Travel – Page 3 – Encouraging Treats

Where to Eat in Hong Kong (Part 2)

Click HERE for the first part of our Food Trip in Hong Kong.

DIMDIMSUM DIM SUM SPECIALTY STORE

G/F Tung Choi St. Mong Kok

When we arrived at the place, there were about ten people waiting in line outside the small restaurant. Similar to Tsim Chai Kee, DimDimSum only has a few tables inside. At first, we hesitated to fall in line, but because we saw that it was recommended online and we noticed how the people patiently waited for their turn, we got curious. In less than ten minutes, we were given a table for two. Surprisingly, the service was fast! They were able to serve all of our dishes in less than five minutes. However, I think they didn’t understand our request for chili because after asking three times, they still didn’t give us chili. Hahaha.

We ordered the ff.:

*Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (HKD 27 / PHP 175)

*Pork Dumplings with Crab Roe (HKD 23 / PHP 150)

*Deep Fried Wontons with Sweet and Sour Sauce (HKD 19 / PHP 123)

*Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce (HKD 19 / PHP 123)

*Milk Tea (HKD 15 / PHP 100)

I recommend everything we ordered except for the Deep Fried Wontons with Sweet and Sour Sauce. It wasn’t worth the money since it was 10% shrimp and 90% fried wonton wrapper. Their milk tea is a bit expensive for me. But, it wasn’t too sweet or too bland, so it was a good ending to our savory meal.

STARBUCKS AT DUDDELL ST.

13 Duddell St., Central

I discovered this branch while I was preparing for our itinerary a few days before our trip. It was a must-visit place for me because of two reasons: 1) I love Starbucks; and 2) It was a very unique branch since the interior design gave a cultural experience of Hong Kong. Hidden along Duddell St., this branch was surrounded by tall buildings filled with high-end branded shops. We didn’t expect to find it there, but we were very excited to spend at least an hour inside their lovely store. I wish Starbucks could build more stores around the world which show fusions of the countries’ and Starbucks’ cultures.

MISTER SOFTEE

Ice Cream Truck

We saw a truck of Mister Softee near the clock tower at the southern shore of Tsim Sha Tsui while we were waiting for our cruise at Aqua Luna’s ship. You can pay for the ice cream using cash or the octopus card and you can choose to have it in a cone or cup. The ice cream was very light. It wasn’t rich or very creamy too, but, it was a pleasant snack to much on while strolling around the place.

MAXIM’S CAKES

Inside and beside various MTR Stations

We wanted to eat a light breakfast before going to Disneyland because we knew that we were going to ride a few rollercoasters. While we were walking inside the MTR station in Mong Kok, we saw Maxim’s Cakes and decided to give their products a try. We didn’t buy the cakes though, since it was 8:30 in the morning. We did, however, enjoy eating their Sausage rolls. I liked the taste! The texture of the sausage was firm and chewy. The bread roll wrapped around the sausage had a sweet and salty taste too. It somehow reminded me of Bread Talk’s sausage rolls.

YUM CHA

Nan Fung Tower, 2/F, Nan Fung Place, 173 Des Voeux Road, Central

Yum Cha is one of the famous restaurants in Hong Kong featured in Instagram! They have found a way to creatively produce savory and sweet steamed buns. We dropped by their branch in Central in the afternoon and enjoyed taking photos and eating the Custard Buns (HKD 49 / PHP 320) and Pork BBQ buns (HKD 49 / PHP 320). Between the two, we enjoyed the Pork BBQ buns more because we just weren’t fond of too much custard.

The Pork bun is similar to Pork Asado siopao in the Philippines, while the filling of the custard bun tastes very much like a thick and creamy egg yolk paste. Do note that they DON’T serve house water. You’ll have to pay HKD 30 / PHP 195 for a teapot of hot drinking water. If you’re willing to spend this, it’s better to just buy a pot of tea to go along with your steamed buns. Moreover, I liked the interior design of the restaurant. It was very clean and spacious. We even sat at a table beside a huge window overlooking the busy street below.

So, there you have it! If we had more time, we would have ordered other recommended food in Hong Kong such as the egg waffles, French toast with condensed milk, pineapple buns, roasted goose, and street food. We really enjoyed the experience of discovering food in Hong Kong. I hope you get to try the food that we tasted! If you have other suggestions, let me know what you think too, so I can try them next time!

Where to Eat in Hong Kong (Part 1)

Going around Hong Kong was a fun experience for me since I got to taste different flavors in a number of cities. Here are some of the restaurants and stores we visited during our stay.

TSIM CHAI KEE

98 Wellington St., Central

Tsim Chai Kee has been earning Michelin stars since 2010 and is still one of the most sought restaurants in Hong Kong. Without a doubt, it has one of the best wontons in the country! I still remember how the flavors exploded in my mouth after eating the plump and savory wontons in their noodle soup. We ordered the King Prawn Wonton Noodle (HKD 29 / PHP 188). However, unfortunately, the broth was bitter for me. Imagine overcooking onion leeks or chives in the broth and tasting its bitterness with every slurp. Nonetheless, the delicious wontons made the experience unforgettable! If ever you’ll visit this restaurant, you’ll probably share your table with strangers since the place only has around 8 tables inside and is very much visited by locals and tourists.

Tsim Chai Kee is situated right across one of its competitors, Mak’s Noodles. Although, we weren’t able to try the latter one because it opened at a later time (11 am). Based on other reviews, Tsim Chai Kee has bigger wontons compared to Mak’s. Next time, I’ll make sure to drop by!

GUANGDONG ROAST RESTAURANT

37 Dundas St., Mong Kok

This was located a few streets away from the Airbnb apartment we stayed at. The staff couldn’t speak English that much, but with the help of a few hand signals and their menu card, we were able to order a bowl of Wonton Noodle Soup (HKD 35 / PHP 227) and a plate of Roasted Duck with rice (HKD 57 / PHP 370). Both dishes were delicious! I liked the broth of this wonton noodle soup more than Tsim Chai Kee’s and their wontons were also very delicious. I liked how they did not skimp on the shrimps. There was a whole, freshly cooked shrimp in each steamed wonton. Aaaahhh! I love Chinese food! The service was also quick. We had our dishes in less than 5 minutes.

EMACK & BOLIO’S

26 Cochrane St., Central

My friend had a discount voucher for this ice cream shop, so while it was drizzling, we stopped over and got ourselves a cold and creamy treat! Of course, I got the usual flavor (Cookies & Cream), but I paired it with a waffle cone which was covered with chocolate and crushed Oreos. They have other crazier options for their waffle cones, but because it was too much for me, I chose the Oreo Overload.

TAI CHEONG BAKERY

35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central

One of the go-to stores in Hong Kong is Tai Cheong Bakery. Their freshly baked egg tarts are delicious! I am not a fan of tarts, but I enjoyed eating this one! The egg flavor was just right and the tart’s crust was savory. It also had the right amount of salt and sugar. The light filling can be likened to gelatin. I really wanted to bring some home to the Philippines, but I wasn’t sure if they would last the trip. Now, I regret not being able to buy more of the egg tarts.

TAI HING

Shop G25, G/F, Grand Tower, 639 Nathan Road, Mong Kok

For my late dinner / early midnight meal, I passed by Tai Hing because I was thinking about Hong Kong’s crispy roasted pork. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to clarify that I wanted the single serving, so I ended up buying the whole serving of crispy pork which was good for 2-3 persons. I ate it with a cup of white rice and their mustard sauce. I wasn’t a fan of their mustard sauce though. But, I liked how they served the good parts of the pork. There was more meat than the fatty part. Plus, the thick skin was delightfully crispy! I would have liked it more if the skin was saltier. But maybe it was because I was just used to eating salty lechon skin in the Philippines. I heard good reviews of this restaurant. Hopefully, I can go back and give their other dishes a try!

Click HERE for more restaurants and food stores we visited in Hong Kong.

BANGKOK TOUR: Khao San Road and Soi Rambuttri

After hours of walking inside the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, we continued our adventure a few streets away. This time, we tasted different kinds of food and drinks along Khao San Road and Soi Rambuttri.

Here’s a quick itinerary in the afternoon:

3:30-4:00 – From Wat Pho, hire a tuktuk to Khao San road street market (estimate: 150 baht)
4:00-5:00 – food trip along Khao San road
5:00-5:05 – walk from Khao San road to Soi Rambuttri
5:05-5:30 – food trip along Soi Rambuttri
5:30-6:30 – stopover at Fifty-five massage parlor and enjoy your choice of massage. I suggest 30 mins of foot massage + 30 mins of full back massage.

KHAO SAN ROAD

This one-kilometer stretch of street food stalls, restaurants, shops, massage parlors, and hostels was a delight to see! Our first stop: finally taste the famous Coconut Milk ice cream served with coconut meat in a coconut shell which was topped with roasted peanuts and chocolate syrup. I opted not to have the syrup because I wanted to appreciate the pure taste of the coconut milk.

Then, we tried their Pad Thai and fried lumpia. I am not really a fan of Pad Thai, but I liked the taste and texture of the one we tried in Khao San.

We also got to taste their sour green mango with rock salt and chili. However, the mangoes in Bangkok are bland compared to the ones in the Philippines. I’m not sure why. But, I personally like the mangoes in our country.

Some vendors also sold fried chicken skin, chicken satay, pork barbeque, and grilled chicken balls. These streetfood were delicious! Their barbeques were extra tender and juicy too!

Another common sight at their streets is the display of fresh fruits served in cups or sticks.

SOI RAMBUTTRI

After an hour of touring Khao San road, we headed towards Soi Rambuttri, which was just 5 minutes away. By that time, we weren’t hungry anymore so we decided to walk some more and have a foot massage nearby.

Thankfully, there was an affordable massage parlor (55 Massage) in this street which provided excellent customer service. Our feet and backs were aching and numb, so we stopped for feet and body massages. Aaahhhh! It was amazing. The staff members were very friendly. They did an amazing job massaging our feet and bodies. Plus, they even served us snacks and tea while we rested a bit more in their parlor. If I would have the chance to go back to Soi Rambuttri, I will definitely have massages there again. It’s a must-try!

It was nearing dinner time after our massages were done, so we went back to Khao San road to catch an Uber car going to our hostel. But before we went home, we had our last snack in the area: Nutella banana rotee/roti! Yum!

All throughout our trip in Bangkok, we experienced difficulty in communicating with some of the locals because they didn’t speak English. But, despite this, it was fun and interesting to go around their streets, explore and taste their food, and document the experience.

BANGKOK TOUR: Grand Palace and Wat Pho

On our second day in Bangkok, we decided to do a Do-It-Yourself tour since the locations were already in the city. In the morning, we visited the Grand Palace. Then, in the afternoon, we went to Wat Pho, one of the famous temples in Bangkok. The second day was very interesting for us because we had just visited the old grand palace the day before. Seeing how the current palace looks like definitely gave us a new perspective on the culture of Thailand.

Here’s a summary of the first part of our itinerary for the second day:

8:00-9:00 – Grab/Uber ride from the hostel to the Grand Palace
9:00-11:30 – tour inside the Grand Palace
11:30-1:00 – walk along the restaurants located near the entrance/exit of the Grand palace and have your lunch.
1:00-1:30 – walk towards Wat Pho. We used google maps to direct us towards the temple. But, if you ask the locals in the area, they are very helpful in pointing the direction. Also, there are also street signs that lead towards the temple.
1:30-3:30 – tour inside Wat Pho

Here are some of the photos from our DIY tour. :)

GRAND PALACE
Address: Na Phra Lan Rd, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
Open: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Dress Code: NOT allowed – Slippers, shorts, Clothes that reveal the shoulders and chest, Jeans with ripped parts or holes, Skirts or dresses higher than the knees, and leggings or tight fitting jeans.
Entrance Fee: 500 baht (One ticket includes entry to Vimanmek Palace and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall.)

WAT PHO
Address: 2 Sanamchai Road, Grand Palace Subdistrict, Pranakorn District, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Open: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Dress Code: NOT allowed – Slippers, shorts, Clothes that reveal the shoulders and chest, Jeans with ripped parts or holes, Skirts or dresses higher than the knees, and leggings or tight fitting jeans.
Entrance Fee: 100 baht