Hong Kong. October 2024
PostCard from
Hong Kong
Five years have passed since my last visit. So much has changed since my childhood but every time I visit there’s a sense of familiarity.
It was a short trip but a very eventful one. I did make a critical mistake when booking my flight to Hong Kong this time by taking a layover in Istanbul, meaning I took trip around the world the longer way to save a couple hundred dollars. I somehow convinced myself that I could sacrifice a few hours for the money but a few hours into my second flight I regretted my decision. Culinary Class Wars kept me occupied on the flight and I survived, but direct flight is the way to go.
My mom and I arrived in the evening time in Hong Kong and I was very surprised by how pleasant the weather was when I exited the airport. I was expecting hot and humid but was greeted with a gentle summer breeze.
Day 1
Jet lag got me waking up at 5AM and mom and I headed to Wan Chai to have breakfast at My Cup of Tea 我杯茶. There are a bunch of Hong Kong food spots that I have collected on my Google Maps and this place was one of them. I knew I was at the right spot when I turned onto the street and smelled the aroma of the milk tea as we approached the storefront. It was a weekday morning and most people are grabbing breakfast on their way to work. We ordered at the counter and waited for a seat to open up. Our breakfast consist of the classic milk tea and the traditional sandwiches with a new twist - my egg sandwich is made with both regular eggs and salted eggs (雙黃鴛鴦治), while my mom got the traditional minced beef sandwich (傳統碎牛治). The wait staff was also super nice and I wanted to have breakfast, lunch and dinner there.
After breakfast my mom and I parted ways while I run some errands in the area before taking the tram over to my grandparents on the East side of Hong Kong Island. The tram may be the slowest mode of transport in this bustling city but I’ve always enjoyed the ride.
I spent the rest of the morning/ afternoon with family and finishing the usual errands, and fast forward to evening time I met up with a childhood friend for drinks in Central. The speakeasy 001 is located inside Tai Kwun, the Former Central Police Station Compound, the entrance certainly look like you’re about to enter a jail cell. The drinks were great - I had an earl grey martini and a pear-fectly nutty which was a cinnamon-infused rye with chestnut. It was great catching up with an old friend as we’ve known each other since kindergarten!
Day 2
The jet lag was more manageable on Day 2 and I started out my morning feeling energetic. It was a sightseeing day and it started out with breakfast at Bakehouse in Wan Chai, the much hyped bakery known for their sourdough Portuguese egg tarts. I couldn’t really tell that the egg tarts were made with sourdough but it is indeed delicious. Their other brunch items are are pretty good too but if you’re pressed for time I would get the egg tarts to go as a snack as the brunch items are pretty standard.
After brunch it was time for some solo shopping and sightseeing. I took the tram to Sheung Wan and headed to Shiu Shing Hong 兆成行, a local fragrance store that has been around for over half a century. They specializes in fragrance and essential oils and they sell the signature scents from popular brands and luxury hotels. The staff is also very helpful and I ended up picking up the English Pear scent from Jo Malone since I love their candles.
For a mid morning treat I walked down Cat Street to Halfway Coffee and sat outside for a beautiful cup of latte. The shopping continued in PMQ where I got a cheongsam hand towel and postcards of Hong Kong treats and logos.
I made my way back to Central to meet up with my boyfriend and passed by the renovated Central Market, originally one of the first wet markets in the city. What drew me inside was actually the large lego display of Central, with City Hall and surrounding buildings as well as the iconic Hong Kong taxis and double decker buses. They even have the ice cream truck!
My boyfriend and I took a longer walk around Central, passing by the Duddell Street Steps where you can find the city’s last four remaining gas lamps. We then did a sampling of the Michellin Guide wontons, Mak’s Noodles 麥奀雲吞麵世家 and Tsim Chai Kee 沾仔記, both on Wellington Street. We initially didn’t plan on trying both and had the beef tendon soup, wontons and veggies with oyster sauce at Mak’s Noodles but the line for Tsim Chai Kee died down when we were done with Mak’s so we figured we should do a comparison. The three topping noodle with wontons, minced fish ball and sliced beef at Tsim Chai Kee I thought were better (the wontons are way bigger!)
After filling our tummies we took the MTR to Tin Hau and then a taxi to the St. Joan of Arc Secondary School for the Red Incense Burner Summit hike on Braemar Hill. I stumbled upon an IG reel of this hike about a month ago and we decided to go since it was a short and seemingly easy hike. The path to the summit actually wasn’t that easy to find - we didn’t find the path leading to the stairs (I read more posts online and it looks like that path is to the left of the school entrance) but ended up following another group and sorta trespassed and eventually got back onto the actual hiking path with the help of fellow hikers. With the shortcut we made the hike ended up only taking around 15 mins, and we arrived about 30 mins before sunset. The views at the top were amazing and we stayed until the sun went behind one of the taller buildings on Hong Kong island to take our photos.
From Braemar Hill we took the green mini bus and then the MTR to Prince Edward for Chiuchow food with my childhood friend and her boyfriend. The place was called Chan Yee Hing Sheung Chiu Lau (陳儀興尚潮樓) and the food was amazing. I don’t think I’ve had much Chiuchow food but my favorite dishes were the pan fried baby oyster cake (汕頭煎蠔烙) and deep fried Bombay duck with spicy salt (椒鹽九肚魚). After dinner we walked around Prince Edward and Mongkok a bit as the stalls are closing up for the day before heading home on the MTR.
Day 3
Last full day in Hong Kong and we had to get some dim sum! Lin Heung Lau (蓮香樓) is one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in the city and actually went through multiple closures since the last time I was in Hong Kong. The still have the water boiling in giant tea pots and you still have to go up to the cart ladies if you want to get your hands on the fresh dim sums coming right out of the kitchen. And yes, you most likely will have to share a table to get the most authentic experience.
After getting a full breakfast spread we were walking around Sheung Wan and stumbled upon the line for Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園), another famous spot for Hong Kong Cha Chann Tang food. We had just had a full meal and was not about to wait in line to get more food, so I asked if I could just order a coffee milk tea (鴛鴦) to go. Would be down to try the food but I am not sure if it’s worth the wait? We did some browsing at a local perfume store before hopping on the MTR to the other side of Hong Kong to continue some sightseeing.
Of all the years I have been in Hong Kong I have only heard of Choi Hung Station and Rainbow Estate but have never actually been there. I know it’s turned into somewhat of a tourist destination/ IG hotspot now but a redevelopment project is starting soon for the 60-year-old public housing complex, which means the rainbow-colored facade may be gone in a few years.
I’m glad we got to see it before it’s gone!
Around 1PM I parted ways with my boyfriend to meet up with my dad and sister who flew into Hong Kong earlier in the morning, and we had lunch with the family in Quarry Bay. The rest of the afternoon and evening was reserved for family time as my mom cooked up a huge meal for my grandpa’s birthday. We hosted over 16 people in my grandpa’s apartment and it was a feast!
After dinner it was time to say goodbye to my family as I would be heading to Taiwan the next morning to join my friends and to continue the rest of my Asia trip. It was great seeing all of my grandparents and I promised my grandma I would find time next year to see her again.
Last activity of the evening was checking out 25:00 Twenty Fifth Hour in LKF. I have actually never been to LKF before but I am glad my first one was a speakeasy. Would recommend!
Till next time, Hong Kong!