inside the museum.

This is the fishing village of Tai O which is not a common tourist attraction but my mom wanted to see it.

People here still lead a very simple life and live on stilted houses. Most of them fish for a living so you can find many seafood restaurants there.

As for Macau, of course we had to go to the famous Ruins of St. Paul.

The Monte Fort was originally used to protect the church from pirates.

This is the Church of St. Francis Xavier which was built in 1928.
We also went casino hopping at night using the free shuttle buses. The Venetian is my favourite as it was more interesting. But the ones in Las Vegas are still the best.

I like Hong Kong for its retail therapy but in terms of architecture and food (there’s a limit to my intake of Chinese food!), Macau definitely clinches it for me. The baroque style of its buildings and the European cuisine appeal to me. I want to go back to Hong Kong and Macau again! Any takers?

Labels: Hong Kong, Macau

4:43 PM

Hai Jin Porridge Shop
G/F., 103 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon
2787 7330

We had an early breakfast at this café just besides our hostel.

My dad had the Twisted Curled Noodles (HKD$21/SGD$3.80) which was quite crispy and came in a huge pile on the plate.

Likewise, the serving of the Fried Noodles with Luncheon Meat (HKD$21/SGD$3.80) was very generous.

I had the Hot Soya Milk (HKD$8/SGD$1.40) which came in a bowl instead of a cup. It’s freshly made and the sweetness was just nice.

The Soft Cake (HKD$7/SGD$1.20) was not what I expected. I thought it’s similar to Ma La Gao but it’s actually steamed rice cake which I don’t like.

This being my last meal in Hong Kong, I couldn’t resist ordering the ubiquitous Carrot Cake (HKD$11/SGD$2). This is soft and good.

Labels: Hong Kong

8:11 AM

Hui Lau Shan (2nd Visit)
G/F., 74 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon
2787 2660

Remember I said I hope to come back here again before I leave Hong Kong? Well, I managed to!

This time, I ordered the Stewed Egg White with Bird’s Nest and Harsmar (HKD$30/SGD$5.40). It’s very smooth and don’t really has the eggy taste at all. The portion of bird’s nest and harsmar is pretty generous too.

My mom decided to have the Mixed Curry Combo (HKD$18/SGD$3.20) instead of desserts. There’s fish balls, squid, pig skin, radish and beef tripe (muscular lining of cow’s stomach). I tried a little and it’s not like the spicy curry we are familiar with. It has a sweeter taste.

I think Hui Lau Shan’s desserts are really awesome and in a class of its own. Someone should open a franchise here in Singapore.

Labels: Hong Kong

10:57 PM

Tai Ping Koon Restaurant
G/F., 19-21 Mau Lam Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon
2384 3385

Since it’s our last night in Hong Kong, we decided to splurge a little and have a nice dinner at this old and established restaurant which features a fusion of Western and Cantonese menu. It’s been around since 1860!

The TPK Style Fried Rice Noodles with Beef in Swiss Sauce (HKD$72+/SGD$13+) is one of the chef’s recommendations. This is quite good! Each strand of noodle is evenly coated with the sauce and the beef is very tender.

The TPK Style Roasted Young Pigeon (HKD$98+/SGD$17.80+) is very disappointing! So many websites said that this is a “Die Die Must Try” dish here but I don’t agree. The bird is very small and boney so there’s not really any meat on it. And it’s expensive!

The highlight of the meal is the TPK Baked Soufflé (HKD$92+/SGD$16.70+). Seriously, this is the BIGGEST soufflé I’ve ever seen or eaten. It’s served piping hot straight from the oven and looked so wobbly.

Taste wise, it’s delicious! It’s extremely soft and light and I like the custard-like texture.

I still can't get over how big it is. To give you an idea how big it is, compare the size of the drinking glass to the baking dish. Remember to order this earlier as it's freshly baked and you have to wait for about 20 minutes.

This is definitely an expensive restaurant and the food was a couple of hits and misses. The interior of the restaurant is very cozy and the atmosphere is relaxed, with the clinking of cutlery on plates as people enjoy their food.

All the waiters are very old (around 60 or 70 years old) and my parents said it’s deliberate. Maybe they have been working here since young. I was amused when the old waiter actually asked me to read the item I want out to him as he said he can’t see if I just point.

Labels: Hong Kong

8:32 PM

Lin Kee Hot Pot Seafood Restaurant
Whole Basement Beverley Commercial Centre
87-105 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
2722 8828

Actually, we were intending to go to another place for breakfast but got tempted by the “half price dim sum” advertisement we saw at the MTR station. All the items below only cost HKD$8.80+ (SGD$1.60+) each and our total bill was HKD$133 (SGD$24.10). This is so cheap and value for money!

The Crab Siew Mai had thin skin and a lot of fresh crabmeat in it.

Char Siew Bao tasted alright and there’s nothing special.

The Prawn Dumplings had very generous fillings.

The Scallop and Egg White Dumplings were excellent! They tasted very fresh and firm.

I ordered the Ma La Gao again even though we just had that yesterday. This rendition is also very nice and soft!

We had the Steamed Ribs with Yams after seeing it on many people’s tables. I only ate the yams which were so soft that it just melted in the mouth.

The Xiao Long Bao had a lot of meat in it but not enough soup.

We ordered the Bamboo Rolls in Oyster Sauce without knowing what it was. It turned out to be fresh bamboo shoots wrapped in beancurd skin.

My favourite is the Pan Fried Yam Cake. This is by far the BEST yam cake I’ve ever eaten. There’s so much yam in it that I can’t taste the flour at all.

The Pan Fried Carrot Cake was good too. It’s very soft and not too oily.
The Shredded Carrot Rolls had light and flaky pastry.

For something sweet to end the meal, we had the Fried Sesame Balls.

There’s black sesame paste in it which was not too sweet.

Despite the obscure location, the place was fully packed. That's probably because of the cheap prices or the good quality of the food or both.

This is also an award winning restaurant and has been featured in many magazines and newspapers.

Labels: Hong Kong

11:17 AM

Kung Wo Tong
G/F., 61A Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon
2780 4970

Knowing how much my mom loves turtle herbal jelly, I brought her to this well known specialty shop along the Ladies Night Market.

This place has a very long history as it’s been around since 1904.

The Turtle Herbal Jelly (HKD$42/SGD$7.60) is extremely smooth and rich. Since I didn’t add any sugar syrup, it’s also very bitter.

This is not cheap but apparently, more than 20 types of herbs and Chinese medicine are used to make the jelly so I guess we are paying for the quality.

My mom enjoyed it a lot and I think those who like herbal jelly will like the ones found here. I heard it’s good for the skin so that’s always a good reason to try it.

Labels: Hong Kong

10:55 PM