Group dining in - HK

Chinese cuisine is designed for communal sharing and is excellent for group dining. By group dining, I mean parties of 3 and above. Most Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong have standard table settings for 6 adults per table comfortably and usually will be able to dig up bigger tables if your party is more than 6. 

Dim Sum is an excellent breakfast/brunch/lunch option for group dining in Hong Kong

Places to go include:

- Lei Garden, Time Square, Causeway Bay

- Yung Kee, 32-40 Wellington Street, Central

- Lin Heung, 160-164 Wellington Street, Central

- Maxim City Hall, City Hall Low Block, Central 

- Island Tang, the Galleria, Central*

- Jasmine Place, Jardine House, Central

-Chiuchow Garden Restaurant, Jardine House, Central

If you're thinking of having dim sum on a Friday/Sat/Sunday/public holiday in HK, get there early. As early as you can, after they open for business. 

Island Tang, Central

Mini cut glass 'brandy decanters' for sauces 

appetizer of soy (firm tofu) and lard in a mildy spicy sauce

The restaurants in Central typically sees a business crow for lunch and it is usually difficult to get a table during peak lunch time without reservations. 

* For small groups (4-6 adults), the atmosphere at Island Tang is excellent. Affiliated to the Shanghai Tang clothing line, Island Tang serves high quality predominantly Cantonese food. On my trip there, our party of 4 ordered a wagyu beef puff that had no roots in Cantonese cuisine. It was wagyu beef (Japanese) encased in a puff pastry envelope (French). Cantonese dim sum like har kow (steamed prawn dumplings) and chong fan (long rice noodle rolls) are also on the menu.

Island Tang itself exudes British colonial roots, similar to the vibe given by Long Bar in Singapore. Comfy leather gentlemen club chairs, overhead fans silently whirring (accompanied by air-conditioners tucked away) and mini heavy glass 'brandy decanters' holding sauces are a blogger's dream. Do note to make reservations if you want a table at lunch time, I believe they don't hold any tables for walk-ins.

Dinner

All the restaurants stated above are excellent choices for dinner as well. I would add 2 more places for group dining for dinner 

- Under Bridge Spicy Crab, Shop 6-9, G/F 405-419 Lockhart Road, Wanchai

There is a row of seafood restaurants at the above address which serve the famous typhoon crab dish of Hong Kong. I would also recommend ordering the 'alien' prawn dish, you can find the fresh 'alien' prawns swimming in tanks near the entrance of the restaurants (can't remember the exact Cantonese/Mandarin term for them). 

- Amaroni's Little Italy, Hysen Place, Causeway Bay

This Italian restaurant serves big portions for serving and it is recommended you check with the servers before ordering a pasta/pizza for every adult there as you would normally do in Italian restaurants. I've ordered one meatball pasta and one salad to share between 2 adults and 1 toddler and we couldn't finish the food! 

Dining solo in - Hong Kong

Dining solo in any country or city poses a set of problems. The lack of variety that you can order when dining alone (as opposed to ordering a variety where there are two or four stomaches present) is, by far, the most important. 

In Hong Kong, this issue is somewhat mitigated by the presence of restaurants and dining places that cater to the "order food, eat food and get out" crowd. They range from noodle/congeee shops to Japanese sushi bars, where one is seldom expected to linger after finishing your meal. In fact, some of these dining places pack tables so tightly (space is at a premium in most of HK) that you might feel your fellow diners' elbow touch yours.

There are of course places that cater to those who want to finish their after meal coffee leisurely. But this post is not about those.

First up - Noodle/Congee shops

1) Law Fu Kee Noodle Shop (2 branches)

Locations: 144 Queen St and 140 Des Voeux Road

Menu in traditional Chinese at Law Fu Kee

Making wontons by hand

Sui kow (water dumplings) in soup

Sliced fish and pig's liver congee

I couldn't finish both all the sui kows and the congee in one sitting when trying out Law Fu Kee by myself for the first time at their Sheung Wan location. When I went to the Central branch, I had a toddler in tow and 1 adult+1 child also couldn't finish the same order (1 order of sui kow+1 order of congee). 

2) Mak's Noodles

This noodle shop needs no recommendation. Possibly the most famous noodle shop in Hong Kong, it has been widely covered by blogs and media. 

Location: 77 Wellington Street, Central

Comparative size of wonton with a Singapore 50-cents coin

If you're going to Mak's Noodles for lunch/dinner, forget about ordering 1 bowl. You would need at least 2 or 3. Each order is small, probably half the size of other noodle stores. Each wonton is approximately the size of a Singapore 50-cents coin and there aren't many in each order. Mak's Noodles is best for an afternoon snack, if you've finished shopping at Central. On one occasion when I was there at 10.45 am, they refused to open for business even though I asked for takeaway (their official opening hours start from 11 am). Do not get there earlier than 11 am.  

3) Wing Wah Noodle Shop (not affiliated to the Wing Wah chain of bakeries)

Location: 89 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai

Known for bamboo pressed noodles

Knowing my love for noodles, Mr effort brought me to this place, so technically we were dining for two. But this noodle shop is also good for dining solo. I ordered their famous Ha Zi Lo Mien (literally translated to 'prawn roe dry noodle') to compare against Lau Sum Kee's (read on). The noodle came with a dollop of oyster sauce by the side which you're meant to mix in with the noodle. I insisted on eating the noodle without mixing the oyster sauce and found it too dry. The texture of the noodles had a tad less bite than Lau Sum Kee's (or as Chinese speakers in Asia call it, less 'Q').

The good thing is that this shop is air conditioned and offers a menu in English if you don't read traditional Chinese. 

4) Lau Sum Kee Noodle Ka

Location: 82 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

Known for bamboo pressed noodles

I went to this noodle shop with a toddler in tow, so technically not dining alone. By the way, don't expect high chairs in noodle shops. My toddler sat mostly on my lap or on the normal (meant for adults) stool while I had a hand behind her to ensure she didn't fall backwards. 

The ha zi lo mien here came with generous lashings of ha zi (prawn roe). I also ordered their wonton noodles which was bamboo pressed noodles in soup accompanied by wontons. I preferred Lau Sum Kee's version to Wing Wah's version but the long trek to Sham Shui Po is a deterrent. 

Ha zi lo mien

5) Ho Hung Kee Congee and Noodle Shop

Location: 2 Sharp Street East, Causeway Bay

This noodle shop is known for its beef rice noodle (or beef hor fun). Famous gourmet Chua Lan is quoted "Ho Hung Kee uses lard to cook its stir-fried beef rice noodle. That's why I appreciate it!" Although I'm not a fan of lard, I had to try this beef rice noodle which comes highly recommended by him. 

When I reached the shop, it was peak lunch hour and the queue in line for a seat was snaking out the door. I decided to buy a takeaway and eat in the comfort of my hotel room. The rice noodles did have the 'wok hei' (literally translated to 'wok fire', used to describe the slight smokiness and charring which comes with stir-frying at high temperatures) and the lard made the taste delicious. However, the beef was artificially tenderized and the taste of the beef was affected. The beef was very soft but at the cost of the taste. 

Second - non Chinese cuisine

6) Genki Sushi

Locations: Several branches islandwide, HK

Personally ate at the branch at Windsor House, Causeway Bay

Genki Sushi is your typical Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar counter suitable for solo diners. 

7) Nha Trang

Locations: Several in HK

Personally ate at the Wan Chai branch

Pho with beef slices 

Clockwise from top: Fried spring rolls, sugar cane prawns, dipping sauce and assorted raw greens 

I was recommended Nha Trang after lamenting the lack of good Vietnamese food in Singapore. This tip came from a Vietnamese (UK-based) gentleman who travelled to HK extensively, so I thought it had to rival the pho shops in Vietnam. Expectations were set very high and sadly, they fell a little short (I should have remembered that the recommender is no foodie!).

All the food above was meant for one person (me). I did manage to polish all of them off and waddled back to the hotel. The food itself was excellent and I have nothing to complain about.

8) Bread

Before donQ opened a branch in Takashimaya Singapore, I would buy baguettes from donQ Hong Kong and happily hand carry them back. I think more than a few stewardess' eyebrows were raised whenever they saw baguettes peeking out of my hand carry bags on flights from HK to Singapore.  

Look at the lovely bubbles of carbon dioxide in the baguettes (can't remember the French term for the bubbles in baguettes)

I no longer hand carry baguettes back from HK, but I do pop by the donQ store to pick up breads for a quick breakfast or just for snacking.

9) Tai Hing

Sadly I didn't manage to try a recommended iced milk tea in my last trip to HK. But I did manage to drink iced milk tea from Tai Hing and it was good. Tai Hing is known more for its roast meats (I didn't try the food) and I would recommend ordering iced milk tea if you need a drink to accompany your meal.

10) Dessert

Mango pomelo dessert is actually one of my favourite desserts. I didn't have much time or stomach for desserts on my last trip. But I managed to eat Xu Liu Shan at HK International Airport before checking in for my flight on my last trip. There are other more highly recommended dessert shops/chains, but for time and convenience, the airport branch is pretty good!   

H & M makeup

I came across H & M makeup when I was in the Central branch of H & M in Hong Kong.

I played with the Nudes Eyeshadow palette for a while (but forgot to take pictures of the swatches on my hand!) and the colour payoff seems good. The colours do look similar to MUA Makeup Academy's palette.

H & M cosmetics can be purchased at online here. 

Uniqlo in Hong Kong

Uniqlo opened its latest flagship store in Hong Kong on Fri 26 April, 10 am. Located at Lee Theatre Plaza, Causeway Bay (with one of its 2 entrances just diagonal from Time Square), this is peak Causeway Bay retail space. I was scheduled to fly from Hong Kong on Fri, but figured that I had some time in the morning and would be able to make a quick dash to the Uniqlo store. 

This HK flagship store has a UT store in store, Uniqlo's second UT store in store after its first in Japan. With its T shirt gallery, and the the latest collection on sale (Uniqlo UT Grand Prix 2013 Global T shirt competition), it was difficult to limit T shirt buying to a few. I ended up picking several for family and friends too. I managed to score a David Bowie T shirt from Uniqlo UT Grand Prix 2013 for myself!

UT store in store (Lee Theatre Plaza, HK)

Leggings

 T shirts galore near the entrance

I also bought a lot of children's clothes for DD and various family kiddies.

plumpynuts children's collection

Naturally, being the flagship store, I did expect Uniqlo Lee Theatre Plaza to get some collections ahead of everyone. But I did not expect so many collections to be ahead of Singapore and ahead of its other outlets in HK!

Collections available in Uniqlo flagship: 

- Lulu Guiness (supposed to be in Singapore in May, already available in other HK outlets)

- Karen Walker children's collection KW2 (supposed to be in Singapore in mid May, did not see in other HK outlets).

- Global T shirt competition (did not see in other HK outlets)

- plumpynuts children collection (no word on when it will come to Singapore) 

Nail polish shopping in Hong Kong

Keen to find certain nail polishes in Hong Kong, I contacted a HK beauty blogger, Jacq after reading her entries on nail polish and asked her for some contacts in HK. She was very kind and told me about 2 stores (and agreed for me to include them in my blog post). Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the 2 stores, so am unable to personally share more about them. However, I did come across 2 nails stores myself during my trip.

Cher2 is apparently a chain of nail stores (they have 4 outlets in various areas shopping areas and I went to the one near Central mtr station, opposite the big H & M store. It is what I call an “upstairs shop”. The branch I went to stocks OPI, China Glaze, Essie, Orly, Nubar, Jessica, Zoya, Seche Vita top coats, orange sticks, Cuccio gel polish (along with other brands of gel polishes which will need to be UV/LED cured),  UV lamps, etc. 

Storefront after you exit the lift

Interior of the store 

What I liked about this store is that they provide nail swatches that give you a idea of what the colour actually looks like. There are individual shades as well as combinations (e.g. they paint a base coat of shade X, add a glitter/etc coat of Y and paint a mattifying/effect top coat). Great for getting inspiration.  I saw China Glaze being sold for approximately HK$70 onwards (different collections are priced differently) and Nubar was sold for HK$80. 

Nail swatches for Nubar (2 different layers and a matt top coat)

I also came across Kiss nail store at Windsor House (store no 122, closest mtr: Causeway Bay). The store carries Deborah Lippmann, Butter London, Orly Gelfix, Colour Club and others that I can’t quite remember. The Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Set (Coat of Arms Gel Lab Base Coat and Shining Armour Gel Lab Top Coat) were selling for HKS$485 (vs USD$45 from Nordstorm USA).They also stock nail stickers by Kiss, nail wraps, files etc.

Deborah Lippmann also can be found in Joyce Beauty stores (but they had sold out of the Deborah Lipmann Gel Lab Set 1 month after its launch).

I ended up buying these nail stickers from Hong Kong.

Nail stores recommended by Jacq: 

1) Basement floor of K11 Mall (closest mtr: Tsim Sha Tsui)

2) 2nd floor of Chung King Express (closest mtr: Tsim Sha Tsui)

Disclaimer: I did not receive any payment or payment in kind for writing this blog post. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Shopping trend in Hong Kong - upstairs shops

Due to high rentals in Hong Kong, there have been more and more upstairs shops in recent years. These are stores in mostly nondescript commercial buildings and may not have a street level signboard. The upstairs shops may not be limited to retail and restaurants are common (this article features a selection of upstairs restaurants, bars and art galleries). 

they're not on strike, just holding advertising placards

The upstairs shops typically advertise by distributing flyers and people holding advertising placards in busy areas.

 Sample flyer with map of stores

Sample flyer with shop outlet address

I have found pretty good deals at some of these shops before but it is very often hit and miss. Not all stores sell genuine products, so you do have to know what to look out for. Some of them are actually very good copies (typically for bags etc). The beauty upstairs shops I've personally been to sells nail polishes, Hong Kong domestic brands and Korean skincare brands (not available outside Korea). 

These shops are usually at non-touristy buildings, so if you're interested in the brands after taking the flyers, it's best to ask the person distributing the flyer where exactly the location is. A Hong Kong acquaintance  I was speaking told me that some upstairs shops may only stay in a certain location/space for 6 months, so if you had fun shopping at any particular store, it's best to get their Facebook page or website so that you can be informed of any move. 

Due to the space contraints, the upstairs retail stores tend to be bare bones - think simply painted walls, movable shelves and display counters and a cash register. Some may only accept cash in Hong Kong dollar or their local bank network cards (EPS), so it's best to prepare Hong Kong dollars before shopping there.

I have more pictures and details of one such upstairs shop (Cher2) here.