7 September 2012

Day 7 - Our second final day in Hong Kong and we are going to give ourselves a nice breakfast treat. While planning for our anniversary trip, we got to know Tim Ho Wan (添好運) is the cheapest 1 Michelin Star Dim Sum Restaurant. Reading through the good reviews from Tripadvisor and various websites definitely tempted us to mark this as the place that we Must-Go, Must-See and Must-Try.

Anticipating that there will be a long queue (even though it was a weekday morning), we arrived at Tim Ho Wan 45 minutes before it opens for business at 10am. Tourists and locals were already forming a long queue outside the shop. Despite being early, we were number 35 in the line. -__-

The restaurant opens at 10am to give out 130 queue tickets and another 60 tickets at 4pm. If you wish to taste good dim sum, you will need to have lots of patience. (*Note: The shop at Mongkok has closed due to high rental cost. Diners can continue to visit other outlets to enjoy the dim sum at Tim Ho Wan.)

The shop space at Mongkok was very small. It can only accommodate about 30 people at one time. The first batch of 30 diners went in at 10am and we have to wait for our turn as the 2nd batch.

10:45am - After waiting for 1.5 hours, we finally got a seat! We were famished by now. 

The famous Baked Bun with BBQ Pork! It is not the usual 叉烧包 that we normally eat. The crust is crispy and the BBQ pork filling melts in your mouth as you sink your teeth into it.

We ordered two portions and it was cleared in a few minutes. We were definitely HUNGRY!

Siew Mai, Har Gao and other assorted dim sum. All of them taste delicious.

Steamed mixed vegetable dumpling. The dumpling has a good stuffing and of assorted crispy veggie within. Tasted yummy too.

Our children favourite - Chee Cheong Fun! We ordered 3 different types of Vermicelli. 

Vermicelli roll stuffed with shrimp

Vermicelli roll stuffed with BBQ Pork

Vermicelli roll stuffed with beef

They also have Vermicelli roll stuffed with pig's liver but we decided to give it a miss. :)

Pan-fried turnip cake

Steamed rice with Chicken feet and Sparerib - This is probably the only dish that I don't really fancy throughout my dim sum meal at Tim Ho Wan. Somehow I do not like the unique taste of the meat.

Steamed rice with Chicken feet and Sparerib (left) Steamed rice with beef and egg (right).

Congee and Glutinous rice dumpling. I adore glutinous rice a lot and will not miss ordering one even though it is rather filling to the tummy. 

Deep fried spring roll filled with shrimp & vegetable (left) Deep fried dumpling filled with meat (right)

Our tummies were so full that we have to "Ta bao" (packet) our dessert back - Tonic Medlar & Osmanthus Cake.

Dining at Tim Ho Wan has definitely left an impression on us. To date, it is our longest waiting time that we have ever encounter and our first dining experience at a Michelin rated restaurant.

Tim Ho Wan has ventured out of Hong Kong and set up a branch at The Atrium @ Orchard in Plaza Singapura. Not sure how much is the difference in pricing or taste compared to its 'mother' branch in HK, but its good name has definitely attracted a huge crowd during its opening. 

Food 

Tim Ho Wan (添好運點心專門店)

Address: Multiple outlets 

G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
九龍深水埗福榮街9-11號地下
Nearest MTR station: Tsuen Wan Line, Sham Shui Po, Exit B2

Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, ifc Mall), Central
中環香港站12A鋪(ifc地庫一層)
Nearest MTR station: Tung Chung Line, Hong Kong, Exit A1

*The shop at Mongkok has closed due to high rentals.

After spending the entire morning at Lantau Island, we took the MTR back to Sham Shui Po. Exiting from C2, you'll be in the heart of Apliu Street Flea Market, which is famous for its electronics components. 

If you are not keen on looking at the second-hand electronic devices, audio-visual equipment or telecommunication products, Cheung Sha Wan Fashion Street is located nearby that may suit your shopping needs. Located on Cheung Sha Wan Road (between Yen Chow Street & Wong Chuk Street), it is a great place to check out the latest fashion and purchase them at wholesale prices.

Hubby was on a special task to locate 鹿角 for father-in-law. After visiting a couple of Chinese medication halls, we manage to find one within Sham Shui Po with a better discount rate to complete our mission! 

While we normally find roasted meat in hawker centres and wet markets, it can be readily seen along the streets stalls in Hong Kong. Furthermore, they are nicely pre-packed in Styrofoam boxes for you to grab and go.

For about 15HKD, you get a good mixture of roasted chicken, roasted duck, roasted pork and sausages! Definitely one of our Happiest and Greatest buy from the local street market. ^_^ Keeping in mind that we have a fully furnished kitchen with well equipped kitchenette back at Chi Residences 279, we heat up the meat and had another round of food-attack. It will be perfect to go with a bowl of warm rice.

Our plate of goodies were ALL gone within half hour! Thanks to our little contributors who showed no mercy when in comes to enjoying good food. Thank goodness they still remembered to keep some for Daddy and Mommy!

It began to drizzle in the evening. Hubby and I decided to head out to explore and get some refreshments. With the evolution of desserts and healthy drinks, I am sure many are familiar with 许留山香港. A chain of dessert shops specializing in desserts and its mango entrees. Can't give it a miss whenever we are in Hong Kong.

As the night falls, we discovered our way through another night market (unknown to many) - Yau Ma Tei Market (油麻地街市). It operates from 6am till 8pm with stalls selling fruits, vegetables, poultry and dry/wet goods. Despite the late hours, many stalls were setup and there are locals doing their late night purchases.

We are halfway through our Hong Kong trip and there's more to see, shop and eat! :) Check out more photos at our facebook page.

Places of Interest 
Apliu Street Flea Market (鴨寮街)
Address: Apliu Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon 
How to Get there: MTR, Sham Shui Po Station, Exit C2.


Cheung Sha Wan Market (长沙湾时装街)
Address: Cheung Sha Wan, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon 
How to Get there: MTR, Sham Shui Po Station, Exit C1.

Yau Ma Tei Market (油麻地街市)
Address: 20 Kansu Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon 
How to Get there: MTR, Yau Ma Tei Station, Exit A2.

Food 

Hui Lau Shan Healthy Desserts (许留山香港)

Address: Multiple outlets (http://www.hkhls.com/shop/shop_jl.aspx)

Are you a great fan of Doraemon (多啦A夢)? I have grown up watching this cartoon and even my children know him and his friends. Our family was lucky to catch the exhibition celebrating 100 Years Before the Birth of Doraemon at Harbour City during our visit to Hong Kong.

Do you know that Doraemon (the popular Japanese cartoon character) was born on 3rd September, 2112? Hence, an early birthday party has been organised to celebrate his birthday 100 years ahead, 'before' his birth.

Despite standing under the hot, scorching sun, HUGE crowd gathered at Harbour City just to take pictures with the lovable futuristic robotic cat. I could barely squeeze through to take a nice photo.

100 life-size Doraemons were on display at the exhibition, each holding a special gadget.

There were displays of Doraemon and his friends within the mall as well and we were amazed with the long queues at each photo shoot station.That only shows how popular and successful this cartoon has been throughout the decades. Although the exhibition has already ended, it has been great to be there and being part of the celebration. ^_^

Denver & Gladys having their share of play time at the Jumping Gym (Harbour City).

Habour City is situated at the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui. It is a one-stop shopping haven comprising of fashion outlets, restaurants and two cinemas. Apart from shopping, you can also get a great view of the Victoria Harbour. As we were too engross with the Doraemon exhibition, we did not have time to explore Harbour City further. Nevertheless, it is a popular mall among the locals as well as tourists.

Being conveniently located adjacent to the Star Ferry, Bus Terminal and MTR Station makes it so convenient for us to get back to our apartment.

It's dinner time! We dropped off near Ladies Street and settled in for dinner at Eat Together (大家食). We saw this shop near Yau Ma Tei too. Apparently it has a few outlets and the variety and pricing of food is pretty reasonable.

Noodles for the kids and hubby and rice for me!

We bought additional supper as we walked along. Fermented toufu is a not to be miss for Hubby whenever he is in Hong Kong! I prefer having my sausages and Gladys adores her favourite egg tarts. :)

Here we are at the famous Ladies' Street (女人街), a well-known and MUST-visit tourist spot offering various products (T-shirts, bags, toys, shoes, paintings and many more) at cheaper price. We don't usually buy things from the street markets as we prefer to emerge ourselves into the atmosphere and take a peek at what's the in-thing in Hong Kong. For a start, we will walk through the market first to have a feel of the products of our interest and it's pricing. I will only try to bargain for a cheaper rate if I am sincerely interested in buying the items to avoid any arguments later on.  ^_^

We took a leisure walk back to Yau Ma Tei from Mong Kok which is one MTR station away. Our kiddos were already tired out with the whole day program. We popped by Tung Kee Dessert again to give ourself a nice cooling treat.

Another signature dessert from Tung Kee - Hungry Bird(HKD $38). It is a mixture of assorted fruits giving you a taste of sweet, sour and bitterness. Very unique and refreshing.

Denver & Gladys had Aloha(HKD$30) - a combination of ice-cream and fruits in the bowl. Definitely an attraction for children. :) 

It was a long but eventful day. We managed to cover quite a number of places which we have not venture before in our previous trips.

Check out our Day 2 photos at BPDGTravels' facebook page

Places of Interest

Ladies' Street (女人街)

Address: Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon
How to Get there: MTR, Mong Kok Station, Exit E2.

Shopping

HABOUR CITY

Address:  3 - 27 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
How to get there: MTR, Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Exit A1

Food

Eat Together (大家食)

Address: 5 Fu Yuen Street Mong Kok
How to Get there: MTR, Yau Ma Tei Station, Exit A2 or MTR, Mong Kok Station, Exit E2

Tung Kee Dessert (同記糖水。甜品專門店)
Address: Shop B, G/F, Wing Sing Building, 36-40 Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei
How to Get there: MTR, Yau Ma Tei Station, Exit C
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tungkeedessert.hk

It was a sunny morning and a perfect time to admire Hong Kong's skyline from the top. We took a minibus (77M) to MTR Kowloon Station Bus Terminal. Upon reaching, we entered  ELEMENTS. It is a very spacious shopping mall covering over a million square metre, selling luxury and branded goods. Although it is located right above Kowloon Station, it is not as accessible to the other parts of Hong Kong compared to the other malls. However, the good thing is the crowd is not as massive and you can enjoy your shopping leisurely.

ELEMENTS is divided into 5 sections namely, METAL (Luxury brands), WOOD (Health, Beauty & Lifestyle), WATER (International cuisine), FIRE (Entertainment), EARTH (Fashion). Each area is decorated according to its theme. Apart from boutiques, restaurants, there are movie theatres and an ice-skating rink too. We started from the Wood zone and moved into the Metal zone.

The main purpose of our trip here is not shopping but to visit the Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck. Similar to Taipei101, Sky100 offers a 360^o panoramic view of Hong Kong from the 100^th floor of the International Commerce Centre (ICC).

Admission fee is not exactly cheap ~ SGD$78 for our family to enter. (~$20 per pax) It will be slightly cheaper to do an advance booking via the Internet. Entry is subject to availability and weather conditions. We were just in time to get the 1pm slot as the rest of the timing were full!

Entering the Memory Lane reminds me of home when we visit the Journey of Dreams at the Singapore Flyer. :)

Sky100 is currently the 4th tallest commercial building in the world standing at 393m above sea level.

We marvelled at the magnificent view of Hong Kong skyline. It was a different feel viewing Victoria Habour from the top. The skyscrapers, deep blue sea and white puffy clouds makes the entire view so scenic, beautiful and lively. Just admiring it lifted my spirit and brightened my day.

 I can imagine how enchanting it will be when the sun sets and Hong Kong glitters in the night.

Denver and Gladys drew a picture on a postcard and the interesting thing is they can send it back to our home via their postbox!

 Close up view and understanding Hong Kong.

Children can pick up a Sky Explorer Passport, send a postcard and go through the activities at 8 stations spreading across the observatory deck.

YES WE CAN! Exhibition at Sky100. Creative designs of Sampan, double-deck bus and Tsing-Ma Bridge using cans.

It's only Day 2 but we are loving Hong Kong tremendously! More excitement awaits us!

Summary of Day 2 - Part 2

Places of Interest
Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm
Address: 100/F, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon
How to get there: MTR, Kowloon Station, Exit B
('sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck' Entrance is connected to Elements - Metal Zone 2/F)

Shopping

ELEMENTS
Address: 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
How to get there: MTR, Kowloon Station, Exit B