HongKongTravellers.info

Hong Kong City Guide

admin — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:37:07 +0000

Hong Kong is a beautiful place with something to do for every age and type of traveler. The public transportation and use of the Octopus card is very convenient, with travel times around the island rarely exceeding an hour.

The natural language is Cantonese, but everyone in the tourist attraction areas speaks enough English to convince you to eat their food or purchase their goods.

The food is inexpensive and delicious, but dietary restrictions are discouraged if you want to be submerged in the full experience. There really isn’t anything like the small corner shops that sell beefball or tofu on a stick. It is also crucial to try the sugar cane juice (green bottle).

Shopping designer brands are near the tourist traps in Tsim Sha Tsiu or Central, but these price ranges are similar to those found in New York City. Underground shopping for cheap and fun gifts should be bought in one of the shady street markets. The shopping for specific genres are especially convenient. There are streets devoted to cars, Gundams, silver, watches, shoes, etc. Prices are generally the same, but certain shops have special supplies. It also encourages sales to form bonds with customers to return to their services.

Yue Hwa Chinese Products

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:51:48 +0000

Yue Hwa caters to a local clientele with both traditional Chinese and everyday products. The main shop in Yau Ma Tei stocks everything from household goods to clothing, shoes, jade jewelry, arts and crafts, china, linens, furniture, tea, foodstuff, medicinal herbs like dried sea horses, and even antlers. It was here that I bought some friends a gag wedding gift years ago — Chinese whiskey with preserved lizards in it, all for only HK$25 (US$3.25/£1.75) — definitely a bargain. The store is open daily from 10am to 10pm.

Mitsukoshi

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:51:17 +0000

Mitsukoshi is a long-established department store; it first opened as a kimono shop in Japan in the 1600s and is still one of Japan’s most exclusive stores. Today it houses the boutiques of well-known designers of shoes, accessories, and clothing, with high prices to match; it also carries lingerie, cosmetics, household goods, and toys. It’s open daily from 10:30am to 10pm.

Dragon Culture

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:50:42 +0000

All serious fans of Chinese antiques eventually end up here. One of the largest and most knowledgeable purveyors of antiques in Hong Kong, Victor Choi began collecting Chinese antiques in the 1970s, traveling throughout China from province to province and to all the major cities. He shares his expertise in three books: Collecting Chinese Antiquities in Hong Kong (a must for both the novice and the experienced buyer), Horses for Eternity, and Antiquities through the Ages, which you can purchase in his shop.

Choi has also given lectures on Chinese antiques in the HKTB’s Meet the People program. With another gallery in New York, he carries Neolithic pottery, three-color glazed pottery horses from the Tang dynasty, Ming porcelains, bronzes, jade, woodcarvings, snuff bottles, calligraphy, paintings, brush pots, stone carvings, and more, and also guarantees authenticity for all items he sells. According to Choi, prices for antiques are a fourth of what they’d fetch in New York. He’s open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

Cat Street Galleries

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:50:05 +0000

Cat Street Galleries, located between Hollywood Road and Cat Street, houses several individually owned booths of arts and crafts and expensive antiques from the various dynasties, making it a good place to begin an antiques shopping odyssey. It’s open Monday through Friday from 11am to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

Arch Angel Antiques

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:49:34 +0000

Established in 1988 by an American and Dutch couple, this is one of Hollywood Road’s largest shops for Asian antiques and art, including museum-quality ceramics, furniture, Ming dynasty figurines, terra-cotta animals, boxes, and collectibles. In addition to this three-story main shop, nearby galleries (which the owners will show you on request) showcase ancient ceramics, bronze Buddhas, terra-cotta figures, stone sculptures, and contemporary Vietnamese art. Every antique item for sale is accompanied by a detailed certificate of authenticity. The main shop is open daily from 9:30am to 6:30pm.

Gaia Ristorante

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:49:07 +0000

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. That’s the way I feel about all the new construction encroaching on the quaint Western District. This restaurant, ensconced in the colossal Grand Millennium Plaza building on the border between the Central and Western districts, has won me over with a great terrace, surrounded by lush trees and bushes that create the illusion of dining in a park. The contemporary interior is also inviting, with glass windows overlooking the terrace and a blindingly red bar off to one side. Of course, none of this would matter if the food didn’t hold up, which it does. It’s hard to resist such temptations as the homemade pasta tossed in a sangiovese-marinated rabbit stew ragout; the seared tuna with black pepper, capers, Black Liguria olives, and oregano paste; or the chargrilled black angus beef. The wine list is heavy on Italian imports.

Fook Lam Moon

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:48:30 +0000

Upon entering this restaurant (look for the shrine to the kitchen god at the entrance), you immediately feel as if you’ve stepped back a couple of decades to a Hong Kong that has all but vanished. The decor is outdated and, unless you’re a regular, the waiters are indifferent. Yet for almost 50 years this has remained the place to go for exotic dishes, including shark’s fin, bird’s nest, and abalone, served in a variety of ways, as well as more down-to-earth dishes such as fried crispy chicken and pan-fried lobster bars.

Shark’s fin, however, is the obvious number-one choice, with 12 different renditions listed on the menu. If you feel like splurging, prices for a bowl of shark’s fin with crabmeat or shredded chicken begin at HK$350 (US$45/£25). If you are not careful, you could end up spending a small fortune (if you go for the exotic dishes, count on at least HK$1,000/US$130/£71 per person), but whatever you order, it’s apt to be memorable. Indeed, some Hong Kong old-timers swear this restaurant serves the best Cantonese food in the world, and it’s a favorite of local movers and shakers. Unlike many Chinese restaurants, this establishment provides both small (for two to four diners) and large tables.

Bo Kong

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:47:52 +0000

A bit too bright for comfort but soothingly decorated, this pleasant restaurant, located in the Food Forum of Times Square with a dozen other restaurants and with branches in Canada, offers Chinese vegetarian fare that is so cleverly prepared, you’d swear it contained meat. There is braised vegetarian “shark’s fin,” vegetarian sashimi, an appetizer plate of “cold cuts” that looks like meat but isn’t, deep-fried vegetarian “chicken,” vegetarian “prawns” in taro nest, and vegetarian “ham” rolled with bean-curd skin. There are also noodle, rice, and congee dishes, and dim sum is served to 4pm. Neither smoking nor the consumption of alcohol is allowed here.

Avenue Restaurant & Bar

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:47:17 +0000

The contemporary, upscale setting of this airy restaurant with its murals and abstract artwork, white-washed walls, palm trees, and greenhouselike dining area, together with its menu of modern European food and excellent service, could easily mislead one into thinking that this trendy establishment is much more expensive than it is, making it a very good value. It also overlooks Nathan Road, giving an unparalleled view of Hong Kong’s bustling street life.

Though known for its seafood and grilled steaks, along with monthly promotionals, the restaurant offers an extensive selection tailored to various budgets and tastes. You might wish to start with an appetizer like tian of crab and avocado with lemon mayonnaise, followed by sautéed sole with spinach, new potatoes, poached egg, and grain mustard sauce. For dessert, try the chocolate soufflé or the crème brûlée. For lunch, only fixed-price meals are available.