1 dress :'D
But despite the miserable loots from the trip, we managed to visit quite a few places and I would like to share them with you guys! Just for the fun of it, and also, to document my trip!
We took the early morning 6am flight, hence, the prominent eyebags. My mom really knows how to make flight decisions. *Cries*
*Disclaimer: This is not an official travel guide so opinions, reviews and instructions are subjected to biases, memory lapses and the occasional side-track rambling.*
WHAT I ATE:
(Not gonna mention all of it of course. I'm not that crazy.)
1. THE SQUIRREL COFFEE & KITCHEN
Burning weather dictated a need for an air-conditioned shelter! This place was not crowded and had a pretty chill ambiance.
Matcha Latte was on-point!
The rest of the food was just average, in my opinion. :(
Location:
Hong Kong, 何文田梭椏道8號榮英大厦地下.
Description:
This little cafe was a few minutes walk from our hotel MetroPark Hotel Kowloon. As we were waiting to check into our hotel room, we decided to grab a quick bite at some place cooling. The weather in HK was SUPER DUPER HOT!!!! So we came to this place mainly because to take shelter from the heat, and also because it was not crowded at all.
Types of food:
Adequate for light lunch, brunch or breakfast. Served mainly Western dishes. The food was just average and the price was relatively reasonable (typical of Singapore cafe food prices). A review said that their homemade cheeseburger was good. I did not try it, but maybe you should if you happen to drop by the area! (:
2. TIM HO WAN 添好運點心
Location:
9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po 深水埗福榮街9-11號地下 (Approx 10 minutes walk from Sham Shui Po MTR, Exit looking for Fuk Wing Street)
Other locations:
Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall
We went to the one at Sham Shui Po because it was recommended by a friend who said that this place was the least crowded of all the outlets. We went there on a Saturday night at about 7-8pm and true enough, were immediately let in without having to queue! But we ended up sitting next to the kitchen and clearing section though :( Also, waiters here in HK dont like to wait patiently for your order. They bustle about and have no time to entertain you if you dawdle on your order. So choose wisely such that you need not keep asking for the waiters to add/edit your orders! Also, as I do not like Char Siew bao, we did not order it. But I heard from my friends that it is good, so do give them a go!
Types of food:
Dim Sum all day, errday!
3. ONE DIM SUM
FINALLY! SOME YUMMY PAO! This is called 皇包. I'm really not too sure what is inside. It tasted like custard to me, but the filling is not thick and rich enough. In fact, it paled in comparison to the Liu Sha Bao I had at Mongkok Dimsum back in Singapore, in my opinion. Then again, I may be wrong and its supposed to taste like that. But one thing's for sure, the 'zup' did not spill out as I expected it would be. Not as satisfying as I would have thought. But yeah, do try it as well if you can!
The other pretty normal dishes such as the 虾饺 (Shrimp-filled Shuijiao) was pretty decent. The fried Wonton was good too! I especially liked the sweet and sour sauces that came together with it!
Location:
Shop 1 & 2, G/F, Kenwood Mansion. 15 Playing Field, Prince Edward.
Take MTR to Prince Edward station, Exit A. Turn right and walk straight, past the shop 'Famous Dim Sum'.
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 11am-1230 midnight
Sat & Sun 10am-1230 midnight
Description:
I went there due to an online recommendation that highlighted it for its affordability and decent dimsum quality. I wasnt disappointed. The selection here can be quite limited, so if you are looking for a dimsum spread, this may be a tad too limited. The queues are long and we waited about 20 minutes before entering the place. I guess its because it was a late Sunday afternoon between 3-4pm where people usually get dimsum for high tea. Do not expect to dawdle here. They dont really like it, and it shows in their body language and manners.
Types of food:
Dimsum all day, err day! After we ate Tim Ho Wan, my mom wanted more. Hence, we came here the next day to try their dimsum! On a side note, their spring rolls do not match up to the ones at Tim Ho Wan, in my opinion. Then again, Tim Ho Wan has no 蛋散. So, give and take, I guess.
Other types of food:
Simple meal that we ate at a place called P.P Cafe at one of the local stalls at Stanley Market. Because my mom wanted to eat some local cheap food, we came here and I got the Wonton noodle while she only ate one plate of vegetables. Miserable, I know. Her choice of foods are -.-. But who am I to complain, I'm a fussy eater as well haahahHong Kong, 何文田梭椏道8號榮英大厦地下.
Description:
This little cafe was a few minutes walk from our hotel MetroPark Hotel Kowloon. As we were waiting to check into our hotel room, we decided to grab a quick bite at some place cooling. The weather in HK was SUPER DUPER HOT!!!! So we came to this place mainly because to take shelter from the heat, and also because it was not crowded at all.
Types of food:
Adequate for light lunch, brunch or breakfast. Served mainly Western dishes. The food was just average and the price was relatively reasonable (typical of Singapore cafe food prices). A review said that their homemade cheeseburger was good. I did not try it, but maybe you should if you happen to drop by the area! (:
2. TIM HO WAN 添好運點心
The food was comparatively cheaper. As I have never tasted Tim Ho Wan back in Singapore before, I cannot fairly compare the quality of the food. But the dimsum was pretty darn good! Our bill only amounted to HKD 94 (SGD 16.30) for the 2 of us. The receipt showed the amount and type of food we ate! I guess we didnt really eat much either as its just the 2 of us. My mom really liked the chicken feet though. I dont like to eat those because I find it weird. But we both agreed that the spring rolls were awesome. Was pretty sad they dont sell egg tarts or Liu Sha Bao here though :( Arent those part of typical dim sum food too?!
Just look at mum enjoying the affordable and yummy dimsum spread!
9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po 深水埗福榮街9-11號地下 (Approx 10 minutes walk from Sham Shui Po MTR, Exit looking for Fuk Wing Street)
Other locations:
Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall
Shop B, C, & D, G/F, 2-8 Wharf Road, Seaview
Building, North Point
Shop G, 72A-B, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kwok Tsui
Shop G, 72A-B, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kwok Tsui
Opening hours:
8am-930pm (Daily)
Description: We went to the one at Sham Shui Po because it was recommended by a friend who said that this place was the least crowded of all the outlets. We went there on a Saturday night at about 7-8pm and true enough, were immediately let in without having to queue! But we ended up sitting next to the kitchen and clearing section though :( Also, waiters here in HK dont like to wait patiently for your order. They bustle about and have no time to entertain you if you dawdle on your order. So choose wisely such that you need not keep asking for the waiters to add/edit your orders! Also, as I do not like Char Siew bao, we did not order it. But I heard from my friends that it is good, so do give them a go!
Types of food:
Dim Sum all day, errday!
3. ONE DIM SUM
Our bill amounted to HKD 113 (SGD 19.60) this time round. We ordered 6 dishes instead of 5. The following 2 photos below are not our dishes. Instead it belonged to a random couple sitting beside me which I secretly took. I just wanted to show you guys that there are other foodies as well. Also, because the photos that I took of what we ate were not instagram-worthy :(
This dish is called 古法作蛋散。 Its really unique, in my opinion. But its soooooo good and cripsy! You are given a choice of either honey/milk to drizzle it in. I chose honey and it was super nice! My mom found it too sweet though, but nevertheless, savoury. This dish took quite long to arrive though. We finished all our dishes beforehand and were waiting for it. The waiters kept coming to see why we havent left yet, as it seemed like we were taking too long to leave and there was a really long queue outside. We felt uncomfortable as they constantly kept coming over to check our order bit, and only begrudgingly refilled our tea when we requested for it whilst waiting for that last dish. Finally, it arrived! When we were having it, a Singaporean family just sat down next to us and one of them pointed to our dish and asked what was that. LOL. But worth a try, if you guys are at One Dim Sum! (:
The other pretty normal dishes such as the 虾饺 (Shrimp-filled Shuijiao) was pretty decent. The fried Wonton was good too! I especially liked the sweet and sour sauces that came together with it!
Location:
Shop 1 & 2, G/F, Kenwood Mansion. 15 Playing Field, Prince Edward.
Take MTR to Prince Edward station, Exit A. Turn right and walk straight, past the shop 'Famous Dim Sum'.
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 11am-1230 midnight
Sat & Sun 10am-1230 midnight
Description:
I went there due to an online recommendation that highlighted it for its affordability and decent dimsum quality. I wasnt disappointed. The selection here can be quite limited, so if you are looking for a dimsum spread, this may be a tad too limited. The queues are long and we waited about 20 minutes before entering the place. I guess its because it was a late Sunday afternoon between 3-4pm where people usually get dimsum for high tea. Do not expect to dawdle here. They dont really like it, and it shows in their body language and manners.
Types of food:
Dimsum all day, err day! After we ate Tim Ho Wan, my mom wanted more. Hence, we came here the next day to try their dimsum! On a side note, their spring rolls do not match up to the ones at Tim Ho Wan, in my opinion. Then again, Tim Ho Wan has no 蛋散. So, give and take, I guess.
Other types of food:
Mobile Softee Ice-cream can be found at Stanley Market and also at Temple Street Night Market. One normal softee ice-cream costs HKD 9 (SGD 1.50). Cheap and great to yum on under the sweltering hot weather!
Cream puff bought from Urban at The Market at Langham Place.
Egg tarts bought from a random bakery shop near our hotel! It was yummy and cheap! My absolute fave! HKD 3.50 for one egg tart (SGD 0.60).
Pardon the major eyebags as this was Day 1 after we just arrived in HK. It was an early morning flight and I hadn't had any sleep at all the night before! But the Gong Cha Milk Tea (No pearls) that I had was super refreshing! Oh, and they only have Large size for the drink I ordered. No complaints, there. :D
WHERE I WENT:
1. HONG KONG WETLAND PARK
The Light Rail station was so quaint! (: Felt like I'm in a place for kids/children haha. Okay, that might not be an adept description to describe this place. But all I can say is, its simply colourful, serene and safe.
Taking a short break in preparation before the long walk!
We bought the standard adult ticket for the 2 of us. Each person HKD 30 (SGD 5.20) per entry. It was worth it! The views and scenery was gorgeous!
Gorgeous sea of tiny yellow flowers! <3 Would have been lovely to take photos if I came here in a long, flowing maxi dress. But nope, too hot and inconvenient to walk around in the city thereafter. Not practical. Boo. :(
Told ya it was super hot! Bring your umbrella, shades, cap/hats and slap on that sunscreen! June weather in HK was no joke, I swear. Humid and hot. It was about 30.5 degree celsius when we were there. So hot that there was even a warning for it :D.
MTR Tin Shui Wai Station, Exit E. Interchange and take Light Rail 705 or 706. Get off at Wetland Park Station.
Description:
Get out of the city life and experience a little wildlife! We were tired of the concrete jungle, and this was really quite a sight! Despite the hot, humid weather and the approximately 40-50 minutes journey from Mongkok MTR to here, the scenery turned out to be super gorgeous. There wasnt a lot of people, so we could take our time to walk around. Most of the visitors were actually locals towing huge cameras to snap pictures of the wildlife. The MOST worthy place I visited during my short trip here, in my opinion!
Advice:
Bring umbrella, lots of water, shades and hat/caps to protect yourself from the heat. Wear comfortable shoes as its quite a bit of a walk! Those seeking to bring their elderly along, go a bit later in the day when its not too hot. Also, fret not! There are plenty of sheltered resting areas in case you need to rest! If you want good photos, go early in the morning where there are lesser people (as proven in the photos where I sat by the lake) so you can take your time to enjoy and pose haha :D
2. VICTORIA PEAK & PEAK ROAD GARDEN
View at Victoria Peak at about 4pm in the evening. Too many overhanging clouds.
We wanted to take the Peak Tram to enjoy the 'Ultimate Peak experience' as online advertisements claimed, but the queue was too long and crowded so we simply enjoy the scenery and went to the Victoria Peak Garden.
Just in case you might be curious, the peak tram sky pass is HKD 56 (Return) and HKD 45 (Single) for 1 Adult. For Child (age 3-11)/Senior (age 65 and above): HKD 26 (Return) and HKD 19 (Single)
We managed to catch the evening sunlight at the Peak Garden! It wasnt very crowded, but the garden was small with 1 playground. Little children and their parents could be seen walking leisurely about or sitting down chatting. It was really a peaceful sight! And there was a bit of breeze over there for some reason! FINALLY!
YES! A breeze! Finally! By the way, if you are interested, this Rolling Stone sleeveless top is up on sale at my Carousell.com/nicesgjy. Do check it out if you are interested! *Haha, self-promotion*
Getting here:
Board the Peak Tram Shuttle Bus No.15C at the Central (Near Star Ferry Pier 7) Bus Terminus.
Daily: 10am- 11:40pm (from Man Kwong Street outside Central Pier 7)
Daily: 10:15am-11:55pm (from Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus)
Frequency: 15-20minutes
Bus Fare: HKD 4.20
Advice:
Check out Stanley Market before heading to the Victoria Peak as there is a straight bus from the same bus terminal. (Details below)
3. STANLEY MARKET & MURRAY HOUSE
Enjoying the softee ice-cream from the mobile softee as previously mentioned in the section about food!
If you are curious about the P.P Cafe that I previously mentioned where my mom and I ate almost a Vegetarian (but cheap!) diet for lunch. Here's how to get there: If you managed to spot this place, the store should be up the stairs and further into this alley.
Getting there:
MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D, take bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 at the Exchange Square Bus Terminus. Or take MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B, walk to Tung Lung Street then take green minibus 40.
Advice:
It is advisable to come here in the morning for early lunch/brunch. Here, shops fully opened at 11am. My suggestion is to come here to take a walk around before heading back to the Exchange Square Bus Terminus to take a straight bus, bus 15 to Victoria Peak.
4. SYMPHONY OF LIGHTS
While waiting for the Symphony of Lights to begin, the place was super crowded and everyone already had their cameras ready and poised to capture the lights.
One thing I must commend about HK is that their city night lights are vibrant, picturesque and oh-so-pretty.
Getting there:
Take MTR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exut J, follow the signs to the Avenue of Stars and Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront.
As our hotel has a direct bus service to the place, we took Bus 7, 208 or 271 and alight at Harbour City bus-stop.
Advice:
The buildings start to officially light up at 8pm. But some of the buildings have already started to light up before that. My advice is to go there slightly early, about 7:15-7:30pm so that you get to have 'front-row seats' to take nice photos. However, that being said, my mom who had previously visited HK with my sister the other time said that not all the buildings chose to light up their lights this time round. Seems like everyone is either lazy to do so, or wants to save electricity.
5. LADIES BAZAAR
Ladies Bazaar is a street market that sells a lot of different kind of products such as inspired branded handbags, wallets and purses, powerbanks and other touristy products. We did not find anything much here to shop, but I did bought some cute superhero power banks and am currently selling them on Carousell so do check them out and support, support if interested! Thank you hahahah :D
Carousell: carousell.com/nicesgjy <-- CHECK IT OUT! Haha *self-promotion again*
Getting there:
MTR Mong Kok Station Exit E2, then walk along Nelson Street for 2 blocks.
Advice:
Bring your own shopping bag because there is a regulation that shop owners are required to charge extra HKD 0.50 for a plastic bag. Although some sellers are okay with sneaking in a plastic bag or 2 for you, its better to bring your own bag, just in case! Also, remember to bargain a little! :D
6. TEMPLE STREET NIGHT MARKET
The Night Market was really quite crowded. I must admit though, the photos that I took might not belong to the Temple Street Night Market and it might just be along Mongkok street near our hotel. So, please do not count on all these photos. But of course, the signboard is correct!
Getting there:
MTR Jordan Station Exit A. Turn right into Jordan Road, and walk 3 blocks to Temple Street OR MTR Yau Ma Tei Station Exit C, walk along Man Ming Lane to Temple Street.
Advice:
As I previously mentioned, please bring along your own shopping bag! Also, I will be including instructions on how to get to Fuk Wing Street Market and Fa Yuen Street Market despite lack of photos. We happened to chance upon Fuk Wing Street Market while hunting for Tim Ho Wan at Sham Shui Po. So for Fuk Wing Street Market, alight at Sham Shui Po MTR Exit A, and its right outside. Go there a bit early because the Street Market closes a bit earlier than the other more popular night markets. (Approx 8-9pm) As for Fa Yuen Street Market which is located quite close to Ladies Bazaar contain mostly food and seems like it also has a wet market building. We did not manage to enter the Fa Yuen Street Market, so I cannot really say for sure. But do check it out if you are around the Ladies Bazaar area! (:
7. MASSAGE!!!!!!!!!!!
My mom enjoying the free Wi-Fi available here. I must say their Wi-Fi services are everywhere and convenient (:
As my mom's feet were hurting since the first day when we took a super long walk from a busstop to our hotel because we got lost, we decided to take a break and go for a foot massage. I honestly cannot remember what was the name of the foot massage parlour that we went to, but we simply followed those overhanging mini billboards and we found ourselves here. We thought it was HKD 98 for 45 minutes, as that was what the sign initially stated. But, the lady said that it was only for those who paid for the package. We were like -.-. There was another man who came in after and told them off saying that they should have been clearer. That, I agree. The T&Cs should have been put down, no matter how small or fine the print is. But anyway, the lady told us she will give us HKD 108 for 45 minutes and so, we sat down.
Their skills could never rival those offered by Thai massage parlours, but we were glad for the respite amidst the long, tiring walks.
I am not in a good position to recommend any good massage parlours as this was the only one that I tried (and goodness, I even forgot the name! >.< ) But my advice is, make sure you get the prices checked before settling for their services if you ever do want a massage!
8. LANGHAM PALACE
We managed to drop by Langham Palace on our last day. Sorry I did not snap any photos of the place. It was a Sunday evening and boy, was it swarming! There's a lot of levels and every level sells a great variety of things. My mom and I only managed to go to their ground floor The Market and H&M. Yup, the latter is also the place where I bought my one and only black dress from haha :'D. And we bought some goodies back to Singapore from The Market such as cookies and this milk ball candy sweet below!
THAT'S ALL FOR MY HK TRIP!
MY PERSONAL AFTER-THOUGHTS:
Another situation occurred when I was shopping at the Temple Street Night Market with my mom, and we saw a belt that we wanted to get for my younger brother. The initial price was HKD 45 and he said he would give me HKD 40. I asked him, in Chinese, if he could give me HKD 35 instead and he immediately told us off and said "All those who can speak Chinese always have to ask for a bargain!" (In Chinese). I was shocked. I believe that every buyer shopping in a street night market will always look for the best bargain, regardless of what language they speak! In the end, we did buy the belt, just because its an urgent request from my brother and that was the only decent-looking belt we could find. But the experience was horrible.
I do not want to generalise that every seller was like this. In fact, we met some pretty decent people there. But the overall experience of waiters and sellers being impatient, discourteous and rude was enough for me to make my entire HK trip not too enjoyable. Apparently, according to my friend and sister, HK people generally dislike the people from Mainland China and assume that everyone who can speak Chinese, is from China, especially the less-educated i.e. the Night Market sellers. The ladies that we met at Sasa and Bojour were relatively helpful and courteous, probably because the assumption did not hold true for them. The sellers at the Lady Bazaar were pretty welcoming and friendly as well, so maybe its just these odd few that we met. But in essence, maybe its better to present yourself as "less of" a Chinese and speak more English to distinguish yourself as a Singaporean instead? Hmm, maybe? :/
WEATHER: June's weather was hot and humid. It did rain a little, but that did not make the temperature any cooler. Despite overhanging dull clouds, it did nothing to make the Sun less forgiving. So bring all that heat and sun-protective gear if you are travelling to HK during the summer!
PRICE: Things are relatively close to Singapore price, and I honestly do not see the reason of travelling to HK to shop and buy stuff when you can get them here in Singapore. But, I would recommend the food though. No country creates an impression like HK's cheap and delish DIMSUM!
SCENERY: Nope. No natural scenery that is super breathtaking, in my opinion. HK is a concrete jungle. But I'm glad we managed to find a jewel in the HK Wetland Reserve Park (: Although I must be fair and say that HK city night lights are pretty!
All in all, I have been to HK 10 years ago when I was a kid and did not have a good experience. My impressions of it when I was a kid was that the place was smoky, the people were rude and pushy and the food wasnt to my liking. 10 years later, only one of my impressions changed, and that is their food. So cheers to something positive, eh? :D
Thanks for taking the time to view this lengthy post! Feel free to contact me for more details! Although, this is honestly the most detailed I think I can get... Heh :D
xx
Loves,
Nices
