Happy New Year from Hong Kong!
Sang nin fai lok (Cantonese for Happy New Year)! Hope you’ve had a great time counting down to 2014 with friends and family. May 2014 be a year for us all to get together with old buddies, make new friends, visit new places and do even more exciting stuff!
The first days of 2014 were filled with fun and surprise for me. The reason: Hong Kong.
Every visit to this metropolitan city never fails to amaze me. Great food, great people (ok, though some places aren’t known for good service). The juxtaposition of the old and new. The blend of traditions old and new. And as always, unexpected adventure.
With everyday at an average of 12oC, it’s no wonder we were downing mulled wine (these are from Peak Cafe Bar) at every happy hour possible. Once we were feeling warm enough, it’s adventure time!
And first, a walk along SoHo in Central, Hong Kong...
Got a mo’, bro? This restaurant looks interesting but we were craving for the roasted garlic pasta from our favourite restaurant Enoteca in SoHo. So, next time, bro!
Back to Enoteca... Enoteca serves yummy Mediterranean tapas along with a good selection of wines. Image from Wikimedia
And here it is, al dente pasta served with a generous helping of shaved parmesan and ROASTED GARLIC! These caramelized morsels of goodness are pure perfection (if you like garlic, that is). Other items like the Beer Battered Cod Chunks and Beef & Chorizo Meatballs are awesome too!
If you are visiting Hong Kong anytime soon, you’re going to have to drop by. You will love this place, promise!
Enoteca, G/F, 47 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong
And hey, a visit to Hong Kong can never be complete without a cup of lai cha (milk tea). If the cha chan teng’s version already got your tastebuds hooked, then you really need to try Teakha’s refreshing rendition.
Images from Olivia's Choice
To be honest, we were going to Jenny Cookies in Sheung Wan to queue for the famed butter cookies. But we gave up after seeing the meandering line of about 200 people – and passed by the quaint, little café on our way back to the hotel.
Look out for the crates and cute stump stools outside.
Artists regularly flock here – so expect a nice, relaxed atmosphere with a good dose of live music. But since we were the first customers that day so we had to wait a good 20 minutes for the brew – nope, there’s no rushing if you want good tea.
We ordered the Keemun Milk Tea, which needed the least amount of time, according to the ‘brewers’ (or tea baristas, or whatever you call these genius tea people).
And wow, it’s just so amazing how they used red dates to sweeten the drink it almost felt nutritious – OK, we forgot to take pictures of the tea but you can probably imagine how awesome it is from this picture we took from Something 2 Dine 4.
You can also get breakfast and yummy cakes as well while enjoying the music and hipster vibe of the Tai Ping Shan neighbourhood.
Teakha, 18 Tai Ping Shan Road SoHo, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong