shopping and eating

Although I was in Hong Kong for five whole days, from the 11th to the 15th of August 2012 (including a brief jaunt to Macau), somehow I didn't get to see or do very much.

All of my shopping was done in a day and a half.

My loot from the supermarkets Wellcome on Hankow Road and Market Place by Jasons at K11 Art Mall.

Clothes from Initial, I.T., Giordano and Cotton On. Assorted useless things from Lost & Found, G.O.D. (Goods Of Desire) and emoi.

scallop vs. abalone

When my mother chose Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant for our last dinner in Hong Kong, I wondered if it was a good idea, because: 1) there were only two of us, and 2) it was a Chinese fine dining restaurant. As all lovers of Chinese cuisine know, a noisy, crowded, slightly dirty, mess-hall type establishment is usually where a good Chinese meal dwells-- no frou frou, no nonsense. And when it comes to the number of dishes and people at the table, the more the merrier.

But Ah Yat has picked up some positive reviews, not to mention that all-important one Michelin star. And the chef's specialty is braised whole abalone, which Ma loves. So I reserved a window-side table for two for 7PM on 14 August 2012.

This view of Victoria Harbour is why I like to stay in Tsim Sha Tsui when I'm in Hong Kong.

While Ma perused the extensive menu, I attacked the appetizer. Delicious!

Crunchy, vinegary black fungus. We call it "rat's ears" here.

one day in macau

So what were we doing in Macau anyway? My mother wanted to watch The House of Dancing Water.

I bought our "A Reserve" tickets a month in advance from their website: HK$880 for adult, HK$790 for senior citizen (total US$215 for the two of us). I have to say that this show was way better than either of the two Cirque du Soleil productions I've seen. I'd recommend it to kids of all ages.

sunday in sai kung, part two

Earlier this month, I was watching Andrew Zimmern's show on TLC while I was working out.

(I like to watch food shows when I'm on the treadmill, OK? I'm sure that the other folks at the gym would rather be watching Fashion TV with skinny models prancing on runways, but I don't care. I control the remote, bwahaha! Food inspires me to exercise harder. The only reason I go to the gym is so that I can eat more.)

Anyhoo, Zimmern was in Hong Kong and he went to Sai Kung-- a place I had never heard about, and I've been going to Hong Kong regularly since my teens. I immediately decided that I should go there, and it was so worth the trip! I'm mentally patting myself on the back as I write this.

Sai Kung is a quaint little town in the New Territories. It started as a fishing village and the harbor is still very much the heart of the community. People go there for the fresh seafood, and you know how "fresh" really means "alive and kicking" in Chinese.

sunday in sai kung, part one

Introducing my new favorite restaurant in Hong Kong: Hung Kee Seafood Restaurant in Sai Kung.

1. Fabulous view of "rural" Hong Kong.

2. Al fresco dining with a cool sea breeze.

first dinner in hong kong

You know what's the best thing about eating dim sum in Hong Kong? Two things, actually.

First, Hong Kong is the best place to get the traditional stuff. You can't find a better siu mai, cheong fun or har gao anywhere else, and that's a fact of life.

Second, they're not afraid to experiment. They're not content to rest on their laurels, or maybe they're just sick and tired of the same ol' dishes. Whatever their motivation, the results are fantastic.

In short, in Hong Kong dim sum has been elevated to an art form that harmonizes elements of the old and the new. And in Tsim Sha Tsui, you can eat-all-you-can of this art form at Dim Sum Bar in Harbour City.

We were very fortunate that Dim Sum Bar had a promo for the month of August-- only HK$168 for adults, HK$98 for kids. They have six pages of dishes on offer, and everything is cooked to order.

King's dumplings in lobster bisque. 5/5

Baked abalone and chicken pastry. 4.5/5

first lunch in hong kong

When Mother and I arrived at Holiday Inn Golden Mile in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon at 1130AM on 11 August 2012, our room wasn't ready yet. No problem. We went across the street to Wu Kong Shanghai Restaurant for some lunch.

Like many restaurants in extremely crowded Hong Kong, Wu Kong is located in a basement. Which means that there's no natural light, so excuse the yellow-tinged photos.

Peanuts with nori and salt. Quite addicting.

Actually, the main reason I wanted to eat here was to try the xiao long bao which shootfirsteatlater believes beats Din Tai Fung's and Crystal Jade's. Them's fighting words.

Wu Kong's XLB, HK$32. Taste OK, skin too thick. My heart still belongs to Din Tai Fung.

best creme brulée ever

I'd been wanting to try the Creme Brulée at Paul Lafayet Patisserie Française since last year, but somehow I couldn't fit it into my eating itinerary. This trip, I just couldn't NOT have it!

When I got to Paul Lafayet at K11 Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, the prettiful macarons were calling my name.

A box of 12 French macarons for HK$180 (US$23).

But I didn't forget my mission and got my Creme Brulée. Freshly blowtorched and meant to be eaten within 40 minutes. Good thing our hotel Holiday Inn Golden Mile was right next door to K11.

Had to hurry back to the hotel room to take a picture before digging in.

why i love hong kong

Why do most people go to Hong Kong? For the shopping, of course.

The Landmark at Central. I love love all the natural light. 

My favorite Louis Vuitton shop window. I saw it at The Landmark.

the search for the best dimsum

Warning to those people out there who are complaining about my food pictures: This blog post will make you hate me, and curse out loud.

On Ma's list of where to eat, she had Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant. We were getting to the end of our vacation, and I had to have some dimsum.

For many, many people in this part of the world, siomai is comfort food. We eat them plain with just a squeeze of calamansi, or dip them in a highly personalised mixture of soy sauce, chili and a drop of calamansi juice. We eat them with rice, or sometimes in a noodle soup. My favorite way to eat them is standing up, actually.

My grandmother, an excellent home cook who did not pass on her talent to anyone, makes a mean siomai from scratch. But Chuk Yuen's are better.

cuteness in kowloon

Were we lucky or what?! To be at the K11 Art Mall during the "tokodoki Heritage Exhibition".

Cactus hugging a coffee cup greeted us at the entrance.

Hail Caesar! tokidoki artist Simone Legno designed this character especially for K11.

We saw a larger-than-life SANDy.

food porn @ nobu

My father said to me, "I don't understand you. You come to Hong Kong to eat Japanese food?"

OK, let me explain. Nobu is one of The Miele Guide's Asia's Top 20 Restaurants. I kind of trust this guide because I have already tried and enjoyed two in the Top 20-- Antonio's and Tippling Point. (Previously in The Miele Guide, Aubergine, though excellent, doesn't count because it's not on the 2010/2011 list.) Hong Kong has six restaurants on the list, while Singapore and Japan have only six COMBINED.

I felt like I was being challenged to go to as many Top 20 restaurants as I could... although I'm not exactly sure who was challenging me, or why. I just knew that this trip with the parents provided an opportunity to tick some/a few/several off the list, and I had to grab it.

Nobu was our first meal upon landing on 14 August 2011. I reserved the table a week before we arrived. I wanted someplace not too far from our hotel, Gateway Marco Polo at Harbour City. The InterContinental Hong Kong, which incidentally houses not just Nobu, but also Spoon by Alain Ducasse, was pretty close. And it was a Sunday, and they had a cheap reasonably-priced Sunday lunch set.

Ma and I ordered two sets, which our waiter said was enough food for three people, and he was right. He's a pretty bad salesman, but at least he was honest.

Each of us could choose four appetizers, but since there were only eight choices, we got to try them all. Yay!

Scallop Jalapeño Salsa

Botan Ebi & Uni Sashimi "New Style"

you can't miss it

I accompanied my progenitors to Hong Kong to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago. As I'm going through my photos, I noticed something. Do you notice it, too?

While having lunch at Nobu, InterContinental Hong Kong on Salisbury Road, 14 August 2011, 2:36PM.