- Been Away
- Hong Kong First Impressions
- 1st full day - we have no idea what time it is
- The Big Buddha - he's gorgeous
- Food! - dumplings
- More Food - more really fabulous dumplings
- Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao - it's a restaurant, so yes, more about food
- Coffee - technically a drink, but also includes cake!
- A night at the races - were we eat some great noodles and wonton soup
20 Feb 2011
Hong Kong - blog posts
I realise that I've been blogging loads about Hong Kong, so thought I'd gather together all the posts in one place.
A night at the races
It was on the "Blue Peter Special Assignment" show in the 1970s.
I remember distinctly seeing the image of Happy Valley Racecourse, lit up at night, sat in the middle of this densely populated city.
Ever since then, I've harboured a dream to go there.
On Wednesday night....WE WENT THERE!!!
The Racecourse was about 15 minutes walk from the hotel. We set off about 6:30 from there to make sure we would be there in time for the 1st race at 7:15.
After a bit of research, we had read that it was better to go into the public entrance rather than any of the other enclosures, and so this is what we did.
As you can see, the public enclosure was quite large.
We decided to try and work out how to place a bet. We went over to the little stand with the betting slips and initially we were helped by one of the many helpers there. The whole thing was very well organised!
So, having had our initial lesson on having a bet, we grabbed the betting slips, and then we sat down and got our 1st bet on...
We watched the 1st race (we lost!!) and then decided to get something to eat. I know, you're shocked that we're thinking about food, right?
The racecourse, as well as having a couple of western food outlets like McD's, also had some small tents set up in the middle of the enclosure which sold noodles and wontons.
We had 2 bowls of soup/noodles and wontons.
The price for these 2 bowls of wontons and noodles was under a fiver!!!
I was quite impressed at the prices of food and drink at the racecourse. I'd expected it to be a mega rip-off, but the public enclosure had several beer tents like the Carlsberg & San Miguel one you can see in the picture. I was surprised that the beer was very reasonable - £3.20 a pint!
So, we got our beers and then went to put our bets on for Race no 2...we watched it...we lost!
Then we began our little winning streak...
We won on Race 3...
Then we won on race 4, 5 and 6!!!
Then we lost on race 7.....but finally won on race 8.
On the whole night, we were up about £30 and that included paying for our food and drinks! Yay! We thought this was really good when we'd only been putting £2 or £3 bets on the horses!!!
Dan had his fabby camera with him and was trying out the 'sports' setting with the horses going past so there are hundreds of pics of the GeeGees!
The racehorces were really lovely. I'm always surprised as how fine boned and delicate they are. And completely mental! They all look like they're about to completely freak and run away! In fact, some of the horses needed a horsey escort to get from the paddock to the starting gates.
These lovely white/grey horses were the escorts.
Look at this wild eyed racehorse being led to the gate
So, all in all it was a superb evening. The atmosphere was really really exciting, and the racecourse was as fabulous as I remember from Blue Peter!
Best of all, We WON!!!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
I remember distinctly seeing the image of Happy Valley Racecourse, lit up at night, sat in the middle of this densely populated city.
Ever since then, I've harboured a dream to go there.
On Wednesday night....WE WENT THERE!!!
The Racecourse was about 15 minutes walk from the hotel. We set off about 6:30 from there to make sure we would be there in time for the 1st race at 7:15.
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| Walking to the races. |
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| Getting closer to the horsies! |
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| Walking round the outside of the course. |
After a bit of research, we had read that it was better to go into the public entrance rather than any of the other enclosures, and so this is what we did.
 |
| First view of the public enclosure (and some of the posh boxes up in the stand) |
We decided to try and work out how to place a bet. We went over to the little stand with the betting slips and initially we were helped by one of the many helpers there. The whole thing was very well organised!
So, having had our initial lesson on having a bet, we grabbed the betting slips, and then we sat down and got our 1st bet on...
We watched the 1st race (we lost!!) and then decided to get something to eat. I know, you're shocked that we're thinking about food, right?
The racecourse, as well as having a couple of western food outlets like McD's, also had some small tents set up in the middle of the enclosure which sold noodles and wontons.
We had 2 bowls of soup/noodles and wontons.
 |
| A bit better than a MaccyD's? |
The price for these 2 bowls of wontons and noodles was under a fiver!!!
I was quite impressed at the prices of food and drink at the racecourse. I'd expected it to be a mega rip-off, but the public enclosure had several beer tents like the Carlsberg & San Miguel one you can see in the picture. I was surprised that the beer was very reasonable - £3.20 a pint!
So, we got our beers and then went to put our bets on for Race no 2...we watched it...we lost!
Then we began our little winning streak...
We won on Race 3...
Then we won on race 4, 5 and 6!!!
Then we lost on race 7.....but finally won on race 8.
On the whole night, we were up about £30 and that included paying for our food and drinks! Yay! We thought this was really good when we'd only been putting £2 or £3 bets on the horses!!!
Dan had his fabby camera with him and was trying out the 'sports' setting with the horses going past so there are hundreds of pics of the GeeGees!
 |
| Speeding past! |
 |
| This little beauty won us £20!!! |
These lovely white/grey horses were the escorts.
Look at this wild eyed racehorse being led to the gate
So, all in all it was a superb evening. The atmosphere was really really exciting, and the racecourse was as fabulous as I remember from Blue Peter!
Best of all, We WON!!!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
Coffee
I wasn't expecting to be raving about the coffee in Hong Kong, but actually we had really fantastic coffee whilst we were there.
Mostly we had coffee at a chain called the Pacific Coffee Company. Really really good coffee!! I guess it's a Starbucks-like chain, but I have to say, fabulous coffee!
They also sell luvvery cake/brioche type things!!!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
Mostly we had coffee at a chain called the Pacific Coffee Company. Really really good coffee!! I guess it's a Starbucks-like chain, but I have to say, fabulous coffee!
They also sell luvvery cake/brioche type things!!!
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| Chicken and leek pies - OK this wasn't breakfast time....! |
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| Yummy pacific cappuccino |
On Valentine's Day, we ended up in another French coffee shop which sold "madelaines" my fave sort of cake to dip in your coffee. Of course on Valentine's Day, they were heart shaped! Aren't they cute?
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| There was a better picture of the madelaines but I like this one because you can see how perfect my eyeshadow was!!! |
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| Dan's brioche and lovely latte! |
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
We'd walked up towards the World Trade Centre building in Causeway Bay. As usual, it was mid afternoon and we were looking for food.
We were looking at the restaurants in the WTC building and spotted Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao advertised in the restaurant list in the foyer. It looked rather nice and the blurb mentioned dim sum and so we were sold!
The WTC is a big shopping centre, with restaurants at either end on each floor, so we wandered up through the shops and found the Crystal Jade. It looked lovely.
We were sat by the greeter in this busy restaurant on a table which faced onto the harbour at the other side of the WTC building, and we proceeded to order the dim sum.
The service was super quick, and you could watch the chefs making the food in an open kitchen off to one side.
The various dishes came out one at a time...
It was a very nice lunch, but the killer aspect of the dinner were the chilli dumplings...
They were amazing. As you can probably tell by the colour of the sauce, they were massively hot. I took one bite and nearly choked! My eyes were watering so much, I cried off my mascara!!! It was wonderful!
Needless to say, a couple of days later, we were back there for more of the chilli dumplings.
This time we decided to have a chilli noodle soup as well. It was described on the menu as SZECHUAN style soup. It was thick, nutty, and hot. Magnificent!!!
After all that hot hot food, we decided to go for a Chinese pudding.
After perusing the menu, we went for some doughnutty things which were described as having some sweet bean paste inside.
Hmmmm, interesting, we thought.
They looked lovely! All sweet and sugary.
So then we bit into them and there was the most bizarre moment. The doughnuts were filled with sweetened kidney bean paste - really! It was still very pleasant. Just odd!!!
I looked up the restaurant on t'interwebz and found that actually it's a chain of franchises. I'm not normally a fan of the chain restaurant, but actually this was very very nice and the chilli noodles and the Szechuan soup was outstanding!!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
We were looking at the restaurants in the WTC building and spotted Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao advertised in the restaurant list in the foyer. It looked rather nice and the blurb mentioned dim sum and so we were sold!
The WTC is a big shopping centre, with restaurants at either end on each floor, so we wandered up through the shops and found the Crystal Jade. It looked lovely.
We were sat by the greeter in this busy restaurant on a table which faced onto the harbour at the other side of the WTC building, and we proceeded to order the dim sum.
The service was super quick, and you could watch the chefs making the food in an open kitchen off to one side.
The various dishes came out one at a time...
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| Steamed pork buns (like a charsu bun) |
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| Vegetables (spot the lovely greens) and weirdo mushooms (delicious!) |
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| Some nice steamed pork dumplings |
They were amazing. As you can probably tell by the colour of the sauce, they were massively hot. I took one bite and nearly choked! My eyes were watering so much, I cried off my mascara!!! It was wonderful!
Needless to say, a couple of days later, we were back there for more of the chilli dumplings.
This time we decided to have a chilli noodle soup as well. It was described on the menu as SZECHUAN style soup. It was thick, nutty, and hot. Magnificent!!!
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| killer chilli Szechuan soup |
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| More dumplings, and in the background, salt and pepper ribs! |
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| Just delicious and really tasty spring rolls. Not overfilled but super tasty. |
After perusing the menu, we went for some doughnutty things which were described as having some sweet bean paste inside.
Hmmmm, interesting, we thought.
 |
| Note my prowess with the chopsticks! |
They looked lovely! All sweet and sugary.
So then we bit into them and there was the most bizarre moment. The doughnuts were filled with sweetened kidney bean paste - really! It was still very pleasant. Just odd!!!
I looked up the restaurant on t'interwebz and found that actually it's a chain of franchises. I'm not normally a fan of the chain restaurant, but actually this was very very nice and the chilli noodles and the Szechuan soup was outstanding!!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
19 Feb 2011
More Food
You know that the Hong Kong blogging is going to be mostly about food don't you?
We LOVE food.
We particularly love Chinese food.
Actually we love all sorts of food but anything spicy, fragrant and Asian comes very high on the list.
We were walking along the road that the hotel was on - Jaffe Road - when we spotted another restaurant which we thought might assuage our need for dumplings. (Did I mention how much we like them?)
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
We LOVE food.
We particularly love Chinese food.
Actually we love all sorts of food but anything spicy, fragrant and Asian comes very high on the list.
We were walking along the road that the hotel was on - Jaffe Road - when we spotted another restaurant which we thought might assuage our need for dumplings. (Did I mention how much we like them?)
Can you guess what it was about this place that made us think we might like what they sell inside?
In we went.
Because of our jet lag, yet again we were hungry at about 4pm! So the place was empty...
Unusually for Hong Kong, none of the staff spoke a single word of English - not that I expect them to - but when the menu looks like this...
...it helps if you can get someone to translate it!!!
So in we went and with alot of pointing and gesturing, we managed to order a bowl of noodle soup, and a couple of plates of fried dumplings.
The manageress then gestured towards one of the order chits, one of the ones with dumplings on, and with much gesturing, she made us understand that there was a better option to the one we had chosen! I think we had chosen beef and chive, and she said no, go for the pork and celery! What could we do? Of course we went for her suggestion.
When the food arrived, we were blown away, it was superb...
Her suggestion was right - the pork and celery dumplings were so light and fresh! Amazing flavour.
Needless to say, we had to have a sup of the local beer - well, Chinese beer anyway...
The TsingTao was about £2.50 for these enormous bottles - we'd paid £4.80 for HALF the size bottles in one of the bars on 'the strip' AKA Lockhart Road - where all the tourist bars were. Sleazy and expensive. So you can imagine how happy we were to find the Peking Dumpling Wong, where we had fabby food and cheap beer!
Whilst we were enjoying our dumplings, noodles and beer, the staff all came and sat in the restaurant to be fed in the lull after the lunch shift and before the dinner one.
Whilst they were eating, the manageress came over again, this time with a plate of 'greens' in her hand, and basically told us through gestures and smiles that they were the best thing on the menu. You could smell how good they were.
2 days later, we came back for another Peking Dumpling fix, This time we were clued up with what to have - pork and celery dumplings, and the bean shoots (greens) in garlic.
Check out those greens. The little white flecks are garlic, and they came in a smidge of very very tasty broth. They were SOOOOOOOO good - I'm a bit of a fan of the Chinese greens. Anything green. Pac choi, broccoli, random green leaves...check out the piles of green stuff on the market stall...
Anyway, back to Peking Dumpling Wong....
On our final day, we dropped in for a final plate of dumplings before we left, and ordered our usual bits and bobs, and were enjoying our final afternoon in HK, when the manageress came over and again, with the power of gesture and smiling, managed to convey the info that she was recommending one of the dishes as a great snack to eat when you're having a beer (we had the usual giant TsingTao!). It was described on the menu as pickled shredded potato, and, this is what it looked like...
It was very lightly blanched potato matchsticks, which seem to have been pickled in a light vinegar and a stack of garlic. Very savoury and, as she said, perfect with a beer!!!
We were very sad to say goodbye to our new friends at the Peking Dumpling Wong!!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
Food!
We have eaten in Michelin star restaurants all over the world, but before going to Hong Kong we made an executive decision not to seek out HK Michelin eateries, but to stick to the 'local' places where the Hong Kongers eat!
After getting our systems in sync with the local time, we were ready.
What for?
Ready for dumplings!
We walked to "Central" and it was mid afternoon. We walked along Wellington Street and we looked for somewhere which looked local, and sold dumplings.
We thought this place looked quite good...
It was surrounded by loads of other little similar looking places, but for us the winning formula was the menu pinned to the window...
Many dumplings (and noodles and rice too!) but we went for the dumplings. I don't know if you have had pot sticker dumplings before but that is what they were like - looks like they've been steamed or boiled and then dropped into a pan and fried until they have a nice brown crust.
Whilst we were there, the family were making them on a little table beside the kitchen. I was watching closely and trying to get pics but didn't want to offend them. We were the only ones in at that time of day.
The dumplings were so good that we decided to go for something else as well...
The nearby bowl was a roast chicken with rice and vegetables, the other one was a beef with rice and vegetables. Don't they look fresh and lovely? The sauce on the top was a soy/garlic/spring onion/chilli mix.
It was a really simple dish; boiled rice, with leeks and greens in it. Roasted meat (chicken or beef) laid on the top. Then sprinkled over with the killer sauce.
Totally wow!
Sod the Michelin - bring on the street food!!!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
After getting our systems in sync with the local time, we were ready.
What for?
Ready for dumplings!
We walked to "Central" and it was mid afternoon. We walked along Wellington Street and we looked for somewhere which looked local, and sold dumplings.
We thought this place looked quite good...
It was surrounded by loads of other little similar looking places, but for us the winning formula was the menu pinned to the window...
Many dumplings (and noodles and rice too!) but we went for the dumplings. I don't know if you have had pot sticker dumplings before but that is what they were like - looks like they've been steamed or boiled and then dropped into a pan and fried until they have a nice brown crust.
Whilst we were there, the family were making them on a little table beside the kitchen. I was watching closely and trying to get pics but didn't want to offend them. We were the only ones in at that time of day.
The dumplings were so good that we decided to go for something else as well...
The nearby bowl was a roast chicken with rice and vegetables, the other one was a beef with rice and vegetables. Don't they look fresh and lovely? The sauce on the top was a soy/garlic/spring onion/chilli mix.
It was a really simple dish; boiled rice, with leeks and greens in it. Roasted meat (chicken or beef) laid on the top. Then sprinkled over with the killer sauce.
Totally wow!
Sod the Michelin - bring on the street food!!!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
18 Feb 2011
Hong Kong First Impressions
We landed on Monday afternoon, at 5pm - rush hour - after a relatively uneventful flight.
Dan had pre-booked us a combined ticket for the MTR (HK tube network) and airport return so having collected that, we jumped on the train to the city.
The immediate impressions were one of water, and islands. The train takes you from Lantau island, which is where the new airport is (no scary landings between skyscrapers for us, like you used to have to at the old airport!)
Viewed from the train are mind-boggling groups of apartments, clinging to the edges of the coastline. The tallest blocks of flats I have ever seen. Then 6 or 7 blocks together. All clustered on the edge of the water. I can't even begin to think how many flats there must be in each one!!!
Still, there was a lot of coastline untouched - I'd expected it to be much more populated. Seemed like the population was corralled into the clusters of blocks of flats...leaving the rest of the land to the jungle!
We arrived into a station called Hong Kong (if you were in any doubt!) and we had to change here to 'Central' - we had just arrived and started looking round to get our bearings for maybe 10 or 15 seconds, and then someone came up and offered us help. They explained that we had to walk down a long tunnel in order to get to Central.
This actually became a theme of our trip; as soon as we stopped to look around/find our way, someone would come up to us and offer help! Initially we were wary - what where they after - were they the 'decoy' for some form of pick-pocket gang? Errrm, no, actually they were just offering help! This was Chinese and European people alike. It was so refreshing that in the mega hustle and bustle of this hectic city - people still had the small town attitude of wanting to help a stranger. Isn't that nice?
When we came out of the tube station - we had a 5 minute walk to the hotel - I'd studied the route on google maps so I "knew" the way. It was getting on for 6pm and the streets were in total mad rush hour. It was mental (and exciting!). Thousands of people on the streets. Millions of smells from lots and lots of small restaurants.
It was all so fab....and foreign.
We were in Hong Kong!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
Dan had pre-booked us a combined ticket for the MTR (HK tube network) and airport return so having collected that, we jumped on the train to the city.The immediate impressions were one of water, and islands. The train takes you from Lantau island, which is where the new airport is (no scary landings between skyscrapers for us, like you used to have to at the old airport!)
Viewed from the train are mind-boggling groups of apartments, clinging to the edges of the coastline. The tallest blocks of flats I have ever seen. Then 6 or 7 blocks together. All clustered on the edge of the water. I can't even begin to think how many flats there must be in each one!!!
Still, there was a lot of coastline untouched - I'd expected it to be much more populated. Seemed like the population was corralled into the clusters of blocks of flats...leaving the rest of the land to the jungle!
We arrived into a station called Hong Kong (if you were in any doubt!) and we had to change here to 'Central' - we had just arrived and started looking round to get our bearings for maybe 10 or 15 seconds, and then someone came up and offered us help. They explained that we had to walk down a long tunnel in order to get to Central.
This actually became a theme of our trip; as soon as we stopped to look around/find our way, someone would come up to us and offer help! Initially we were wary - what where they after - were they the 'decoy' for some form of pick-pocket gang? Errrm, no, actually they were just offering help! This was Chinese and European people alike. It was so refreshing that in the mega hustle and bustle of this hectic city - people still had the small town attitude of wanting to help a stranger. Isn't that nice?
When we came out of the tube station - we had a 5 minute walk to the hotel - I'd studied the route on google maps so I "knew" the way. It was getting on for 6pm and the streets were in total mad rush hour. It was mental (and exciting!). Thousands of people on the streets. Millions of smells from lots and lots of small restaurants.
It was all so fab....and foreign.
We were in Hong Kong!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
Hong Kong Photo Albums
There are alot - and more to come - feel free to have a nosey. Please forgive the multiple pics of the same thing over and over - Dan's new camera experimentations!
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong01#
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong02#
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong03#
New albums added 20/02/2011
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong04#
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong05#
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong06#
Li & Dan xxx
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong01#
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong02#
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong03#
New albums added 20/02/2011
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong04#
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong05#
https://picasaweb.google.com/aldridge.dan/HongKong06#
Li & Dan xxx
The Big Buddha
So today we hoiked ourselves to the end of the MTR line "Tung Chung" off to meet the BIG Buddha. He is absolutely MASSIVE, and lovely, actually. He lives in the Ngong Ping village, where there is also a monastery and, a whole load of tourist shops(!!!)
To get to the village, there is an epic 4km cable car ride which sweeps you up from the ground and into the mountains where the Buddha sits. You get an amazing vew of the airport at Lantau as the 1st part of the journey takes you alongside the runway. However the car soon sweeps you up into the mountains and gives you more and more impressive views, until you eventually see the Buddha himself.
Within the monastery we ate a snack at one of the many cafe/restaurants - lovely veggie food which they make and sell. Super cheap too!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
To get to the village, there is an epic 4km cable car ride which sweeps you up from the ground and into the mountains where the Buddha sits. You get an amazing vew of the airport at Lantau as the 1st part of the journey takes you alongside the runway. However the car soon sweeps you up into the mountains and gives you more and more impressive views, until you eventually see the Buddha himself.
Within the monastery we ate a snack at one of the many cafe/restaurants - lovely veggie food which they make and sell. Super cheap too!
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
1st full day
Ok so with the time difference, the jet lag, and general confusion, I'm still not sure what day it is!!!
Today, I think, is Wednesday, and we've been out for a full day's wanderings around the local environs.
I've been wearing my pedometer and the 16,500 steps add up to approximately 12k! Wow...I do like walking when on holiday...I never get anywhere near that many steps when at home.
Anyway, where have we been...
A little bit all over the place really - it's kind of what we do when we're in a place for the 1st time. Walk - see something interesting, walk - see something else interesting...walk over that way. So it's meandering and circuitous, but starts to give you a feel of the place.
Dan has already been Mr Happy Snappy with the new CanonEOS - 128 pics today, and counting. I'm going to be uploading them to picasa but in the meantime I will publish a few here...
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
Today, I think, is Wednesday, and we've been out for a full day's wanderings around the local environs.
I've been wearing my pedometer and the 16,500 steps add up to approximately 12k! Wow...I do like walking when on holiday...I never get anywhere near that many steps when at home.
Anyway, where have we been...
A little bit all over the place really - it's kind of what we do when we're in a place for the 1st time. Walk - see something interesting, walk - see something else interesting...walk over that way. So it's meandering and circuitous, but starts to give you a feel of the place.
Dan has already been Mr Happy Snappy with the new CanonEOS - 128 pics today, and counting. I'm going to be uploading them to picasa but in the meantime I will publish a few here...
Here are all the other posts on our Hong Kong trip
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