HK Trip Pt. 4: Olden day treasure preserved!

This is the next post which continues to narrate my trip to HK during Christmas!  It’s been four days since I first touch down and it feels that my time here is shortening.  But that is no illusion as I’m only 3 days from heading back to Malaysia and later, back to Australia.  Oh the reluctance is such a common feel..!!!

Breakfast was the Western Buffet served by the hotel but my sister was so ever diffident in eating the hotel food so she slept in until it was about 11 a.m.  We woke her up and headed to one of the small Chinese Coffee shop for a light meal.

 

Some dumplings!

Glutinous rice wrapped with lotus leaf.  It had a real fancy name in Chinese which translates into something like “multiple layered king wrapped glutinous rice” which really suits it once you’re tucked into the rice.  You get chicken wings, waxed meat, minced meat, sliced meat and oh my gawd the variety is amazing!

Mom wasn’t feeling very well that day.  Not sure whether she ate or not.  I think this noodle soup with fish ball is hers.  The food in this place is really cheap and good at the same time.  Good bang per buck!

After that we decided once and for all the be obedient and follow the tour book to visit the nearby tourist attractions in Mongkok.  We didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves and go to far since mom had gastric flu.  The weather dipped to the low tens in the middle of our trip in HK.  Mom probably wasn’t ready to deal with the cold!  We headed to this very popular temple which was supposed to have been here for AGES.  O well at least it claims to be so.

I only got a picture of the outside because there was this large sign which says no one can miss saying NO TAKING PHOTOS! Suckerrssss! But my sister smartly placed her Iphone as if sms-ing to then take a couple of shots. Should be on Facebook.

After that I saw something which made me very happy despite all the gloom in the atmosphere!! :D

Now this doesn’t make much sense does it? It just some shop lot for goodness sake.  Not when you look into its current history.  This building hosts a two-story cafe called  Mido Cafe.   Why is this place cool? Well I took this from TIME  “much beloved by art directors for its well preserved '60s interior”!  This place is often featured in movies and dramas ;-)

How it looks inside:

 

Look at the tiles, look at the windows, look at the sits.  It all looks too familiar when I cross the images with the TVB dramas ahah.

 
 

After snooping all around Mongkok, it was time to chill and it was raining anyways.  We couldn’t really go anywhere!

Oh yea babehhh! You know you want one.  It’s all over the place and it’s all so yummy! Never gotten so addicted to this drink in Perth.  But I seem to get addicted depending on the culture I’m in.  Like how I downed coconuts in Bangkok. That was love.  And it was delish!

Lovely French toast which differs significantly from the other ones I had around HK, Msia and Perth.  This was plain egg whipped into a fluffy liquid before having bread dipped in it and kadoooooooooooosh! Boiling oil.  No peanut butter in this one.  Yet it was yummi-licious!

After having chilled for an hour or so, the weather settled down and we headed off to the jade market which was super dull.  Nothing to see at all :S! And later on we walked about some market in Mongkok. 

Night time to be blogged @ some other time!  Too tired already!

Regards,

WenY

HK Trip Pt. 3: The Buddha.

After having used more than half the day wait and eat the best dim sum in HK, the trip continues again.  Today’s plan was to go to Ngong Ping to see the Big Buddha statue.  To get there was pretty damn tedious.  Had to take MRT all the way to central before switching to the  Tung Chung  line.  I think the trip to reach the end of the line was about 30-40 minutes already! But when we reached, jeng jeng jeng! Got one really big shopping mall right in front of us.  It turned out to be the place where the direct factory outlets were.  They were having massive sales. 

Anyways, from there we took a cable car which cost $107 for a return trip.  If you’d ask me I would have to say that the money paid was well spent!  The cable car isn’t as scary as the one in Genting where you can feel uneven change of speed and altitude.

The cable car journey to the tourism settlement located at the foothill of the big Buddha took us about 25 minutes.  The place had a nice old China Town feel you would get when you see those olden day TVB dramas.  But with closer attention to detail, you would realise it really isn’t so old skool after all.  They had Starbucks and Euro Restaurant. @@!  We didn’t get to chill at any of the cafe’s because we were a bit short on time.  We reached the place @ 4pm and the last cable car back to Central was @ 6.30!  We quickly climbed up the err 200 steps of stair which I saw m both the fat and fit looking people struggle to get up there.  What’s wrong with you people lol.  I’m supposed to be the fat one ahah.  But the flight of stairs was a breeze.  Smoked it without much effort.

Talk to the HAND!

Mom was quite happy to be there since she’s a fairly religious person.  Wonder how did she manage to bring up 2 very unreligious kids. ahahah.  We spend half an hour walking about the Buddha said our prayers because mom asked us to.  But oh well, with 2010 around the corner I believe we all have many things to ask for!  After that we headed back down.

Bye bye Mr Buddha!! :D

After we got down we weren’t ready to go home yet!! We stopped for dessert;

Yumm! Tau Fu Fa ahha.  In Hong Kong they have a small tub of orange powder which turns out to be sugar.  You can just add it to you soy bean thingyyy if it isn’t sweet enough.  Quite yummy even though I dislike the ginger syrup @@!

Snacksssssss! Just some sausages ahah.  I also had curry fish balls again. Oh shit seems like all the pictures are in wide mode @@ Forgot to change it back to the normal mode dammit!

On the way back.  Couldn’t get a decent shot with the insane wind rocking the cable car on the way home :(! And of course with the poor lighting, a hell of a lot more exposure is required. 

Dinner @ the mall was the a Teppanyaki place.  It was ok-ok only.  But definitely better than all those Teppanyaki fast-food outlet in Malaysia! I sooooo remember the bad experience I had at Mr Teppanyaki @ Sunway Pyramid where the food was gawddd! So disappointing!! Not to mention the horrible one located in the KLCC foodcourt! All so fail ahahah.  Every since those bad experience I would try to abstain from feasting on non-buffet Teppanyaki.  Truth to be said, Teppanyaki isn’t difficult! It’s just stir fried meat on a hot plate omg.  I think it is more of the cook’s attitude that made previous experience shitty.  The total “lack of interest + I’m getting paid RM5 an hour so shaddup.” Blehhhhh!

In the process of being cooked!

Felt super healthy that day.  Had this whole heap of bean sprouts + another heap of green vegetables!

After that sister and I went shopping but we didn’t buy anything because hmm we were feeling a bit undecided.  And since most outlets were DFOs, you can expect the clothes to be very messy with a night market kind of crowd.  A bit too insane for my liking!  About 10 something I went back to Mongkok to get some rest.  All the walking was getting into me already! But of course before sleeping sister and I got on the streets to pick up some supper lol.

PS: YESSSS ITS THE WEEKENDS, BACK IN PERTH AGAIN  :D!!!

Wen

Hype Put to Rest: Tim Ho Wan, the Best Dim Sum in HK? World?

While the best signifies a place only one can claim, it is funny how this little dim sum place which has been awarded 1 Michelin Star is claimed by the residents to be the best dim sum compared to the 3 Michelin Star one in Four Seasons Hotel.  Or maybe it is just the aunties and uncles. Nonetheless with journalists from all over the globe adding to the hype, the wait for the best dim sum was a catastrophe. Just try for yourself, get on Google and type Tim Ho Wan.  xD.  Major newspapers such as The Sydney Morning Herald had it featured in its travel section in one of the few weeks before X’mas.

Mom and I came about 10 am to join the already waiting queue when the restaurant had just started opening its doors to customer.  People from all races were in the queue! There was this guy which looked like Mika Hakkinen too ahah.

The insane line which is about 3 to 4  shops long.

As the shops were about to open, the waitress started passing out numbers so that the crowd would disperse. I was no. 22!!!  We waited for awhile until my dad and sister joined us to wait for the dim sum.  And after awhile a Caucasian family came with their translator and asked for a number. I think they got no.200+ HAHAHAHA! They’ll probably only come back @ night since this place is open till 10pm daily!

After waiting for more than an hour, the number was still stuck at no.11 because there was this family of 16 people still inside oh my gosh!! I was astounded when I found out about that family being in there… 16 people @@. O well my hungry tummy could no longer wait so we headed somewhere for a light meal:

Jeng Jeng Jeng.  Super Crispy Roast Pork :P  This place was nearby the dim sum restaurant so we just chilled there for awhile.

No idea what the name of the restaurant is.

Mongkok in B&W.

Even after the pork roast slices, I was still starving.  God my, the hypes fadinggg but as the number gains its paces towards no.22 I was getting stoked.  RWARrrrrrrrr and YESSSS we finally got in after 2 hours of wait @@!

The kitchen that makes all the food is very small.  I guess that is why they only serve 30 customers at any one time.  We ordered whatever that was featured in the newspaper reviews posted outside as well as some stuff we would normally have in a dim sum place as well.

My camera wouldn’t focus on the congee because it was so smooth there was almost no detail for the camera to work on =.=!

The glutinous rice which had lovely yummy well cooked rice which isn’t too soft or too hard. Loved it!

Char Siew Cheong Fun! Rice roll with BBQ pork.  The fillings were one of the best my sister says she has ever tasted.  For me I really liked how this place had me piling heaps of praise on the consistency within each of its dishes.  It really feels refined.

The beef ball did not feel hard to bite into neither was it soft! And I often shun from ordering this dish in most restaurants because the tangerine taste was often too strong :(!  But this one was just fine. Or maybe my hungry tummy locked out the fussiness in me ahah.

Dumplings? :S! Not really sure what this is.  It feels like “Gao Chi”.  But the fillings are totally different from the ones in Malaysia.

This one was FUNNY! Called it like King Siew Mai. But damn hell it tasted like the ones in Malaysia. So JUST this ONE dim sum is not in my good books.  Later in the trip we had another dim sum meal at the hotel, the Siew Mai was like this too =.=!

This Malai Kao?Kow? Ok its some kind of steam cake a Malaysian can find in the market for RM0.50 or more like 10 cents in AUD. lol.  Call it cheap call it market food but this place makes it wonderful.  Its just different, got to try to know.

Pan Fried Radish cake which is one of my favourite whenever I have dim sum! These were a tad different from the ones I would normally have because it has a pinch of bitterness in it.  My mom says they did not wash something of the radish or something like that.  Not quite sure.

This is chickennnnn feet! I liked the sauce but the meat wasn’t soft enough. HAha I remember not liking these when I was young and now hohohoho I’ll eat it if its ordered!

Simple Spring Rolls but I liked the filling.  The pro chef very carefully arranged the prawns in these :)! The colour of the spring rolls look good too right?

Lastly we had these little buns for dessert.  The pressure put on these little delight was massive considering the praises and words I read in articles and blogs. So how was it? Hmmmmmmm…

Hmmmmm….take a look at the filling first….

Haha I’m not telling.  Time to go Hong Kong to try it or if you’re already there, go get yourself one.  They do takeaways too! In fact I saw people buying boxes of it away.

Overall the hype of this restaurant being really good is true, but thinking of the long wait, really, it keeps me feeling unsettled.  I mean 2 hours for food is a bit of an overkill is it not?  But if I happen to pass by and its empty. I would definitely rate this place the hidden gem of Hong Kong. OFFICIALLY. But yea right, the chances of that happening is like having Perth snow.  Almost impossible.  This however shouldn’t deter food loving people from giving it a try.  At least once no?

Regards,

WenY

HK Trip Pt. 2: Peak-nic

After the first day in Hong Kong I forced my dead body out of bed the next day feeling self harassed! But having come from a family with gastric bloodline I’m pretty much in need of a decent morning meal everyday!  After simple pickings of bacons, hash browns, omelette and juices for breakfast, I was my usual energetic self once again.  The breakfast @ Stanford Hotel was ok ok only! They serve the same thing every single day so you can expect to get bored after a few days!  Imagine me staying there for 1 week =.=!! But even though the food is the same, a light one before a good brunch wouldn’t hurt ahah.

After pampering myself by lazing about the hotel bed for awhile, it was time to move on!  The objective of the day was to visit one more tourist spot in Hong Kong!  Our choice was the Peak located somewhere on HK island I think :S! We took a train all the way to Central and from there we walked to the tram station which heads towards the peak.  The ticket which includes a return ticket to the peak as well as entrance to the observation deck costs us about 40 HKD per person.

I was amazed by how modern the place was.  Never would have expected a well done up building.  But I guess this is Hong Kong after all.  It isn’t a super city for no good reasons ahah.  The tram stop was located in a large multi-storey complex which has lots of place to dine, chill and shop.  But of course, everything here is a rip off! We had a drink which was crap and costly at the same time!! (+ no good view)

While the place has quite a fair bit of stuff to do, the main reason a tourist would all the way come up to the Peak was to experience the modern Hong Kong city view from a high vantage point.  The view from above was awesome but sadly, was compromised by modern day pollution derived from the smoke churning factories of the Mainland China.  But I’d believe this is what’s keeping the well-heeled wealthy!

The impressive modern facade of Hong Kong from the Peak.  It’s amazing what you see from higher ground because at the bottom it would be impossible to view much without straining your neck (not an exaggeration) =P!!

My sister!

Me!!! I asked my sister as much view of the city as she could but instead, she got me the view of the fence. Nice one sista!!!

Mom and dad + Haze ahah.  My dad looks like a little boy in this picture! So funny ahaha.

Old Hong Kong lady embracing the sun @ the observation deck.  Having the glamour shot of her life HAHAhaha.  She resembles l some old actress :S!  Maybe it just her pair of bug-eyed sunnies!

It was almost half a day gone by the time we finished going about the Peak.  And that’s excluding the nature walk which only god knows where it would lead us to.  We got back on the tram and was en route to Central once again.  In Central we went to a couple of shops including Comme De Garçons, BAPE Flagship, and Neighborhood.  Filled with plenty of life luxuries, this place is truly for the wealthy.  They even have an Armani Cafe I think @@.  My sister got a tee but nothing there was for me.  CDG PLAY was selling for 900HKD a piece which is not what I was willing to pay!  Also we went to a mall called The Landmark which I was supposed to get my jeans but failed to in the later parts of my trip!! Nudie jeans where are you in Hong Kong? :(!! And also no Marc Jacobs limited tee! Supposedly HK is not licensed to sell it =.=!  Lunch was up next in some Hong Kong fast-food place called Maxim’s MX.  Maxim’s supposedly has a chain of food subsidiaries and that includes the infamous Maxim Cake found inside MRT stations.

Sister’s roast duck noodles which was a flop because the soup was tasteless and the noodles were half cooked!

My safe bet! The tea set which consisted of chips, fries, jelly, mash and French toast.

Roast Meat Combination and Rice for parents! The duck here was pretty good according to them.

After having our meal, we went back to the hotel to chill until evening because there really isn’t much to do in Hong Kong if you’re not shopping or eating ahha.  And because I said so, the next thing we did was eat dinner =.=”

Chinese anyone?  The only thing I see is the understand is the name of the restaurant and coca-cola ahah.  This place is often seen crowded with people eating their famous “Pou Chai Fun” which I think should mean Clay Pot Rice.   Since it takes awhile to get the rice cooked by traditional fire, we had ordered a quicker dish which help hold our hunger still.

More delicious wantons!!  Sometimes when I think of it, the wantons have not changed at all.  Perhaps it is just me getting used to the crude large sized dumplings served in Australia :S

Chicken Riceeeeee in Clay Pot with some mushrooms! It was really tasty hoho! And for that we must thank the sauce which the restaurant gives to mix with the rice. And the picture below is the veteran handling the burning clay pots.

We walked around town again until we were in the mood for dessert:

Hui Lau Shan dessert which claims to be healthy ahah.  Not too sure about that but anyways it was time to get inside and try gain greater understanding about the whole dessert fuss in town.

The Set Menu alongside all the other menu available @ Hui Lau Shan

We ordered the two sets out of the 4 available for X’mas.

Set 1

Sister’s mango + glutinous rice ball drink which also came with:

Radish Cake with XO sauce which I have no idea how to associate XO with the radish cakes in anyway once I tasted it.

Set 2

This was pretty much the same thing I had the other night except this time we had half a serve of coconut milk with it =.=! So “healthy”

The chicken wings with came in my set ahaha. NO WAY IS THIS SET HEALTHY at all.  But the wings were aweeesome!!  Even my dad agreed it was very tasty.

After supper we went back home to sleep haha. Damn piggggggg! But it’s holidays and I likey sleep! No wonder I gained 4-5KG in less than 20 days ahah.  Time to shed those fatsss away!!

More updates soon!  Time to get ready to sleep and go to work again!

WenY