Hong Kong (香港) - Dim Sum (点心) Breakfast and Roasted Goose (烧鹅) Lunch

*I know that I had procrastinated too much and this Hong Kong - Macau trip posts has been dragging for so long. I'm trying to finish it up hopefully before I'm heading to Singapore.* 

You might have noticed (or might not) that I didn't really write anything about the foods that we had when we were at Hong Kong. Well, mostly because we usually had our lunches and dinners at cha cang teng (茶餐厅) - our version of kopitiam - ordering nothing truly extraordinary. Well, one thing to say about their cha cang teng is that it is air-conditioned. Something unique about it, no doubt.

Anyhow, for the last day of our stays in Hong Kong, we thought of going for a dim sum (点心) breakfast. Actually, it was already part of the plan before we even here at Hong Kong but due to the fact that we had no idea which restaurants to go to, we ended up delaying it till the last day. And the last day itself, we just went to the one nearest to our hostel.

Choi Fook Restaurant (彩福酒家) the name of the restaurant. Not the traditional dim sum parlour we expected but it still have the quintessential Hong Kong feel. Like the locals, we waited for our numbers to come and when that's arrived, we had a blast with eating all we can eat. Here's some of what we had ordered. Not too expensive, at least that's what I had remembered.

Hong Kong chee cheung fun

Green bean paste bun (if I remembered correctly)

Xiao Long Pao

Char Siew Pao

Some kind of mango custard (if I'm right)

Some lotus leaf-wrapped rice, I think

This is how it looked like when unwrapped

Steamed pork ribs

Siew Mai

This is what happened when I don't blog about it soon. I tend to forget some of it. But one thing for sure. I remembered liking xiao long pao very much. There's a way of eating xiao long pao. You have to bite a bit of the skin to make a hole so that the juice inside it will flow into your spoon. You have to savour the juice first before devouring the xiao long pao.

On the same day itself, we had something very Hong Kong for lunch. It was the roasted goose (烧鹅), a famous cuisine in Hong Kong. It's as famous as roasted pigeon (烤乳鸽), another delicacy of Hong Kong. We cannot possibly had both, therefore, we just chose one and roasted goose it was. We went to the Gold Fish Street (金鱼街) where there's reputably a very good restaurant for the cuisine. Well, for the uninitiated, this particular street is a haven for the pet lovers for you can practically find all types of pets there. While gold fish are the main attractions, there are still other animals for you to absorb their cuteness.

When you see a lot of gold fish, you are at the right place

But back to the food. We went to Chan Kee Restaurant (陳记) which was quite famous for this cuisine, apparently. It was delicious to say the least but I'm no judge when it comes to food. Basically, anything edible and taste nice, I'm fine with it. Now you know the reason why there's lack of food here. Anyway, here's the dishes we ordered.

Look for the goose when you want to eat roasted goose

Sweet and sour pork (so inviting)

Hong Kong kai lan (very simple little dish)

Roasted pork and roasted goose thigh (succulent to the max)

When we had filled our stomachs well, it was time for us to bid farewell to this beautiful paradise island and continued with our exploration in Macau.

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Hong Kong (香港) - Lan Kwai Fong (蘭桂坊)

Hard Rock Cafe in Hong Kong

To those who grew up with a large dose of TVB series for dinners, then the name Lan Kwai Fong (蘭桂坊) is no stranger to them. It is the epicenter of all things grown ups, where the guys would be drinking their beers while whistling at women and the women would be dressed up to the nines, appearing to be amused by the 'harassment' but secretly flattered by it. It is a stretch of street where the numbers of foreigners ruled out the citizens of Hong Kong. It is the place where the street flourished when darkness reign. Being in Hong Kong, it is a crime if you never step your feet in this famous part of the island even if you do not drink (I do, but did not at that night though).

The place where we started our journeys to Lan Kwai Fong

Therefore, after our dinners at Time Square - yea, apparently Time Square is a must in every major cities - and another quick round of shopping, we took the MTR from Central to Causeway Bay. Lan Kwai Fong is located somewhere near the Causeway Bay MTR station. Even if you do not know how to get there yourself, you do not have to worry for all you have to do is just to be at that station and you will see the signs. Besides the direction signs that will lead you there, you can also just follow the flow of people. There will be a lot of people all glamed up for a night out at Lan Kwai Fong. You will eventually reach the landmark place without breaking any sweats.

The famous sign

But, seriously, Lan Kwai Fong is definitely the place for you to go to if you fancy a night of drinking with your buddies or want to have a wild night out. You can see everyone was either holding a glass of beer, with their red, drunken faces all smiley, or their hands holding a cigarette, blowing smokes. They were clearly having a good time, blowing off steams with their buddies and beautiful companions. It was definitely a cool scene to look at, even though I do not smoke.

Some of the regular scenes of the street

Neon lights were everywhere and loud music emitting from every single bar and pub. Even though it was raining, while not torrentially but still rather strong, people were clearly not bothered by it. They were on to having a good time, be it rain or shine. However, unless you want to join them, there is basically nothing for you to do there. Lan Kwai Fong is not the place for you to admire the scene but rather demand you to blend in and be absorbed into the atmosphere. As we were not keen of drinking ourselves, after about 30 minutes, we just headed back and called it a night.

It was still early when we left, hence less of a crowd

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Hong Kong (香港) - After Buddha, It's Shopping Time

When we reached the top of the stairs, we did not run out of breath (we're healthy bunch of people!) and our eyes were treated with glorious beauties on pictures will do them justice. So, here are the photos!

Real up close with Buddha

Look at the people climbing up!

Statues of deities surrounding Buddha

Mountains and clouds dominating in every shots!

When dark clouds started appearing again, we decided to go...

Hong Kong (香港) - Up Close With Buddha

Hong Kong, in my opinion, is blessed with many beauties. For those who loved the urban lifestyles, you can find skyscrapers gracing the small islands, each as distinct and different from the rest that you can use it as landmarks. For the history buffs, all you have to do is just to dig deep the cityscape facade and you surely be able to find a rich heritage island. You can even get close to nature with the many natural trails for you to choose from. It is like an all-in-one country. With Hong Kong, you can do anything you want.

Where we embarked our journey...

It was the third day of our visit to the city and after the 'celebrities-filled' first day and adrenaline-pumped second day, we opted for a quieter and a more relaxing third day. We decided to get up close with the Big Buddha, located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island. It is quite far from where we stayed that even if we took the MTR to the Ngong Ping station, it still take almost 30 minutes to reach. But it all worth it, I tell you.

The last stop before taking the cable car

The sky was in a darkish colour which is never a good sign in Hong Kong. It was supposed to be summer yet rain and dark clouds presided throughout our trips. When we went to purchase the tickets for the crystal cable car ride up to the mountain, we were informed that it was raining heavily up there. But, rain or shine, we were all determined to have a bonding moment with Buddha.

Look at the queue!

Ticket for my ride to Buddha

The ride up itself was something to be treasured for we get to have a 360 degree view of the city and its naturalistic surroundings. I think my words do not do any justice to how pretty it is so I just let the pictures do the talking.

There may be raindrops...

...but I'll find a way to capture the beauties of the island

When the mist began to conquer the sky