Hong Kong 'Ho Ho Sek'

Date of Visit: 12-15 July 2014

A very belated post, but I thought I should still share the goodies we had the privilege of trying when we went to Hong Kong over this summer.

Day One

Woke up bright and early to take our 9.30am flight to HK!!!  Was so excited and still packing away the night before so I slept really late, but that didn't stop me from waking up early.  This post comes really late but I hope the photos and rusty recollections will still do the trip justice!

I will miss trying to scramble away from the HK water dripping from goodness-knows-where and just feeling absolutely pleased that I was in foodie heaven.  From the cheap to the expensive, everything was simply sublime and every meal had me beaming with happiness even if it was something as simple as scrambled eggs or wanton mee.  Needless to say, the cheap prices made it easy on the wallet and was a great bonus.

Lan Fong Yuen

From the exterior this place looked like just a snacks cart, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a lot bigger and there was actually an actual shop behind that seemed like this cosy yet dingy place haha.  Was packed with locals and the low ceiling made the experience even more authentic since the place felt a lot more packed because of that.  

We shared a table with a HK couple and they were pretty amused by how lost we were as we tried to figure out what to order..  In the end when our food came around the same time we realised we ordered the same items!  Score!  Super shiok maggi with chicken chop, very authentic pantyhose milk tea that was not too sweet and my favourite french toast :)  

Would definitely make it a point to recommend this place to others or make a trip back there myself!  Pity I didn't take photos of the food though, was too paiseh (embarrassed) to in the cramped space and we were just too hungry to wait so the photo opp had to pass hahaha.  True foodies for sure.

Typical market on the slopes.  Was fascinated with the variety of goods they sold and it reminded me of those days when I would go to the wet market with my mummy or helper.

Tried to find our way to the Peak Tram and got lost HAHA.  Well at least we can say we went all the way up the Mid-Levels Pedestrian Walkway and went to see a friend's place?  Most epic trek ever, because we basically walked one whole round from one train station to another, but in the most roundabout fashion possible.  Still find it super amusing that we even walked along narrow slopy paths, ended up beside some longkang (drain) and smelled dog pee.  It also started to drizzle -_-  And the best part was when we reached the building we saw that the queue was up to the 2 hours' wait sign and decided no way were we going to queue so long in that heat after that arduous journey.  Then we proceeded to walk to the nearby MTR station to go back to the hotel (that was when we realised the shorter way to reach).  Just one of the silly things we ended up doing haha!

Had dinner at Joy Hing near our hotel because we. were. so. tired.  They ran out of their signature roast duck so we had to settle for the char siew rice boooo.  The boyfriend was so pleased and declared he would be back for it again during this trip haha.

IFC Mall

Went around exploring in the mall and took a quick look at the supermarket which was super atas (high-class) and had a good collection of baking items.  I declared that if he ever works in HK and I went along, I would have no problem becoming a baking goddess.

Found a spot to chill at on the rooftop.  Will never get sick of nightscape skyline shots :)  There's something about them that makes you feel connected to the city.  Like you're looking into their past and future at the same time.  How far they've come, what their foundations were built on and what helped them get to where they are today, and how far more they can go.

Day Two

Woke up early and made our way to the... (behold...)

Australian Dairy Company!!  

Again, we were seated with a local couple who was also amused by our lost expressions.  I was probably looking shocked at how rushed the staff was and how stressful it was to place my order (and yes, the menu was in 繁体字 fan ti zi once again lol).  In the end we asked them for a little help and they explained that the 套餐 (set menu) was quite value for money.  Got to try the milky custard-like dessert which is unlike anything I've had before in Singapore restaurants and it was actually really nice, just that I was more in the mood for the scrambled eggs that day haha.  By the way, have I mentioned that the scrambled eggs here is AMAZING??  Best version of it I've ever had in my life.  As you can see from the photo, I couldn't wait to snip a bite off my toast and eggs before taking a photo and thus the unglam photo of a semi-eaten toast.  Sorry toast :p

Since Jenny Bakery (Sheung Wan outlet) was nearby we decided to make our way there 15 mins early to queue for the highly recommended biscuits!  To our amazement the queue was already quite long :o  It started to rain halfway through our queueing and thank goodness the lady behind us offered me her umbrella, so kind of her :)  Was quite amazed with how systematic they were and the number of rules they had like not giving certain coins, only buying a certain number of boxes per person, etc.  Loved the almond crisps, they were simply divine and so addictive!!

Tip: Buy more of the smaller containers even if they're slightly less value-for-money (because it takes a while to finish a big one and affects the moisture in the biscuits if kept for too long after opening).

Returned to protests on the flyover right outside our hotel.  It was quite a sight to behold, and I realised protests are actually pretty fun to watch.  We rested, changed out to nicer clothes then headed to...

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L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (3 Michelin-starred restaurant)

I can't believe they have their own lift and I love how exclusive and posh the whole place felt, not to mention the super dramatic colour scheme.  It felt like we were stepping into some private elusive club.

Open-concept kitchen that added to the fanfare and excitement!  I always love it when I can look into the kitchen and see the effort (or lack thereof, if they make it look really simple) that goes into all their artistic and pretty dishes.

BREADDD.  I always need my dose of (preferably warm) bread for these kind of meals.  It's practically one course for me haha.  And the boy knows that all too well hehe.  Ate way too much from this basket of bread.

Menu which was simple enough (save for the very long descriptions of the dishes)

Amuse Bouche

Starter (his)

Lightly seared mackerel on potato and herb salad with mustard dressing

I liked this!  The potato slices went surprisingly well with the fish and mustard sauce.

Starter (hers)

French yellow bean mimosa salad with smoked duck breast, Paris mushroom and foie gras roll

Light and pretty, I like how the foie gras was in tubes of thin slices.  It had different textures as well that went together nicely.  It made for a refreshing starter, unlike the foie gras starters that come in a thick piece and ooze fats.

Main (his)

Roast of the day (chicken) served with crushed 'violon' zucchini and fresh herbs

Main (hers)

Pan-seared beef tenderloin with artichokes salad and spicy jus

I simply loved this main.  I like how they sliced the beef so thinly and just seared it for about 20 seconds in the open kitchen before me.  The seasoning was spot on and very appetising.  Hardly came across artichokes that I liked but the artichokes here were sliced thinly enough to not distract too much from the main ingredient.  Craving this right now as I relive the memory to type this post haha.

The Legendary Mashed Potato - half part butter, half part potato

Eating this was a revelation.  Never loved potatoes with butter that much in my life before and I gladly finished every last bit of it without an ounce of guilt.

Dessert (his)

Smooth mango mousse, lemongrass coulis and mango sorbet

Totally desecrated before I could take a picture of it because the boy couldn't wait.  I remember this being quite a hearty end to the meal.  Always love fruity desserts as this sweet note lingers after the meal and it's very comforting.

Dessert (hers)

Refreshing lychee mousse and sorbet with rose flavoured cream cheese and raspberry sauce

Looks so plain and like nothing noteworthy but I remember enjoying this a lot and wanting more, probably because it was my favourite fruit flavour - lychee!  Also thought it might be too sweet because of the white chocolate but it was just nice when it all came together :)  More please!

Petit fours

Macarons, golden chocolate balls, raspberry jelly and madeleines

Lovely lovely petit fours that were not the typical chocolates and had plenty of variety!  

And that marks the end of my second 3-star experience.  So blessed to have had this amazing meal.  Definitely made the HK trip level up in my foodie books.

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Returned to the hotel to change into comfy clothes then rushed back out to meet a friend I made in university and her boyfriend, E.

We went around Wan Chai, Hysan Place and Times Square Mall for shopping, where the malls all seemed so new and large!  Felt so awkward letting them bring us around to shop and couldn't really shop with ease since I knew they were waiting for us, but they were great hosts :)

Yet another protest, and I have no idea what it was for haha.  We proceeded for...

Ichiran Ramen

E was saying it was surprisingly empty even though we went only slightly before dinnertime, which explains why we could take this photo like we owned the place :)

Really simple and basic but so satisfying.  I think it's the broth and the chili sauce recipe that makes the big difference.  It's really satisfying, and I can imagine having this in winter and being very pleased.

Went back to the hotel to rest then had an impromptu dinner at Wing Wah Noodle Shop that my boyfriend's buddy brought him to the previous time he visited because Joy Hing was closed.  Awesome decision because I loved their dumplings - the fillings were so generous with the ingredients!  Not cheap though but well worth the money.  Definitely want to go back the next time I'm in the city.  It was a humble meal so no photos once more.

Day Three

Kam Wah Bakery

We dragged ourselves out of bed for breakfast here because who could say no to those massive Bolo You Baos with their crusty crackly tops??  The other dishes and drinks were really decent as well.  Love how their teas are the perfect mix of sweet and milky such that the tea flavour is still the most outstanding.

Amazing power breakfast for the day ahead, whoop!!

My weakness - French toast.  Amaaaazing and I want to go back for this right now.  Just look at that perfect golden brown colour and the glistening mixture of butter and honey... o_o

Went exploring around the vicinity then finally went to try...

Tim Ho Wan (1 Michelin-starred dim sum)

Lor Mai Kai

3 Treasures Chee Cheong Fun

Siew Mai

Char Siew Bolo Bao & Osmanthus and Wolfberry Jelly

The siew mai, char siew bolo bao and osmanthus jelly were my favourites.  The siew mai was so fresh and they each had one big prawn inside.  It was my first time trying their famous char siew bolo bao and I'm now a fan!  The osmanthus jelly was packed with flavour yet really light and smooth – a refreshing end to the meal.

Tai Hing Roasted Meats

Did plenty of shopping at Langham Place Mall then made our way to this chain restaurant (is it just me or do the shop names all sound about the same) which we almost missed had we not asked the security guard because Google maps guided us to the wrong side of the building tsk :(  Aimed to finish in time for the lazer show at the harbour and couldn't make it in the end but it's okay!  Still enjoyed the meal thoroughly and appreciated the super shiok (satisfying/refreshing) iced lemon tea to end off our eventful day :D  Tea in Hong Kong just seems a lot more intense and genuine.

Soy Chicken and Char Siew Rice (hers)

Siew Yoke and Duck Rice (his)

Free veggie makes me a happy girl!  Don't know how they can make such a plain dish so tasty with just a drizzle of oyster sauce but yummmm I loved this too.

After dinner we went to Argyle Centre for me to do some bargain shopping!  I learnt that day that I cannot bargain for nuts ._.

Day Four

On the last day we woke up early to head down to Tai Cheong Bakery for the awesome egg tarts!  Their chicken pie was good too.  I really love their egg tarts and wish I took photos of it.

Did our city check-in then made our way to IFC Mall where I got my beloved Pierre Hermé macarons!!  Got one of the mystery flavours (extreme left) that I had to guess then check on their website for the actual flavours.  I thought it was raspberry and sesame and really liked it but it turned out to be liquorice o_o  These were such works of art and made me happy as I slowly savoured them over the next few days.

Took the Airport Express then decided on having Popeyes for lunch before the flight.  We are clearly fried chicken lovers because we enthusiastically finished up every bit of our meal haha.

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So that marks the end of our HK trip, and I'm so glad we managed to squeeze in so many activities into 3 full days!  After recalling everything we did, I'm just fascinated that we did all that despite the lack of sleep from watching football and shows on my laptop at night and the not-so-ideal weather.  The hotel was also a really good deal for the location and comfort, do check out The Fleming if you would like to make a trip to Hong Kong.  It was a trip that my heart (and stomach) will not forget.