Hongkong free and easy : What I ate

This time round, my food journey is different as my brother who goes to Hongkong to work at times is the suggestion places to eat.

Big signboard. Quite easy to spot

The famous Tim Ho Wan. 添好運The cheapest Michelin restaurant.

We went to branch at Sham Shui Po. 

We went around 2pm. There was no queue at all. We had to wait for around 5 minutes as we had to wait for a big table to accommodate all of us. We spend hk$437 for 7 hungry people. The food was good and reasonably priced. I believe the reason why some people are disappointed is because they have really high expectations or very good tastebuds. We had it around 2pm, a very late lunch. We were hungry and our judgement may not be perfect. We enjoyed the meal, no queue, price was reasonable. I definitely don't mind making a trip again if there is no long queue and on the way.

G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

Nearest MTR station: Tsuen Wan Line, Sham Shui Po, Exit B2 ( 10 minutes walk)

Opening hours: 8:00 am-9:30 pm daily

Cong Sao Dessert 聰嫂私房甜品

Everyone loves dessert. My 7 year old niece's eyes light up everytime I mention desserts. My brother recommended this place. This place is quite small and cramped. Expect to queue and share tables.

The desserts are better than the Xu Liu Xiang. The mango ice has a strong mango flavour, must try for mango lover. The durian pancakes was creamy and delicious.

I will definitely visit this place again. 

11 Yiu Wa St Causeway Bay

Walking distance from Times Square at Causeway Bay MTR

Hours: 1230pm to 12am.

何洪記粥麵專家 ho hung kee congee&noodle

Another Michelin starred resturant

The differences between Hongkong Wanton noodles and Singapore

1. There is no Char Siew 

2. They prefer they noodles slightly harder and more chewy

3. Their wanton are bigger and there is big proportion of prawns inside.

For those who love small wanton and Mee pok, this may not be the must try for Hongkong trip.

I love big and juicy wanton and chewy noodles, so Wanton noodles are a must eat for my trips.

I can't really tell the differences of this from the other famous Hongkong Wanton noodles except that it is just as good. There was not queue when I went there around 9pm. We had to wait for 5 to 10 minutes for a big table to accomodate 7 people. 

A small bowl of Wanton noodles cost HK$38 and a big bowl is HK$54.

 I will not make a special trip to eat this again. If it is on the way, I may have this again.

Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

MTR station : Causeway bay

Disneyland food. Average.

海皇粥店 ( Hai Wang Zhou Dian) 

Was looking for a place for supper after a long day at disneyland. Famous Porridge place near Yau Ma Tei near my Hotel.

I just can't find the photo of the porridge.

A decent Porridge place, nothing bad. Nothing special, nothing bad.

They have a lot of branches so is quite convenient. They sell other food, not just porridge. A good place for breakfast if you prefer porridge and noodles for breakfast.

http://www.oceanempire.com.hk/

生記粥麵 

This little eatery is just opposite the hotel I was staying in ( Cityview Hongkong). My parents discover this place by accident.

This place is actually quite famous for their porridge. (google results).  The porridge is a bit salty to me. The serving of the porridge is quite big. One bowl of porridge plus a side dish will be  will be just nice for 2 person. The porridge is smooth and silky. They are very generous with their ingredients ( for my case is the pork and century egg), is definitely value of money.

Yau Ma Tei MTR

Exit A2. walk straight and then turn right. ( not a need to cross any road)

Hours: 11am to 10pm

review on openrice

HuiI Lau Shan aka Xu Liu Xiang

The famous HuiI Lau Shan aka Xu Liu Xiang. A good place for desserts.They are famous for their mango desserts. Definitely worth a try especially during summer. However, this is slightly pricey. The cost of drink is around hk$30, but they use fresh fruit so we can just persuade ourselves that we are being healthy

Lots of outlets especially at Mongkok

http://www.hkhls.com/shop/shop_gd.aspx

金記冰室 (Kam Kee Cafe)

We wanted to eat claypot rice nearby but it was closed. We loiter around Sai Wan 西環 and found this little cafe or cha can ting. For those who like cafe hopping or maybe to take photos. This place is very  instagrammable as the menu, cups and interior are quite interesting. The food did not leave an impression or maybe we have no idea what to order and some of things are not available as it was tea time. Good for cafe hopper and instagram lovers. After doing some research at open rice, i realise I really order the wrong food, not the highlight of the restaurant. Will make another trip there to try out the delicious food recommended by the other reviewers the next time.

金記冰室

香港西營盤德輔道西213號地下

MTR Sai Ying Pun Exit B2

Mon-Sun: 

7:30 am - 9:30 pm 

https://www.facebook.com/kamkeecafe

风味园 (風味園)

One of the main reason we choose this place is it is hard to find a place to have dinner at 9pm and we wanted to eat claypot rice. If you are looking a place to have a very late dinner or supper at Mongkok, this is not a bad place to go. I forgot the price of the food, but is quite reasonable.

We ordered some claypot rice as shown and a plate of vegetables. The claypot rice was fragrant, not as oily as the one at temple street. The serving is quite generous, even for the proportionate of meat. 

I will prefer this and not the one at Temple street. Slightly drier but suit my tastebuds more.

旺角通菜街110號

MOngkok MTR: D1

11:00am-03:00am

110 Tung Choi St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Hongkong Street food. 

This little shop at the edge of Mongkok, near to watsons.

They have the famous curry fishballs and the internal organs. I am a fan of neither.

They sell something not found at other stalls,  grilled squid and fried squid. Although it is a bit salty, the squid is delicious. I ate it two nights in a row. All squid lovers should try this. 

Paper Stone Bakery

We passed this nice little Bakery at Sheung Wan. Too bad, we did not have time to try the cake. They look so good. Can give it a try if happen to pass by it. They have a cafe setting, they are seats for you to enjoy the pastries and cakes.

Hongkong cakes seems to be of better quality than Singapore. We bought a simple cake at the bakery store at the MTR station for my dad birthday. Everyone,  the young, the old, picky eater all enjoy the cake.

Shop 4-5, G/F, FWD Financial Centre, 308 Des Voeux Road, Sheung Wan

上環德輔道中308號富衛金融中心地下4及5號舖

MTR: Sheung WAn Exit B

Mon-Sat: 07:30-20:30

Sun & PHs: 09:00-19:00

強記飯店 Keung Kee Meat shop

For the last day of my trip, we wanted to eat roasted meat. We went back to Keung Kee Meat Shop as it was nearby and I love the food there.

my previous blog post on keung kee meat shop

HONGKONG FREE AND EASY : Dragon's back

Hongkong is not just about shopping and eating. For this trip, it was more of an excursion for my niece so there is very little time allocated to shopping. There are ample places for trekking. For people who want to take a break from city, do some exercise (burn off the fats) and also get some fresh air. There is a great view of Shek  and Big Wave Bay

To get there, take the From MTR Shau Kei Wan Station Exit A3, take bus 9 at Shau Kei Wan Bus Terminus to To Tei Wan, Shek O Road

It was quite easy to reach there as this is the stop where most people get off.

It was my first trek. Will not say is a difficult trek. There are some some dirt treks and some are proper stairs but with no railings.  The trek is usually spacious enough for both direction of the traffic. My brother keep pestering me to go at a faster pace as my 7-year old niece is so full of energy. She has no problem conquering all the slopes and stairs. We finish reach the peak and came down in around 3-4 hours.

There are no convenience stores and much toilets. Bring your own water and snacks. There is a market and some shops at Shau Kei Wan Bus Terminus

The weather was a bit gloomy when I was there. The photos turn out a bit dull. On the other hand, it was not sunny but windy so the trek was enjoyable.

It is a good place to go to burn off some of the fats from all the eating, get some fresh air and see a different part of hongkong. 

For more information:

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/seasia/see-do/great-outdoors/hikes/dragons-back-hiking-tour.jsp

There is supposed to be an ending point and a nice village. The ending point is near to Wan Chai But we just walked back after reaching the peak, as my parents will waiting at base. It was too tough for them.

Hongkong free and easy : The Cityview HOngkong Review

My second time staying at cityview. 

Location

1.It is just a minute walk away from Yau Ma Tei MTR station

2. There are eateries, supermarket around the area.

3. It is not super crowded like Mongkok or Tsim Sha Tsui, walking from MTR station to the hotel is slow down by human traffic.

4. It is 5 to 10 minutes walk to Mongkong. Just walk out from the hotel entrance. There is an alley opposite OK shop. It is an alley but not dark or quiet. Just walk through it and you are at Mongkok.

Rooms

I choose to stay in the Premier Room. It is newly renovated so everything is clean and nice. The room  is quite spacious for Hongkong standard. It is impossible to get this room size and location at Mongkong or Tsim Sha Tsui. My room has a nice view of Hongkong island. However, it depends on where the room. Photo below Can put a request for it if you want a nice view. There is free wifi too.

The Premier room comes with free breakfast. Selection of food at breakfast is not a lot. There are cereals, salads, breads, fruits and 3-4 chinese cuisine. The food run out quite fast so be early or there is not much left. The Cafe is very pretty. Photos beloewThe Premier room also comes with a free phone. The phone has free wifi and map so you can use it to do your research.  It can also be used to make phone calls, however, the procedure to make a call can be quite troublesome.

And connecting rooms are available. Good for family trips.

The only problem I have is that they do not have a check out counter. Therefore, if everyone in front of you is checking in. It will take quite some time for you to hand over the keys and leave. We ask if we can just pass the key and leave. Hence, we queue half an hour to pass the keys and walk off.

View from my room

A nice newly renovated place to have breakfast. Selection was not a lot but the place was clean and everything looks fresh and good

Hong Kong free and easy : Disneyland AND Tips to a better trip

 Tickets:

You can queue and get the tickets at Hongkong disneyland or buy the tickets there.
The advantages of getting tickets online is no long queue and cheaper rates are available at times.
The disadvantages is the security and you may change your itinerary due to the weather.

I have been to disneyland in other countries. HongKong disneyland is definitely smaller but is still a fun and magical place for both adults and kids to have fun.

To get cheap tickets, there are forums recommending hongkong tour agency. However, is not really worth it unless you getting tickets for more than 5 people as you have to make a trip down to the agency or incur credit card charges.
I got my tickets from klook. Tried it and it work.
Can use my recommendation code.
http://www.klook.com/invite/7I3H6

or disneyland site sometimes have its own offer
https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/offers-discounts/

Tips for a more enjoyable trip.


1. Bring along plain water, sweets and small snacks. It is going to a long long day with lots of walking.Hongkong disneyland's food are not really that nice unless you are going to the expensive restaurant. And while you are queuing, Some snacks and water will make queuing less frustrating.  Disneyland do not allow food so either hide it well or bring small items.

2. Reach early. No queues for rides. Do your shopping later part of the day when it gets too hot. And photo taking while waiting for the fast pass timing

3. Sunscreen, hat and umbrella. Say no to sunburns.

4. Lots of ways you can get cheaper tickets. Read and research if you are going in a big group. Please only go to those with good reviews.

5. Disneyland is situated at not populated and near the sea. It's temperature will be slightly lower than Hongkong and maybe more windy. May not be true for summer but definitely true for winter. I went in December, it was much colder at disneyland. Especially at night.

6. Plan your rides. We went through our first few rides with minimal queuing. We did 7 rides by lunch. In around 3 hours. Start from the one that is furthest. Then get a fast pass for one of the rides and in between the waiting time, catch a show or queue for another ride. For more fast pass information, https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/faq/fastpass/

7. Food at Hongkong disneyland are not really nice. Just a good place to rest and fill up your tummy. Maybe is because I go to the cheaper eateries. The only good thing is the Korean cuttlefish snack. The information and photo is right at the bottom of this post. For the money conscious,  don't snack. the snacks are priced quite high.

8. To get a good place to watch parade and fireworks, have to reach there around 20 minutes earlier.

9. Relax, have fun.

1.  We took a photo with Snow white near fantasyland as the queue was quite short. The fantasyland is not near the entrance. The waiting time was around 5 to 10 minutes

2. Cinderalla Carousel. Fear factor 0. Just sitting on a stationary houses and spinning at slow pace. They also have carriages. Suitable for very young and very old. Unless one gets dizzy very easily. The queue was quite fast, around 10 minutes as it was still early and fantasyland location.

 3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
Waiting time was also around 5- 10 minutes. This is slow moving ride where we just view the graphics and display, Suitable for the very young and very old.

4. Dumbo the flying elephant.
The waiting time for this is slightly longer. Around 20 minutes. It was a bit scary as the elephant will elevate from the ground. Dumbo's flying height can be adjusted with the joystick inside.
It is not really scary. Just not for anyone with a fear of height.

 5.   Toy soldier parachute drop. The name sound scary enough. The parachute will drop slowly from a few storey high. Not for someone with fear of height and falling. I skip this as I definitely will end up crying. My 7 year old niece enjoy the ride a lot. waiting time is slightly longer for this, around 20 minutes.

6. Slinky dog spin
It is a medium speed roller coaster with minor ups and downs. I can only say my niece had fun watching the timid me scream at every little thing. Waiting time was around 15 minutes.

 We skip this RC RAcer. Too scary for me.

7. Jungle River Cruise.
They have it in different languages to suit everyone. Just a very relaxing ride to see some man made animals. Quite a relaxing ride. Waiting time was around 10 minutes.

We had our lunch at TAhitian Terrace. We bought our tickets with meal coupons. It was slightly cheaper. Maybe around HK$20. The laksa was good. the rest was taste around the same. It was just average.

 8. Lion Dance show.

9. Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine cars
   Only 2 person in my family went. Rest of us are not really the brave ones. You will be able to see how the ride goes as it is outdoor, I heard it is fun. Waiting time is around 20-30 minutes. There are a lot of nice spots for photo takings so we don't mind waiting for them.


After this, the waiting time was around 30 minutes to an hour

10. Autopia
Driving a car. This is no height limit. Quite a relaxing ride. Except for my mum. She was too slow and cause a bit of the jam.

11. Space Mountain
I skip this. I heard is very very scary as it was not just ups and downs but very fast.
My 70 year old dad chose to be his first roller coaster ride of his life. A very bad life decision. It will be his last too.

12. Buzz lightyear Astro Blasters
A relaxing game where we take the blaster and shot. Quite fun as it was interactive and not scary.

13. Obrition
This is bit like Dumbo the flying elephant except it has the sci-fi and not the cute image.

14. Mickey's PhilharMagic.
A fun 3D show for all ages. My parents had fun and so did my niece.

15. Frozen Christmas

16. Disney in the stars firework

Star War 

 The unique snack available near the lion king Theatre. Freshly roasted Korean style Cuttlefish. The only food I enjoyed at disneyland. There was a long queue for it as there was a strong yummy aroma surrounding the place.

 Dinner at star liner diner.
Fast food. Fried chicken,fries and etc. The food was average. Just eat not to feel hungry.

Good bye!