With its unique culture & landscape, Hong Kong is the perfect embodiment of a mixture of past & modern city life with old & new buildings closely compacted to one another. Thus, you can literally find shops, restaurants & units in every corner of the city!
Purchase the visitor MTR railway pass from the airport & get unlimited usage on the MTR for 72 hours + to & fro airport express. Real worth it!
I often like to stay in boutique hotel more so than the usual ones. There’s a personal touch to it & you can really see the amount of effort the hotel have put into - from the design elements down to the detailed services provided by the team of hard workers.
J Plus by Yoo, the very first boutique hotel situated in Hong Kong Island, Causeway Bay – has been around for close to 12 years. & the secret to their success? Click here to read up more!
Star Boutique Theme Hotel – The Luxe Manor – Situated in Kowloon, Tsim Shan Tsui believe in providing ethereal/surreal experience to every one of their customers. Click here to read up more!
Coffee is a must have whenever I go on an escapade. & I’m always amazed by how each countries have their own unique traits in the coffee community because of the difference in culture. Let’s take a look at some of the cafes which I visited in this trip.
The first 18 grams café now have up to 8 outlets throughout HK. Small space - less than 10 seats with modest, friendly & unpretentious barista serving up coffee & light breakfast to the community around the area.
Well-known cafe in Japan, Omotesando Koffee ventures into HK market retaining their original brand name and concept.
Riding on the the 3rd wave specialty coffee trend, elephant grounds going strong with their 3rd outlet situated at Patterson street. Popular among young adults, be prepared to queue especially during weekend.
Other Cafes - Cupping Room, Manson Lot, Lof 10, Cafe Deadend, Knockbox.
Known for its renown 'Michelin' street food, here you can find many traditional HK food that is not only cheap, but also taste just as good (or even better than restaurants)! From skewers like curry fish balls to intestines & sausages, daily fresh stone mill soy bean milk to tofu pudding! It's definitely heaven for street foodies like me! A pity I didn't have enough appetite to try every single one of them! I'll definitely be back soon!
A total of 4 outlets in HK & 3 outlets in Shang Hai. A chain opened by one of the band members of the popular boy band group in Taiwan - Lollipop, Ah Wei. The success of this chain lies in constantly creating new wave of dimsum through innovative approach towards this traditional breakfast/brunch/dinner/supper HK food! I do enjoy every single dish that we ordered! Especially my favorite XLB!
Dai Pai Dong meaning traditional street restaurant similar to the 'quick fry' concept in Taiwan - serving seafood, meat & vegetables prepared in many ways - mostly stir fried.
If you are lazy to search for secluded ones, go to temple street, a stretch which houses many Dai Pai Dong restaurants popular with the tourists.
Came across this really old tea house (Cha Chan Ting) on instagram & I thought I should really give this place a try. With rustic green window panels and vintage old Hong Kong tea house settings, this place is really good for taking photos. A little disappointed with the food though, wasn't as good as I thought.
Located on the 21st story at observatory road overlooking the night sky of Hong Kong. Maison Eight, French fine dining cuisine by executive Chef & general manager Joe Chan, who have previously worked in Pierrot & Bordeaux. If you're looking for a restaurant with an awesome scenery view, this is where you should be.
Head over to the cocktail bar by The Maestro, world-renowned bartender Salvatore Calabrese just right beside the restaurant.
I absolutely adore the interior of this restaurant - turquoise painted walls with chic designed decor & wood furniture. The Optimist serve comfort Northern Spanish food, Asador-inspired, fresh out from the grill. For the lunch set, choose between 3 different price menu for the main course & get access to the semi buffet station ( selection of market salads + Spanish Charenterie +Pintxos ) & dessert.
The only Nordic restaurant you will ever find in Hong Kong! Situated at The Luxe Manor, the restaurant has been well designed to suit the Scandinavian food & concept. Head by award winning executive celebrity chef, Jaakko Sorsa, wows with his exciting molecular mixology. Salmon 6 Ways was one of my favorite - Cold-Smoked, Seared, Mousse, Pickled, Gravad Lax, Smoked Roe.
Started off with thinly sliced seabass with yuzu, truffle oil and salmon roe & sliced yellowtail with green chilli relish, ponzu and pickled garlic to perk up the appetite. Before moving on to maki roll - tuna tartare, wrapper avocado and yuzu pearl + grilled hokkaido scallops, grated apple and wasabi.
Every dish has been well prepared and taken care of. Flavors are on point and the playing with Yuzu in the dishes really lighten up the palette.
Bustling with office workers crowd, this Italian restaurant serves up authentic & classic recipes which are true to the heart. On the 29th & 30th floor, high ceiling w/ sunlight gleaming through the windows, offer not only delicious Italian mama food, but also a stunning scenic view in Wan Chai district.
Pastas are all fresh made & just like The Optimist, you get to choose from 3 different price menu & get access to their antipasti buffet & dessert. We were so lucky & got to try their "Liquid" Parmasen Ravioloni which is only available for dinner. It's one of my favorite among the 3 pastas we've tried. Tagliatelle w/ Black Truffle is also pretty well received by the crowd. Ended off with my favorite - classic tiramisu served in jar.
A pity I didn't get to try much local food due to my tight schedule, nevertheless, thank you Hong Kong for indulging me with so much good food & coffee! Time for some exercise!