Day 21 – Friday Dec 27, 2013 – Hong Kong

We flew out of vietnam at 6:00am, which meant we had to be at the airport around 4:00am. I was tired but super excited to see Hong Kong. I grew up with a lot of Hong Kong influences; food, movies and TVB series so I was looking forward to experiencing it all.

After we landed, the first thing was to get a SIM card for my phone. Super easy, I just went to the 7/11 for a $10 prepaid card that covers calls and 1.5GB of data. We took the bus to our apartment and then checked in. Boy was it tiny! The bedroom literally has space for a double bed and a narrow walkway to the door. Apparently, a place like that would cost $800,000usd to buy!

Our first stop was to get lunch at a famous wonton place called Mak’s Noodles. It was a tiny bowl for about $4. It was good but not amazing (I’ve had better in Vancouver and Markham). I got to catch up with my university friend, Jessica who lives in Hong Kong. In our tiny booth that barely fits four people, the restaurant server asked us to move over so two other diners could share the table. That’s Hong Kong for you. Next, we walked to pick up Hong Kong Milk Tea from the place that invented it, Lan Fong Yuen. It was SO smooth, creamy and rich with black tea flavour. Yes, it was the best milk tea I have ever had.

We wandered over to Tai Cheong Bakery after to pick up their famous egg tarts. It was a very tasty tart even though I’m not a fan of egg tarts. The tart wasn’t flakey though it was more like a cookie.

I said my Good byes to Jessica and my family headed to the Victoria Peak tram. The tram was a fun experience as the incline is very slanted.

The view at the top was spectacular but I only wish there had been less smog for a clearer view of the distance. Very impressive and I can see why the peak is one of the top tourist attractions. We took the bus down which also gave us a different perspective of the peak!

Next was the ferry ride to Tsim Tsui —to watched the sunset and eat dinner. TST area was very lively and filled with malls.

Dinner was at Din Tai Fung, famous for their xiao long bao (soup dumplings). Although delicious… I felt like they were similar to the Din Tai Fung in Markham. What really impressed me was their fried rice. It looked plain but it was very flavorful in a light way. It’s hard to describe but the texture of the rice was perfect and held the egg flavour really well.

We walk through the malls and I also got to sample Macarons from Laurdee. I’ve heard they make the best since they invented it. The verdict? Very good but I still like Point G from Montreal more.

To finish the night, we had dessert at Hui Lau Shan, a staple in HK for mango desserts. It was disappointing! Not sure if it was this particular location but the mango flavour was acidic and bland.

We took the ferry back to our apartment and ended the night with the beautiful Hong Kong skyline.

Day 22 – Saturday Dec 28, 2013 – Hong Kong

We started our day with breakfast at Sang Kee Congee. The congee was good but nothing to rave about… Except it was possibly the hottest congee I’ve ever enjoyed.

Our plan for the day was to visit the Ngong Ping village and the famous Big Buddha on top of a mountain. To get there, we took the crystal cabin cable car which had a glass floor. The view was spectacular and it was crazy to see some of the hiking trails.

We arrived at the little shopping village with fun photo opportunities and cute decorations.

We had a delicious vegetarian lunch in the temple before climbing the steps up to the Buddha.

The temple grounds were filled with worshippers and tourists. Climbing up to the buddha was an easy feat. Nothing much at the top except for the view.

We left the area and headed to Ladies Market and Temple Street to see the night life. When we stepped out of the subway, we were all in sheer “awe”. The bright lights and crowds were overwhelming… Like seeing Times Square for the first time. I saw a Bee Cheng Hiang that was highly recommended for meat jerky… Naturally I had to try it. It was smoky and sweet… likely the best jerky I’ve had. We walked through Ladies Market and it was filled with mostly touristy things. Nothing to really buy.

After ladies market, on our way to Temple Street, we stopped at Yee Shun Dairy Company to have milk pudding. Holy crap! The original milk pudding was creamy, light and smooth. It was unlike anything I’ve ever had and it was the most memorable thing I ate on this trip.

We made it to Temple Street only to find there weren’t many street food vendors. Disappointed,  we headed back to have dinner at a BBQ restaurant we passed earlier. It wasn’t that good…

The rest of our group was exhausted including my dad. I was a little tired but determined to see more of Temple Street and find street food snacks. We parted ways and my mom, auntie and I continued the night. Didn’t find any street food vendors! Oh well, we headed back for some well deserved rest.

Day 23 – Sunday Dec 29, 2013 – Hong Kong

No Hong Kong trip is complete without dim sum! I picked Tim Ho Wan dim sum specialists, the world’s cheapest Michelin star Restaurant. We got there as they opened but we were not early enough to be first seated. However, we only waited about 30 mins. People were flooding in and the wait quickly grew to 1-2 hours! Tasting their warm freshly baked BBQ pork bun was worth the wait. It was melt in the mouth goodness. The pastry was soft and buttery while the BBQ meat inside was warm, chewy and sweet. The chicken and glutinous rice was also my favorite. It was stuffed with actually chunks of chicken… Not the grounded chicken piece you’d usually expect. For my sweet tooth, the sponge cake also was very comforting… soft, warm with a hint of cinnamon.

As suggested by Jessica, we went to Fa Yuen Street (Sneakers Street) for more shopping. The stores were fashionable and affordable but you couldn’t try anything on. There were some great deals to be found  here. I picked up two wool sweaters for $14! I barely finished shopping but it was time to meet up with everyone else (who weren’t big shoppers)

Even though I was stuffed from dim sum, I rushed over to Kam Wah bakery to try their famed pineapple bun and milk tea. The bun pineapple bun was crumby on the top and soft in the middle. The middle was filled with a layer of buttery custard. It was pure comfort food. It’s tied with another epic pineapple bun I had in Vancouver. The milk tea was great but no Lan Fong Yuen milk tea.

We left Fa Yuen Street and I vowed to come back during this trip because I wanted to shop more… I didn’t even reach a half way point! Instead, we headed to Avenue of the Stars after to see the skyline during the day. My dad also wanted a photo with the Bruce Lee statue. It was a beautiful day to walk by the sea.

I wanted to take the ding ding streetcars to Causeway Bay but it was hard to do with our large group. Each car was filled with people and I forgot to bring a map. It was a mess and we lost some people but we all made it in the end.

Causeway Bay was a shopping mecca! So many malls and shops… It was insane. I went into Uniqlo only to find myself leaving because of the crowds. It was like Boxing Day… maybe worst. I did manage to buy some accessories at Alands, a Korean “Urban Outfitters” store upstairs. One thing about Hong Kong malls, there aren’t many benches for people to sit while waiting… My parents had stand while I looked around. We were tired so we took a break at… Yun Shun Dairy Company. It was too good not to have it a second time. I had the chocolate milk pudding and tried the coffee flavour pudding. Both great but the original is still the winner. We walked around a little more and ended up in a Laforet, multi-level Chinese mall. It was was like pacific mall except more narrow, small and expensive.

Dinner time! We went to Sportful Garden. A good cantonese cuisinemeal but small portions with a high price. Before calling it a night, we stopped at Ladies Market and Mongkok for some shopping.

Day 24 – Monday Dec 30, 2013 – Hong Kong

My parents’ friends left back to US, so it was just me and my parents. We started our morning at Wap Hing, a “Chaa Ching Tang” —a classic HK style diner. The pork chop on instant ramen was delicious. Possibly one of the best pork chops I’ve had and definitely the best upgraded instant ramen.

We went to Ocean Park, a famous HK amusement park and spent the day looking at animals. The park is laid out so that you have to take a cable car across the two areas. This cable car ride was gorgeous —the sea, mountains and beaches. It was my favorite cable car ride of the trip.

There was enough to see for us to spend a whole day here even without going on the rides. The panda exhibit was my favourite because I’ve never seen them before.

We left the park around 7:00pm and went to get dinner at Yat Lok, a famous place for roasted goose… Sadly, they sold out! So we ended up at another Hong Kong staple, Tsui Wah. We enjoyed their fried noodle dishes but it was their milk tea that really aroused my tastebuds. It was very creamy and smooth —definitely memorable and almost as good at Lan Fong Yuen.

Day 25 – Tuesday Dec 31, 2013 – Hong Kong

Our last day in Hong Kong with a evening flight. We did the convenient city check in and drop our luggage off at Hong Kong station. The airlines basically take your luggage 24 hours before you need to fly.

We ate at Australia Dairy Company  for breakfast. There was a long line but we only waited 5 mins. The greeter man was rude but amusing because it felt really authentic to Hong Kong. He was quite the character —yelled at everyone to move over and line up near the wall. I felt like I was in HK movie. The food was solid but not that unique. I had the egg and corned beef sandwich.  It was damn good sandwich. I would be back for that. On the other hand, their egg pudding was not as good as Yun Shun Dairy Company.

After breakfast, we went to the Chi Lin Temple and Nian Lian Gardens. They were a calming oasis from the hustle of Hong Kong.

Across the street was the Hollywood Mall —much less busy than the others and I got to visit a Uniqlo. I said I would be back and I was… back to Fa Yuen street for more shopping. I shopped until all my cash was gone and managed some great deals. As we were leaving, I spotted this tasty looking pancake. It look liked something I ate and reminisce about in Korea… this soft redbean pancake. Not the flakey kind but gooey with a crispy skin. I had to try it! AND OMG… it was SO good and satisfying. It was like finding a long lost lover. It was not 100% the same because it didn’t have a cinnamon taste to it. Yes I remember what it still tastes like because I’ve been dreaming of eating that pancake since. I’ve looked everywhere in Canada for it but could only find a flaky type. I couldn’t find a recipe because I had no idea what it was called. I asked my korean friend what it was… but she said it’s not traditional korean snack! I gave up but NOW I KNOW it has chinese origins. And it has now lead me to a recipe with glutinous rice flour. I am going to try to make it.

We had lunch at Tsui Wah again and this time I had condensed milk on butter bread and sesame paste on bread. It was great!

We headed to the airport and was on our way home. We had a 7 hour stopover in Vancouver. So, I showed my parents a glimpse of the city and had a sushi dinner.

We landed in Toronto on Jan 1, 2014 at 6:00am. The trip was over but I saw and experienced so much. Vietnam was a huge but exciting culture shock and Hong Kong was nostalgic like being in those movies and series I grew up with. I’m sure I will be back…