Hong Kong 1

These days, I often feel like Baby Dory - "I suffer from short term remember-y loss." But I remember exactly when my previous visit was - spring break 1997. It was just a few months before the historic "handover" to China, and we wanted to see Hong Kong before it might change forever. Fortunately, despite some political turmoil, unbridled capitalism is alive and well by all accounts, and I am here to check it out first hand.

What better way to start exploring Hong Kong than to "yum cha"? Via the ever efficient Mass Transit Railway (MTR), we arrive at the dim sum place of my choice Fook Lam Moon in Wan Chai. The menu does not seem super-extensive and we tick off the familiar items including Har Gow, Siu Mai, Lo Mai Gai, Cheong Fun, Ma Lai Goh, etc on the order sheet. Preparations are exquisite but no unusual items or tastes to leave a strong impression. I guess you wouldn't travel half around the world and pay 2 to 3 times the cost back in the U.S. just for this.

Fuk Lam Moon: Arguably overpriced in a calm and elegant setting. Two sets of chopsticks for the proper dim sum etiquette. No celeb sighting today. No life-changing experience, but the shrimp Cheong Fun (rice noodle roll) and the Ma Lai Goh (steamed sponge cake) (not shown) are probably the best I ever had. 

The sky is overcast and it's 83 degrees with acceptable humidity, so a post-prandial walk is actually almost pleasant. We stroll to Hong Kong Park and continue past the Admiralty and Central MTR stations to do a one-hour walk in Wholesale District as recommended in the Lonely Planet guidebook. 
Passing by stores selling herbal medicine and those stacked with largely unrecognizable varieties of dried seafood, we reach Hollywood Road. This is where we bought some antiques on our previous visit but I have no such interest this time, as I feel like an antique myself these days. We then enter Man Mo Temple, the combination of the literary and the military, where the air is filled with incense smoke.

Hong Kong Park is a man-made urban oasis (complete with tacky mushrooms). The limited space is well utilized. I.M. Pei's Bank of China building in the backdrop.

Cat Street lined with souvenir stalls, paralleling Hollywood Road filled with antique stores.

Man Mo Temple: it appears as if these incense coils have continued to hang since our last visit, and they probably will far into the future. There are plenty of worshipers in addition to curious tourists. 

Hui Lau Shan provided Anthony Bourdain a welcome respite from the Hong Kong heat on his Layover episode. Finding a store near the Sheung Wan MTR station, we are happy to try one of their mango desserts. Later I find out that these branches are all over Hong Kong and there is one even in San Francisco!

After resting a bit back in our hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, we return to Hong Kong Island via the institution that is Starr Ferry. For dinner, we are meeting a local food expert Dennis and his friends who picked a traditional Cantonese restaurant, Luk Yu Tea House, the likes of which are perhaps a dying breed. What a treat it turns out to be. Uncommon dishes prepared in authentic old ways which taste great.

Star Ferry: Approaching Hong Kong Island. This boat aesthetically is no junk.

Luk Yu Tea House retains the vibes of old Hong Kong. I can only imagine the intrigue it has witnessed since it first opened in the 1930's. A murder here in 2002 is a relatively recent example. As the restaurant fills up, I am looking out for any suspicious characters.

Luk Yu Tea House: We leave it up to Dennis to pick the dishes from their bewildering Cantonese menu. Vegans, avert your eyes. Chicken filled with glutinous rice is superb. The bowls are soon filled with pig lung soup with almonds. Later a bird's nest with egg white and Chinese ham.

Luk Yu: the last item is baked bun filled with rich and thick   sesame paste, egg yolk and pig oil.

After dinner Dennis takes us on a walk through Central pointing out all the interesting restaurants concentrated in a relatively small area. The Star Ferry back reveals a spectacular light display on Hong Kong Island. Before returning to the hotel, there is one more thing to do - a night cap, more for the view than a drink.

Star Ferry pulls away from Hong Kong Island. A long walkway from International Finance Centre leads to the pier in Central which is new since our previous visit. Dennis points out that the harbor has gotten a bit narrower.

Starr Ferry: as the boat nears the Kowloon side, the spectacle seems over too quickly. The trip last 9 minutes. But it has to be the cheapest scenic boat ride around at less than 50 cents.

Whoa, did the ferry ascend up in the air? No, actually we are the ones who climb up to Ozone Bar, supposedly the highest bar in the world.

Ozone Bar: located on the 118th floor in Ritz Carlton Hotel, it's 1600 feet high (490 m). So high that you wonder if it actually might be punching the ozone layer! The clear view like we have tonight makes the overpriced cocktail more palatable.

Molecular Chinese cuisine may sound like an oxymoron, but that is what's on offer at Bo Innovation. I recognize chef-owner Alvin Leung from the TV shows, who is somewhat disheveled and nearly oblivious to clients streaming in as they open for lunch. Perhaps it is consistent with his irreverent culinary pioneer image. The chef's lunch menu, an abridged version of what's available at dinner, is extremely interesting as well as enjoyable.

Bo Innovation: spot prawn, rice vermicelli noodles with har mi oil and black "wok air" powder

Bo Innovation: "molecular xiao long bao" explodes in the mouth.

Bo Innovation: The Chinese hard liquor Mao Tai is combined with passion fruit and served in a royal court inspired vessel. "Please hold it with both hands, lift it up toward the heaven, put your head backward and drink like an emperor!"

The daughter has a friend who works for a snack shop just a block away. After sampling the unusual concoction of green tea topped with a cheese layer, we walk to Central. 
The public viewing area on the 42th floor of Bank of China is unfortunately no longer accessible. We move on to HSBC Headquarters, a building with interesting history. There are abundant architectural elements reflecting Feng Shui. Just across the street is Sevva, a stylish bar with a view where we kill some time before going up Victoria Peak.

HSBC Headquarters: a spacious atrium. The escalators represent dragon whiskers sucking wealth into the building. I find out that the ground floor, shown through the glass here, is declared public space. The mystery is solved regarding the scene I witnessed yesterday, which is in the next picture.

HSBC Headquarters: the ground floor is fully utilized by Filipinos migrant workers who have a social gathering here on their day off. 

Sevva: open, breezy, relaxing and offering a great view. The night view would be excellent here. I manage to find a healthy "super-anti-oxidant berry mocktail" from their cocktail list. 

Victoria Peak, or simply "the Peak" certainly piques the interest of visitors, as they want to take a peek at the Hong Kong vista from above, but it is to be avoided at peak times.
The tram ride up was not this painful on our previous visit. I remember even locals using it to get up and down the slope. Now, tourists are jamming the funicular and seem willing to wait an hour or longer in line. We even pay an extra few bucks to get into Sky 428 (yup, located that many meters above sea level), but this highest observation point is a mayhem after sunset.

The Peak: probably the most popular attraction in Hong Kong, but it is a struggle to take in a night time view.

Not counting breakfast, it is a fourth meal in a row at a Chinese restaurant, which I would never do at home. But they have been all different so my body and mind are not numbed.
Among the few named after a dynasty I settle on Tang Court. First, it is conveniently located at our hotel. Also I give it the benefit of the doubt, since in view of the full figured Tang ladies depicted in historic paintings, people probably ate very well in that era!

Tang Court: a nice semi-private space to enjoy high-end traditional Chinese cuisine.