First Day - 29 Dec
I figured this would be my last chance to travel in 2008, so despite the protests and emotional blackmail from the princes about being away on New Year Eve, I flew happily to Hong Kong on 29 Dec.
We arrived at the 'fragrant harbour' around 3pm, took the airport MTR to Tsing Yi before hopping on a cab to Tsuen Wan. The hotel that we stayed in was called Dorset Far East and very near to the Tsuen Wan MTR. When we entered the room, I got the shock of my life. It's like the tiniest room I'd ever set foot on. I could almost touch both the bed and the room door with both my feet spread out. As for the bathroom, all I can say is that I kissed the walls several times whenever I took a shower. For a room rate of US$97, it is definitely over-priced.
On the MTR to Tsing Yi.
The tiniest hotel room.
And the tiniest bathroom.After putting down our luggage, we headed out to look for some wanton mee, like everyone said we should. The concierge directed us to one nearby. Our first meal in Hong Kong turned out to be a disappoinment. The wanton mee was soup-based and the noodles were tough. Luckily, being one who likes variety, I also ordered a pork chop bun, which turned out to be yummy. The tea was also good.
Our first wanton mee in Hong Kong.Then we explored the nearby shopping malls like City Landmark Shopping Centre I and II which have clothes that were relatively reasonable. I bought a pink shimmering cardigan that came with a tank top for HK$120 (about S$24) in one of the shops. We took pictures of some prime residential area in Tsuen Wan and were accosted and questioned by the security guard there. We pretended we did not understand a word he said and moved on.
The residential flats looked very tiny and hardly had any space to hang laundry. The windows were also very small. A little too claustrophobic for me...
After a quick shower, we were driven to an outskirt area (I think it's called sam jing) by some friends in Hong Kong to a famous roast goose restaurant for dinner. My first roast goose meal, which I have anticipated for so long. If nothing else, roast goose would be my main purpose for this Hong Kong trip. And man, it was so worth it! The fats and crispy skin that hit the mouth just made me go limp. The other dish worth mentioning is the ku lu yoke (sweet sour pork). Damn good. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Ooh... the fat yummy goose. Come to mama...
The spread included fried calamari, scallop and brocolli, ku lu yoke and some herbal soup with noodles.
Second Day - 30 Dec
The second day, I was on my own. I went to Tung Chung Citigate Outlet to take a look although some people told me it was not worth the long trip. I went anyway just because I thought I had a lot of time. There were a lot of designer and luxury shops having sale. I bought a black Esprit dress, which I really love and a hair clip from Evita Peroni, which is also something I have been looking for. So I am a happy woman.
Then I took the MTR to Prince Edward to meet the famous bo lo bao and egg tart. Man, the restauarant that sells the stuff is like a trading market, with people shouting their take-away orders and the staff shouting back, sometimes in not so friendly manner. Being a polite Singaporean, I stood and waited for my turn, which never came. So I told the staff I wanted an egg tart, repeatedly, cos I was ignored and my voice was drowned by the hollering around me. Finally I got my precious egg tart and munched along as I trailed Fa Yuen Market Street.
Most of the stuff in Fa Yuen looked pretty unimpressive to me until I chanced upon a shop called 'Mirror' that sold only black clothes. When I saw the clothes and the prices, I was excited. Finally something decent that were priced reasonably. Each piece of clothing was about HK$49-HK59 (about S$10-12). I bought 2 tops from there. The staff were super efficient. They came to me and recorded the item numers of the clothing I wanted on a slip of paper while informing her colleague on a walkie-talkie to get the clothes from the storeroom. I just needed to take the piece of paper, go to the cashier, collect my items and pay for them. Hong Kong people thrive on pressure, I figured somehow. They seem to be very fast and very impatient. And they don't stop for you when you ask for help. Makes me appreciate Singapore and Singaporeans more.
This is the famous restaurant that sells bo lo bao and egg tart.
Fa Yuen Market.
I drank a lot of this stuff - mango jelly drink. When the gooby mix of jelly and mango cubes glides down your throat, it felt disturbingly good. I wished this would make its way to Singapore soon. Costs about HK$22 (about S$4). Not cheap for a dessert drink but will buy again if given the chance :)
The tops I bought from 'Mirror' in Fa Yuen. Costs HK$49 (S$9) each.
The clothes I bought from a shop near Tsuen Wan MTR. Each costs about HK$59 (S$11).
The pink cardigan I bought from City Landmark (set costs HK$120 or S$24).
My beloved Esprit dress that costs HK$299 (S$55).
The street in front of our hotel.
In the evening, we decided to venture out to Tsim Sha Zui to have our dinner. We went to Chee Kei in Langham Place to have some crab porridge, beef stew and braised chicken wings. This meal was rather cheap - HK$130 (about S$25).
Beef brisket and tendons - so tender and flavourful.
The crab porridge didn't have a chance to meet the camera before its demise.
I introduced my hubby to the disturbingly good mango jelly drink. He liked it too. Hoi Lau Shan seemed to be everywhere, so we could get a fix anytime we wanted. Then, deciding that we still needed more food, we took a MTR to Mong Kok. We sampled some very good and cheap shui jing bao (chrystal bao) in some dingy shop and a skewer of curry fishballs (too much flour) along the roadside.
Then we trailed the delicious smell of claypot rice to a stall where a man was cooking like 20 claypots outside a small restaurant along the road. We ordered a chicken claypot rice (bo zai fun) with sausage and duck egg. We had to wait for like 30 minutes as the rice was cooked from scratch. We saw him taking raw rice from a bucket and raw meat from a container -everything from scratch, so it was a long wait but it was so worth it. My hubby and I practically scrapped out every morsel of rice in the pot.
The trick to fragrant delicious bo zai fun is to pour the soya sauce into the pot, cover it and let it simmer for 5 minutes before eating.
Doesn't look impressive until you taste it. The claypot rice is light colour, unlike the ones sold in Singapore.
We also sampled some potato skins from Ireland's Potato, a franchise found everywhere in Hong Kong. I still prefer the ones in Tony Romas.
A Christmas castle in Langham Place.
Christmas deco in Langham Place, which has a H & M.
Last Day - 30 Dec
I decided to check out Causeway Bay in the morning but found nothing interesting. Seemed to be a place for the rich people. When I travel, I like to go where the locals go, shop where the locals shop and eat where the locals eat. To me, that's the best way to truly experience a place. So, I headed back to hotel to meet hubby and we went to Mong Kok to search for lunch. We chanced upon this coffee shop that had some roast goose dangling temptingly, so we decided to satisfy our roast goose fix one more time. We ordered a goose thigh, a plate of fried rice and fried hot fun. Mmm... did I mention how much I like roast goose?
This roast goose is not as good as the one in Yu Kei but still good.
After lunch, we took the MTR to Prince Edward again to see if we could try our luck at the chaotic place that sells the famous bo lo bao since I only tried the egg tart the last time. Before that, we walked around a bit and saw a huge crowd in front of a traditional biscuit stall that sells gai zai beng and kok zai. We bought some and tried on the spot. I'm not a gai zai beng and kok zai person, but these ones were good.
When we reached the restaurant with the famous bo lo bao, it was unsurprisingly crowded. The staff asked us to go in and wait. It was a restaurant but felt more like a foodcourt or a hawker centre. We had to share a table with another couple. This is very common in Hong Kong. There is no such thing as personal space. We ordered 2 bo lo yau (a buttered version), an egg tart and tea and observed the scene in the restaurant. It was chaotic. The staff were shouting orders and people were standing around waiting for seats and trays of bo lo bao were constantly being brought out. Not exactly a place to have tea, relax and catch up on a book.
The bo lo yau and egg tart were very good, so I guess the chaos was worth it but I don't think I would go there again. In fact, I don't think I would go Hong Kong again. It was a nice first time experience, especially with the food but it's not exactly an ideal holiday destination for me. I like to have space. When I get out of Singapore, I like to take it easy and experience nice scenery, good food and nice culture with a spot of shopping. Hong Kong is too much like Singapore or perhaps more hectic. So thanks for the experience but I'm not coming back.
The egg tart was piping hot and soft yet crispy.
The bo lo yau needed another slice of butter, I thought.
Ooh... the fat yummy goose. Come to mama...
The spread included fried calamari, scallop and brocolli, ku lu yoke and some herbal soup with noodles.Second Day - 30 Dec
The second day, I was on my own. I went to Tung Chung Citigate Outlet to take a look although some people told me it was not worth the long trip. I went anyway just because I thought I had a lot of time. There were a lot of designer and luxury shops having sale. I bought a black Esprit dress, which I really love and a hair clip from Evita Peroni, which is also something I have been looking for. So I am a happy woman.
Then I took the MTR to Prince Edward to meet the famous bo lo bao and egg tart. Man, the restauarant that sells the stuff is like a trading market, with people shouting their take-away orders and the staff shouting back, sometimes in not so friendly manner. Being a polite Singaporean, I stood and waited for my turn, which never came. So I told the staff I wanted an egg tart, repeatedly, cos I was ignored and my voice was drowned by the hollering around me. Finally I got my precious egg tart and munched along as I trailed Fa Yuen Market Street.
Most of the stuff in Fa Yuen looked pretty unimpressive to me until I chanced upon a shop called 'Mirror' that sold only black clothes. When I saw the clothes and the prices, I was excited. Finally something decent that were priced reasonably. Each piece of clothing was about HK$49-HK59 (about S$10-12). I bought 2 tops from there. The staff were super efficient. They came to me and recorded the item numers of the clothing I wanted on a slip of paper while informing her colleague on a walkie-talkie to get the clothes from the storeroom. I just needed to take the piece of paper, go to the cashier, collect my items and pay for them. Hong Kong people thrive on pressure, I figured somehow. They seem to be very fast and very impatient. And they don't stop for you when you ask for help. Makes me appreciate Singapore and Singaporeans more.
This is the famous restaurant that sells bo lo bao and egg tart.
Fa Yuen Market.
I drank a lot of this stuff - mango jelly drink. When the gooby mix of jelly and mango cubes glides down your throat, it felt disturbingly good. I wished this would make its way to Singapore soon. Costs about HK$22 (about S$4). Not cheap for a dessert drink but will buy again if given the chance :)
The tops I bought from 'Mirror' in Fa Yuen. Costs HK$49 (S$9) each.
The clothes I bought from a shop near Tsuen Wan MTR. Each costs about HK$59 (S$11).
The pink cardigan I bought from City Landmark (set costs HK$120 or S$24).
My beloved Esprit dress that costs HK$299 (S$55).
The street in front of our hotel.In the evening, we decided to venture out to Tsim Sha Zui to have our dinner. We went to Chee Kei in Langham Place to have some crab porridge, beef stew and braised chicken wings. This meal was rather cheap - HK$130 (about S$25).
Beef brisket and tendons - so tender and flavourful.
The crab porridge didn't have a chance to meet the camera before its demise.I introduced my hubby to the disturbingly good mango jelly drink. He liked it too. Hoi Lau Shan seemed to be everywhere, so we could get a fix anytime we wanted. Then, deciding that we still needed more food, we took a MTR to Mong Kok. We sampled some very good and cheap shui jing bao (chrystal bao) in some dingy shop and a skewer of curry fishballs (too much flour) along the roadside.
Then we trailed the delicious smell of claypot rice to a stall where a man was cooking like 20 claypots outside a small restaurant along the road. We ordered a chicken claypot rice (bo zai fun) with sausage and duck egg. We had to wait for like 30 minutes as the rice was cooked from scratch. We saw him taking raw rice from a bucket and raw meat from a container -everything from scratch, so it was a long wait but it was so worth it. My hubby and I practically scrapped out every morsel of rice in the pot.
The trick to fragrant delicious bo zai fun is to pour the soya sauce into the pot, cover it and let it simmer for 5 minutes before eating.
Doesn't look impressive until you taste it. The claypot rice is light colour, unlike the ones sold in Singapore.
We also sampled some potato skins from Ireland's Potato, a franchise found everywhere in Hong Kong. I still prefer the ones in Tony Romas.
A Christmas castle in Langham Place. 
Christmas deco in Langham Place, which has a H & M.Last Day - 30 Dec
I decided to check out Causeway Bay in the morning but found nothing interesting. Seemed to be a place for the rich people. When I travel, I like to go where the locals go, shop where the locals shop and eat where the locals eat. To me, that's the best way to truly experience a place. So, I headed back to hotel to meet hubby and we went to Mong Kok to search for lunch. We chanced upon this coffee shop that had some roast goose dangling temptingly, so we decided to satisfy our roast goose fix one more time. We ordered a goose thigh, a plate of fried rice and fried hot fun. Mmm... did I mention how much I like roast goose?
This roast goose is not as good as the one in Yu Kei but still good.After lunch, we took the MTR to Prince Edward again to see if we could try our luck at the chaotic place that sells the famous bo lo bao since I only tried the egg tart the last time. Before that, we walked around a bit and saw a huge crowd in front of a traditional biscuit stall that sells gai zai beng and kok zai. We bought some and tried on the spot. I'm not a gai zai beng and kok zai person, but these ones were good.
When we reached the restaurant with the famous bo lo bao, it was unsurprisingly crowded. The staff asked us to go in and wait. It was a restaurant but felt more like a foodcourt or a hawker centre. We had to share a table with another couple. This is very common in Hong Kong. There is no such thing as personal space. We ordered 2 bo lo yau (a buttered version), an egg tart and tea and observed the scene in the restaurant. It was chaotic. The staff were shouting orders and people were standing around waiting for seats and trays of bo lo bao were constantly being brought out. Not exactly a place to have tea, relax and catch up on a book.
The bo lo yau and egg tart were very good, so I guess the chaos was worth it but I don't think I would go there again. In fact, I don't think I would go Hong Kong again. It was a nice first time experience, especially with the food but it's not exactly an ideal holiday destination for me. I like to have space. When I get out of Singapore, I like to take it easy and experience nice scenery, good food and nice culture with a spot of shopping. Hong Kong is too much like Singapore or perhaps more hectic. So thanks for the experience but I'm not coming back.
The egg tart was piping hot and soft yet crispy.
The bo lo yau needed another slice of butter, I thought.
Glorious food...
