I can't believe it. It's already December! Which means our family trip to Hong Kong has been 2 weeks ago! Gosh I think it is time for me to exercise some discipline and plant myself in front of the laptop to type out something before I forget. It is, after all Small K's first time in Hong Kong. Lugging Big K (4yo) and Small K (17mo then), wasn't that bad. So here I am, reminiscing happy times and sharing with you mostly our food finds in part one of our wanderlust in Hong Kong.
It has been 3 years since I've visited this place. Unbelievable. Back then, Big K was just 5mo. In between, i got busy and then got pregnant hence I haven't been able to visit this food paradise. They say Singapore is a food paradise but I think, Hong Kong has awesome food too! Day one and two saw us scouring the streets for food. Trust me when i say that we did nothing but walking and eating! It was non stop. Primarily because we brought both Big and Small K along hence very little if not no shopping was done. Big K doesn't share the penchant for shopping, unlike her mother, and would whine about going back to the hotel after merely half an hour.
First stop: Yung Kee Restaurant
Now, I've always wanted to taste Hong Kong's famed roast goose, so I bugged the hubs to go to the nearest famed restaurant. We were residing at the Holiday Inn express at Central, hence Yung Kee was pretty much within walking distance. The food above cost us close to SGD200. Ouch. Honestly, i wouldn't go back for the goose. In fact, apart from the salt and pepper squid, nothing excited me. I'm not of fan of fatty stuff and the goose was all fats and bones. Perhaps it was just me and the hubs who don't quite appreciate coz the kids seemed to like it.
Address: Hong Kong, 威靈頓街32號
Phone:+852 2522 1624
Tai Cheong Bakery
For those of you who know, going there for their egg rolls and egg tarts is a must! Ok, in all honesty, I know of better egg tarts in Singapore and don't know what's the fuss is all about over their legendary egg tarts, but their egg rolls are yummy!
Address: 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
7.30am – 9pm (Mondays to Saturdays)
8.30am – 9pm (Sundays and Public Holidays)
Jenny Bakery
I heard of this place a day before I departed for Hong Kong. A friend was raving over it and I decided to get a tin to try. It was within walking distance from our hotel once again, otherwise we wouldn't have made the effort. I had no idea their butter cookies were so popular till today! I mean, there are even counterfeit versions! so much so, Jenny Bakery has to change their packaging every now and then! There is no official closing time as once their stock for the day gets sold out, they would roll down their shutters. We went at around 2pm and there was still quite a bit of stock. My Verdict: It does really melt in your mouth. Fragrant and not too sweet. However, if the queue was too long, I wouldn't queue coz after a few pieces, I got bored. The hubs even said why can't we simply get those Danish butter cookies from NTUC. hmmm good point. But, if you'd like to try, you don't have to travel all the way to Hong Kong. They will be opening an outlet here in sunny Singapore. Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, Blk 422. Don't say I didn't tell ya!
Address: 15 Wing Wo St, Hong Kong
Phone:+852 2524 1988
Dim Sum
You are in Hong Kong, so dim sum is a definite must! We popped into some random shop right next to our hotel and started ordered heaps of dim sum. Seriously, it's only 2 adults and 2 kids (who don't exactly eat voraciously), so why do we always order as if we are feeding an army? That said it was all all worthwhile as my kids really enjoyed it. A special mention to their salted egg yolk custard buns (liu sha bao). The yolk was simply oozing out from the bun! Big K ate 2 whole buns whilst Small K had one to himself! I can't recall the name of the little cafe, but it's right next to Holiday Inn Express Soho.
Address: 83 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan
Having tea @ Tsui Wah 翠華餐廳
This is a MUST GO! I was horridly disappointed when I learnt that the branch at Wellington Street was under renovation till December! Thankfully there's another outlet nearby and woo hoo i got to eat their Condense milk bread! a hit with the kids! They are opened 24hours so you don't have to worry that you'll go hungry in the middle of the night! You could check out their branch information here.
Fu Sing Seafood Restaurant
It was our last night at Central and we were quite lost as to what to eat. We were too tired to be googling for the best haunts and frankly, I'm not in the mood for queues. So we told ourselves that we'll just settle for something which appeals to our eye. Something nearby. We walked, and we walked. Not that nothing came up, but too many little cafes. That spelt child unfriendly. Call us spoilt, but we would rather have the two kids on high chairs and eat in peace rather than to have them on our laps. We did that for the large part of the trip as it is. Eventually, we chanced upon Fu Sing Restaurant which apparently scored Michelin standard and was on the Michelin guide to good food. And, my verdict: AWESOME! The hubs and I felt that this must have been the best meal for this trip! A simple dish like vermicelli + egg + bean sprout won us over. Amazing. I need to try to replicate this when I get back my kitchen! Did you also know that Fu Sing is said to be one of the "rich men's canteen", so don' be surprise if you spot celebrities sitting near you! By the way, if you are there, remember to try their BBQ pork. I heard it's one of the best in town! I only heard of it after i dined there!
Address: Hong Kong, 銅鑼灣怡和街68號1樓
Phone:+852 2504 4228
生記粥品專家
Before we checked out, I wanted some porridge to warm the tummy. I wanted to try Law Fu Kee but it was quite a walking distance away. With Big K being all clingy and wanting to be carried, we decided to try out Sang Kee congee which was just round the corner. This small shop has been around for more than 4 decades. We went before lunch hour and was able to get a table immediately. The moment we left, the crowd came and the queue was pretty amazing. I tried their mixed ball congee and hmm, i'm not sure about you but I thought Cantonese congee are supposed to be thick and starchy? This wasn't. It was silky and more watery than I had expected. Maybe it is my misconception. I also wanted some wings hence I ordered their deep fried chicken wings. A tad disappointed as i didn't feel it was well marinated.
Some scenes from our hotel. The hubs booked us at Holiday Inn Express Hong Kong Soho with his points. We only had to top up a little. It is at such instances where I appreciate all his travelling stints. When we hopped onto the cab, the driver wasn't quite sure where it was. He didn't even understand the street we were communicating to him. Hubs had to whip up his GPS to show. It actually has a very good location with all the nice food nearby. Thanks to the staff, we got a pretty great view of the city from the 31st storey. We requested for a cot but there wasn't any. Instead, they gave us a room with a sofa bed. The hubs wanted to sleep on it but having two very young toddlers on a king sized bed with me wasn't too great an idea considering that the younger one is quite a roller. So, we laid the foam from the sofa on the floor and covered it with the bed sheet and that was his bed for the night. The hub however was a little pitiful. He had to sleep on the quilt which was laid on the floor next to Small K. Hotels in Hong Kong are typically small. Unless you are willing to fork out money for the bigger brands, otherwise, live with it. It is a fuss free hotel with a lovely ledge where the kids loved to play. They were able to self entertain every morning and night on that ledge. I don't know what's the appeal but I am thankful for it. Just seeing them play (and not bug me) is bliss. It was Big K's birthday too and we received a complimentary cake from Singapore Airlines.
I am very thankful for this trip. This year seems amazingly tiring. With the hubs travelling quite a bit and us having to shift house thrice within approximately 6 months. We are now done with only 2 moves. To staying the the in laws (think: privacy invaded). I've been getting mood swings and found myself constantly irritated by small things done by the kids. The pent up anger is doing me no good on the health front as well. Really hope that everything will settle real soon and I get my momentum back. I'm now suffering from post holiday blues as I type! Need another trip soon!
