Category Archives: Hong Kong

2011 Top 10 Blog Post

December 30, 2011 – 9:56 pm

From Singapore to Hong Kong, my Top 10 blog posts focused on food, the developments of Punggol and my March trip to Hong Kong. In 2011, 2 of my poly friends, wifey and I witnessed one of our friend’s wedding in Hong Kong. It was a time for wifey and I to spend some time together in Hong Kong and Macau.

No.10: Gong Cha in Hong Kong
I was quite excited when I saw a Gong Cha outlet in Central. At the point of time, I was still very much crazy about Gong Cha. In Singapore I had a cup or 2 everyday and so its no surprise that I wanted to have some when I see one in Hong Kong.

No.9: Local delights for breakfast in Hong Kong
Huifan and I went on a breakfast expedition on the 5th day of our Hong Kong trip which brought us to Shan Shui Po. It was a place where you can experience the life as a local. It is a place where their regular customers gather, usually senior citizens. I like the feel of the place as it was uniquely Hong Kong.

No.8: Take 5 at Novena Square
Once in awhile, I will do food reviews on my blog. In January, I visited Take 5, which opened a new outlet in Novena. It was not a positive review and that was my last visit.

No.7: Marina Bay Sands Skypark – A different experience for every visit
I’ve made many visits to Skypark since it opened. I blog about my 5th visit to the skypark because it was one of my longest stay on the skypark and it was the first time we witness sunset and nightfall at the skypark.

No.6: Mido Cafe @ Temple Street in Hong Kong
Our food expedition continues at Mido Cafe @ Temple Street which is famous for their baked rice. Mido Cafe is one of the traditional tea cafes that you would see in Hong Kong dramas where there are windows and blinds, simply no air conditioning.

No.5: Maritime Experiential Museum and Aquarium
The word aquarium was misleading since there is no aquarium in the first place. But the museum is still pretty much interesting, if you are boat person. What I was impressed with was the Typhoon Theatre which was a 360 degrees multi sensory display where we got to experience the rough seas that the ship had to go through.

No.4: Soya beancurd at Old Airport Road
Soya beancurd revolution? I’m not sure if it is but surely the recipe was improvised and we managed to get some really tasty soya beancurd of a different texture. Where are they located? All at Old Airport Road Market.

No.3: Official Opening of My Waterway@Punggol
I was invited to the official opening of My Waterway@Punggol. It was a development that was the highlight of Punggol as an eco-town. Its a waterway that cuts across Punggol where residents are able to run or cycle along it. White doves were released and as Punggol is an eco-town, the white doves were actually made of bio degradable materials.

No. 2: Punggol Waterway
Just before the official opening of My Waterway@Punggol, I got an exclusive guided tour conducted by HDB. It was my first visit to the waterway at night and it was simply impressive.

No.1: Our visit to Punggol Promenade
A new Promenade opens in Punggol in March this year and it has a bridge that brings residents from Punggol to Pasir Ris (Lor Halus to exact). Ethan and Ezanne enjoyed themselves, especially when they got a chance to take a photo at the bicycle park.

Tags My Waterway@Punggol, Old Airport Road | Comment (0)

Honeymoon Dessert in Singapore

May 14, 2011 – 7:42 pm

In September 2010, Sze brought me to a dessert shop at World Trade Centre at Causeway Bay. It was near 11pm and there was still a long queue after we left. In March 2011, I wanted to bring wifey to this dessert shop again but sadly, there isn’t enough time for us to visit.

On Friday, by accident (I use the word accident because it was totally unintended and I had no knowledge that Honeymoon Dessert has arrived in Singapore), we came across Honeymoon Dessert and guess what, we had desserts for lunch.

We ordered 5 different types of desserts. First we had Mango Pomelo Sago. It tasted slightly different from the one I had in Hong Kong as the coconut taste was much stronger, probably they had too much coconut milk in it. They were not stingy with the fillings and I’m sure you will enjoy the mango and pomelo.

Next, we had 3 different types of pancakes. We had banana pancake, durian pancake and mango pancake. It was definitely not a disappointment. The pancakes filling was a mixture of the fruit and cream and you will be surprised by the portion they had for the fillings, it was quite reasonable.

The last desert we had was Baked Mashed Taro Sago Pudding. Baked sago on the top and yam filling at the bottom. Wifey enjoyed it.

Our total damage was about $25 and I thought it was alittle on the high side. Nevertheless, both of us enjoyed our lunch very much. If you are interested, Honeymoon Dessert has 3 outlets in Singapore, 1 at Vivocity, 1 at Bugis and 1 at 313 Somerset. You can visit their website for the locations of their stores as well as their menu of desserts.

Tags 313 Somerset, Bugis Junction, Honeymoon Dessert, vivocity | Comments (2)

The invitation card is here finally

March 24, 2011 – 12:42 am

We usually get our wedding invitation card before the wedding, but for my friend Sally, I got hers after attending the wedding. When I first saw the card from my friend Shux, I told Sally that I definitely want her to send it to me (by whatever means). While I was supposed to get it from her prior to her wedding when I was in Hong Kong, we didn’t had the time to catch up, which means we didn’t get to meet and she didn’t get a chance to pass it to me. But Sally is nice enough to get another friend to send it to me and I finally got it.

Each card comes with a red packet (its purple colour in this case). This means that if you receive the card, even if you can’t attend, you are required to “return” something back to the couple. This is just one of the many local practices that I’ve learnt while I was attending the wedding then.

I’m not too sure if I’ll ever get another chance to attend an overseas wedding but this is definitely one memorable experience. With this invitation card, it marks a perfect ending to this memorable March trip to Hong Kong.

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When I was young, I wish.

March 16, 2011 – 2:44 am

What did you wish for when you were young? For me, I wish for many things and one of it was to have toys that can relate as close to reality as possible. I love playing with lego and building blocks when I was a child, I love to build cities. Even until now, I’m still pretty much addicted to Sim City, a game that let you build your own city.

While I was always building those “cities”, I hope that I can build roads with traffic lights that resemble what we see in reality, which means it can change to Red, Amber and Green. My dad told me before that he had looked high and low for it, but he just couldn’t find it. I always thought it didn’t exist until when I was in Hong Kong, I finally saw it.

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The Grandest Wedding I’ve Ever Attended

March 15, 2011 – 11:28 am

The wedding dinner of Sally and Alex is probably the grandest and grandest one that I’ve attended. This was the primary reason to Hong Kong this time, its for this occasion. There were many firsts that I experience at this wedding.

1st encounter with matchmaker
Have you seen a matchmaker before in Singapore? The matchmaker (Mei Po) I’ve seen at the wedding ceremony was professional and definitely an experience. She would be the one bringing everyone through the entire tea ceremony.

1st time stepping into the Presidential Suite
Call me a mountain tortise but when I first step into the Presidential Suite of Four Seasons Hotel, I was lost for words. Harbour view with a super big toilet (even bigger than my bedroom). It has a mini gym with a bath tub that is able to sit 5 persons in it.

1st time attending a Solemnization Ceremony to be conducted in Cantonese
The Solemnization Ceremony was conducted in Cantonese. I don’t really understand what they were talking about but guess is more or less the same as what they read in Singapore.

1st gathering of my Poly mates in Hong Kong after 8 years
We have graduated from our polytechnic for about 8 years now and I’m really glad to meet up with everyone in Hong Kong, instead of Singapore, for a really happy occassion. By the way, the photographer did not know how to use my camera, but he compensated with a much better version that we received as a gift from the couple.

1st Wedding that has professional singers
Professional singers here I mean those that actually release album. The singer who was engaged was Yong Er, if you remember, she participated in Project Superstar but lost and return to Hong Kong to start her singing career. Other than her, the emcee from the event were 2 TVB host.

I wish the couple an everlasting marriage and really enjoyed this trip with my friends, Huifan and Shux. It was a tiring but memorable one.

Tags Four Seasons Hotel | Comment (1)

Gong Cha in Hong Kong

March 11, 2011 – 6:27 pm

Other than my expenses on transportation when I first reach Hong Kong, the first thing that I bought was actually Gong Cha.

If you know me well, you will know that I’m a fan of Gong Cha and there was a time when I had it almost everyday. But these days, I’ve cut down significantly after suffering from a really bad backache. Generally, the taste and service is the same in Hong Kong and Singapore but the disappointing thing is that they don’t serve white pearl, which I was eagerly looking forward to. Each cup cost between HKD$15 to HKD$18 which is slightly cheaper.

I’m not too sure where their other branches are but the one I’ve been to is located at Sheung Wan.

Tags Gong Cha | Comment (0)

I see. I feel. I like. Hong Kong

March 11, 2011 – 12:30 am

Probably I had wifey with me and probably we had matured and its not our first trip to Hong Kong, I always thought that this was a truly fulfilling and enjoyable trip. I explore many different parts of Hong Kong and see these interesting places.

Life in Hong Kong are sometimes simple and sometimes busy where people will want to take a break.

Hong Kong is not just about good food and shopping, but there is always another side of it. Did you see it?

Tags Causeway Bay, Central, Shan Shui Po, Sheung Wan | Comment (0)

Local delights for Breakfast in Hong Kong

March 10, 2011 – 4:45 pm

Porridge and dim sum seems to be a must for breakfast when you are in Hong Kong. On the morning of Day 5 when wifey and Shux were catching up on their beauty sleep in the hotel, Huifan and I got up and made our way to Kowloon for yet another breakfast expedition. This time, its Hong Fa at Shan Shui Po.

This shop primarily sells Fa Gao, Bai Tang Gao, Pui Zhai Gou and many other local delights. Like Mindo Cafe, it is a place where you can experience the life as a local. It is a place where their regular customers gather, usually senior citizens.

For breakfast, they have different types of porridge, but limited variety as compared to the one we had in Central, yet, it was equally tasty too. The difference here is that they don’t provide hot water or tea for you to clean the utensils so I guess, its all about trust – trust that they will clean them properly. (Afternote: Nothing happen to my tummy after finishing the bowl of tasty century egg porridge).

The location where this shop is located is really different from the ones we have visited earlier. Its in the suburbs and the demographics of people living in the area is different and you can experience the life as a local, the market place and the road side stalls. If you have extra time in Hong Kong, do take some opportunity to visit this place.

Tags Shan Shui Po | Comments (4)

Mido Cafe @ Temple Street in Hong Kong

March 9, 2011 – 9:34 pm

Day 4 of our trip brings us to Mido Cafe which is located in Temple Street. It is one of the traditional tea cafes that you would see in Hong Kong dramas where there are windows and blinds, simply no air conditioning.

Based on the reviews that was done, this cafe is well known for their baked rice. But before we start eating, remember what is a must do in Hong Kong?

You could possibly guess correctly, to wash our utensils with the tea provided. Anyway, I had the baked rice and it was yummy. The pork was not too hard, the rice was soft and the sauce was fab. While Huifan had something similar where the pork were cut into cube.

Wifey has soup noodle. The noodle was good but the soup was alittle blant. The taste was like the water being used to cook the noodles (if you know what I meant).

If you want to get a taste of eating in a traditional teahouse in Hong Kong, then you will have to visit Mido Cafe @ 63, Yau Ma Tee, Temple Street.

Tags Mido Cafe, Temple Street | Comments (2)

Hotpot in HK. Finally.

March 9, 2011 – 1:55 am

I’ve always heard about people enjoying hotpot in Hong Kong, but I never tried one myself. Since there was an opportunity, my friend Shux was meeting up with her other friend, I decided to tag along. Her friend brought us to a hotpot restaurant in one of the popular shopping district in Hong Kong, Causeway Bay.

Unlike a typical steamboat restaurant in Singapore which sells frozen stuff, this restaurant in Hong Kong serves fresh seafood and a wide variety of dishes. For example, we are able to order fresh seafood such as oysters and prawn and enjoy it almost immediately.

They also serve fried fish, like Shishamu, which has that cracker feel when you are eating it. That was really good. There were very little fishballs and meatballs as we indulge in some other choices where the item is not really available in Singapore.

Since the weather was rather cool that night, I’m glad to say that its the first time I had steamboat without perspiring.