This may not be your usual HK journey
Having the first 3 days jam-packed with activities, we decided to slow things a bit. Our trip has been smooth-sailing thus far with temperatures swinging between 18 - 24 Celsius in November. Weather was great with sunshine and no rain. What better way to start off Day 04 than with HK style breakfast at >>>>> AUSTRALIA DAIRY CO.
Located within walking distance of Jordan MTR Station, ADC is open 7.30am - 11.00pm daily, except Thursdays. This is a popular joint with many good reviews online. We specially came to see what the hype is about, here goes:
We reached ADC around 9.00am and the queue was damnnnnn long.
The worst part?
- aircon water DRIPPING on us
- scorching sun COOKING our backs 😡
Fortunately, efficiency is essence in HK, and we were assigned to a seat after 15 mins in the queue.
Sharing tables is a norm in HK "cha-chan-teng" (Cantonese for restaurant), so the 2 of us were awkwardly squeezing on one side of the table, with 2 strangers opposite facing us. As business is good, note that there is a minimum order per customer. The whole place was noisy and food ordering is fast paced. It helps to speak a bit of Cantonese so that the staff taking your order knows exactly what you want. Unless you are OK with being rudely brushed off, I advise you to confirm your order before getting the waiter over - ask too many questions = prepare to get scolded and receive a smug on the waiter's face.
I ordered a breakfast set meal and my comments are:
- Macaroni w/ Ham - Cooked decently well but to me, it is just normal fare with no surprises
- Omelette - VERY tasty! They are soft and eggy, with a hint of cheese/butter infused inside
- Toasted Bread w/ Margarine - Slight crisp on the toasted surface, fluffy and warm on the inside. Great to complement with the omelette!
Note:
- There is warm tea or water served in translucent cups ⇨DO NOT DRINK, THEY ARE FOR RINSING UTENSILS!!
- Simple Cantonese to help you order
- Hot milk tea = Yit Nai Cha (note that it comes without sugar, add your own from the table)
- Cold milk tea = Dong Nai Cha (comes with sugar)
- Omelette = Chao dan
- Sunny side up = Jim dan
We also ordered milk puddings for dessert (YES, COLD DESSERT on an early morning, hands UP if you agree that life is good 🙌 ). The yellow one is with egg, while the white is without. Smooth, slurps down your throat easily, and lingers a milk taste in your mouth 😳 (tasty!). After breakfast, we headed to Causeway Bay (via the MTR), and the place we're going IS ... HYSAN PLACE.
This shopping mall is pretty upscale with prices similar to that of boutique shops in Singapore. Nonetheless, it offers brands and variety which are limited to HK. I went to the DFS shop at basement level to buy stuffs for a colleague, and the rest was merely window shopping. In the vicinity, there are also many other shopping malls like:
- Times Square HK
- Lee Garden One
- SOGO
If you are looking for cheap stuffs, then these are the places which you may want to skip. For us, it was out of curiosity that we breezed through these malls, but definitely not a second visit next time. After walking for 3 hrs in the malls and streets surrounding, it is time to FEED our hungry stomachs again! We settled lunch at a Roast Goose place. Did not record the place's name as I felt the food was passable but not fantastic.
I ordered Soup Noodles w/ Roasted Goose; the meat was fragrant but with too much fat between the skin and meat, so it felt more like eating fats than meat. The soup noodles was nothing more than average. Let's head back to our "hotel" and move on to the last day!
Day 05, 8.00am: Without washing up, we woke up and walked to the back of our "hotel" in Tsim Sha Tsui to find breakfast for our bottomless pit stomachs. I had to take a photo of our SG$100/night lodging to remind myself that I could have gotten better at the same price. Looks old and creepy from outside isn't it?
After 5mins of walking, I spotted this place called SEE FAH. The entrance is at ground level, but the dining area is at level 2. I ordered a breakfast set meal consisting of toasted bread, omelette, pork chops and thick vermicelli with soup. It is a good place to go for decent food if you have run out of places and would like somewhere convenient.
Since it was our last day, we went back to the ground floor of our lodging at MIRADOR MANSION to purchase the much coveted Jenny Bakery cookies. This is a definite MUST BUY as the cookies are freshly made without preservatives (shelf life only 3 weeks) . The popular flavors are butter and coffee and OH MY they are SO FRAGRANT to the extent of having THE SMELL present IN URINE after consumption. Big tin sells for HKD 130, while small tin is at HKD 70.
Our return flight HKG-SIN is at 4.00pm and we had to be at airport before 2.00pm. Thus, we decided to have one last meal at Tsui Wah to conclude the trip like how it started at Tsui Wah. Mao ordered Spare Ribs Dry Noodles, while I ordered the Pork Chop Bun w/ Mustard Sauce. Needless to say, my drink was HK Iced Milk Tea (hmm... think I ordered this more than 10 times already?! because I just can't withstand the HK aroma from the tea).
According to Mao, the spare ribs were tender and the sauce is good when paired with the springy noodles. Mine was more lackluster, as the buns were tough and dry, and the meat was lacking in flavor. Perhaps that is why mustard sauce is provided, but overall it was disappointing.
CONCLUSION:
Hong Kong is a great destination for people of all ages because it has a developed infrastructure that allows easy commuting. There will definitely be food matching everyone's palate with the mass variety of cuisine in restaurants and delectable ones at street stalls. For the more adventurous, you can consider hiking at the mountains like we did, or even do the bungee jump at Macau Tower. If you only have 3 to 5 days to spare, Hong Kong is definitely your ideal destination for a short vacation.
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This may not be your usual HK journey
I knew this trip's not gonna be slack with Mao who really likes exploring. So here we are covering 3 more areas today, prepared for much more WALKING!
1) Mid-level escalators
2) Lamma Island
3) The Peak
The CENTRAL MID-LEVELS ESCALATORS is within walking distance from Central MTR, and it REALLY is just an escalator! One thing to note is that it changes direction (up/down) at certain periods of the day.
Famous eatery - LAN FONG YUEN
We came to see what the hype about the online reviews for here is about since it is located below the escalators. There was a crowd when we reached there and we had to share tables as usual. Yes, welcome to HK~!
I ordered Pork Chop Nissin Noodles, paired with HK milk tea. Verdict: DUPER AWESOME stuff! Ain't that just instant noodles with some slices of meat? Well, it IS a tender piece of meat pan-fried to perfection, with the piggy oils and marinate soaking into the broth. Toss some noodles, soup and have a bite of the pork - HEAVEN *angelic chorus*. That AHHH moment.
The hot HK milk tea uses HK evaporated milk and has the lingering taste on your tongue, great beverage to complete the meal.
After a fulfilling breakfast, we digested our food by walking to Central Ferry Pier just 20 mins away on foot. At the pier, we used the HK Octopus Card (used for public transport in HK) to pay for the ferry ride from HK to LAMMA ISLAND.
The view from on board the air-conditioned ferry is - normal 😏. After around 30 mins, we arrived at Lamma Island. The ride was good as the ferry's jerks were gentle , suitable for people like me who has motion-sickness!
Mao recommended to try the AH PO TOFU Beancurd
Verdict: Weird background taste not to my liking (nasty!)
Me & Mao, and who's that lady in white?!
After slurping down the beancurd which Mao adored so much (he downed 2 bowls!), we embarked on the hiking trail from one end of Lamma Island to the other.
Although it was sunny, the weather was pretty cool around 22 Celsius. This made our hiking pleasant. There were some pretty arduous upslope trails along the way, but once we reached the vantage point, the picturesque view took away the aches from our lower limbs. Clear skies, pristine waters, lush greenery, cool breeze; what more can we ask for?
After sufficient rest (and camwhoring against the irresistible views), we went downslope to the other side of the island. Reason? An awesome seafood place lies ahead at the other end! We heard they serve fresh seafood at reasonable prices.
Me & Mao, no signs of exhaustion. But our stomachs were furiously GGROWLING! Time to fill them up! We settled lunch at NAN YA TIAN HONG.
Though small sized, there's a natural sweetness from the prawns. When dipped with light soy sauce ...ooo la la! (tasty!)
Fresh Abalone in Supreme Soy Sauce. The meat is soft and succulent, I literally sank my tooth into it and sucked the juices out, before tearing the meat apart and chewing them down. Unfortunately, I did not fancy intestines (which supposedly is the dish's highlight). So if you are unlike me, I'd say GO for the INTESTINES man. If I recall, each abalone costs only SGD $8, woohoo!
The fish's meat is springy, sweet and VERY VERY fresh. It exudes a sea taste from the seas surrounding Lamma Island. We sat Alfresco beside the sea, bringing the sensory of our dining experience to the next level, now that's what we're talking bout' man!
After lunch, we hopped to the souvenir shop nearby and I bought some natural soaps produced from Lamma Island as souvenirs. Thereafter, we went to board a ferry back to HK Island.
OH, did I miss something? The ferry ride back is FREE!!!
*Tip: Seafood restaurants on Lamma Island provide FREE ferry rides for all their customers*
When we reached back to HK, we spotted the HK umbrella protests in Central. Without second thoughts, I seized the opportunity to capture this historical moment. How fortunate!
Our next stop was THE PEAK. In order to reach the peak of The Peak (nice rhyme uh?), we had to take a tram up. However, the queue was SUPER LONG>>>>>>>>>> we waited like 1.5h? After a long wait, we finally boarded the tram, and the scene you see above was what we experienced; people pushing each other and rushing to the spots where the tram doors are. Tough ride right? (nice alliteration uh?)
*Tip: Purchase tickets from Klook to skip the queue*
PS: Klook did not sponsor my post, perhaps Klook can do so now? Haha
After alighting from the tram and taking some escalators to the lower section of The Peak, there is a MADAME TUSSAUD's gallery. We did not enter the gallery, but merely took a photo with Bruce Lee on display outside. Apparently, I am taller than him and his nose is itchy, eeeeeewwww~~~
We went further up to THE PEAK OBSERVATORY & I had to take this obligatory photo against the skyscraper buildings in the backdrop.
*Stomachs growling again*
We headed for dinner at MAK'S NOODLES - I had Soup Wanton Noodles - My comment is that the noodles had a defined texture which lets you feel the strands tingling over your tongue, but taste wise, it is average.
As the weather was cold, the hot soup did warm our bodies. However, the warmth was short-lived as the tram queue downwards was SUPERRRRR long and we had to queue in cold and strong winds. The Peak marks the end of Day 3, a fulfilling one indeed.
A Different Way to travel Hong Kong
This may not be your usual HK journey
Our legs were sore from all the walking yesterday, but that did not stop us from waking up early. Why? Because we have a Macau day trip today! At 8.00am, we went for dim sum breakfast at a restaurant near Causeway Bay, which is on the way to Sheung Wan where we can take the ferry from HK to Macau.
Brekkie @ LIAN XIANG LOU
Me & Mao, what's with that mouth (o.0)
Traditional HK setup and compulsory table-sharing
From left: Chee Cheong Fun (tasty!), Fluffy Sponge Cake (nasty!)
From left: Pig Skin & Innards (nasty!), Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice (tasty!)
Comments: This restaurant has many elderly local patrons, grumpy service staff, and speaking Cantonese is a must to order from them. Food is decent, and the reason to come here is to experience true local no-frills dim sum in a setting unlike the usual popular joints publicized by many.
After breakfast, we walked back to Causeway Bay MTR, and took train to Sheung Wan MTR, where the ferry terminal bound from HK to Macau is located. We boarded the ferry from HK at 10.45am and reached Macau an hour later.
Ferry ticketing counter at Sheung Wan. Head to tour agency shops nearby for cheaper tickets!
Ferry service staff assigns you to random seats at the boarding area by sticking the seat no. on your ticket stub
Macau Ferry Terminal
Tip: From Macau Ferry Terminal building, head to the bus waiting areas across the road for FREE shuttle service to the main Macau districts where the casinos, shopping and food areas are! Many casino hotels provide this service (even to non-guests), so do not be shy to ask them where the bus is taking you to before boarding.
Passed by the 233m tall Macau Tower
Galaxy Macau - Lobby Area
Outside Galaxy Casino
Apparently lady luck was not with us in the casino. Hence, we went to the next stop: OLD TAIPA VILLAGE. To reach there, you can either walk (20mins) or ride a cab (5mins) from Galaxy Hotel or Venetian Hotel. Both of us walked and reached Old Taipa Village at 1.30pm. This is D place to relish all the famous Macau street food - Crab congee, Pork burger, Macau egg tarts, Sawdust pudding.
Trademark street with shophouses facing opp each other
Savoury Crab Congee infused with egg @ SENG CHEONG (tasty!)
Too many Sotong Balls ordered, greedy Mao!
MUST BUY - Almond Cookies
Portuguese inspired architecture in the vicinity
Macau was under Portuguese colonisation in her earlier days, and you will see that reflected in the building and street architecture.After roaming for 1.5hrs, we boarded a taxi from Taipa (New Territories) to main Macau Island. 15 min later, we arrived at the next destination: St Paul Ruins & Senado Square!
St Paul Ruins - Ever packed with tourists
Tai Lei Lai - Famous Pork Chop Bun
Crispy buns, juicy pork (tasty!)
Guess what the queue is about?
Macau's signature Kalei Yudan (Curry fish eggs). There are other variants to choose from too, and I will recommend asking for the cheese-filled one. Imagine hot cheese BURSTING in your mouth as you bite into it, SHIOK! (tasty!)
Eating against mosaic-pattern walls
After finishing our street food, we strolled around the streets to buy souvenirs and snacks which were widely available in the area. There is this bakery chain called KOI KEI BAKERY - many outlets around, but yes, it is still a good buy - do buy. Not before long, night began to fall and we headed to admire the lights at Senado Square.
Senado Square - Best viewed at night - You can see the fountain changing colours!
We went on to try our luck at Wynn Casino. Surprisingly, we won enough to cover our ferry ticket costs, YAY free ride! With heavy stomachs and happy hearts, we took the night ferry back to HK.
A Different Way to travel Hong Kong
