Hong Kong 2014 (Food, Sights & Sounds)

Every year, I make it a point to travel to Hong Kong. Even though there’s always a sense of familiarity when I return, this place is ever changing. There’s always something new to visit or some place that’s always been there but I haven’t been to. Last 2014, I tried to visit some of these places with the busy schedule we had.

Our first line of business was to attend two International Fairs that was held annually in Hong Kong. We pretty much spent the first two days (from morning until afternoon) at AsiaWorld-Expo and HK Convention & Exhibition Centre. I will stop from this point…Who wants to talk about these things right?!

Now for the leisure part, we did an afternoon check-in at Marco Polo Gateway in Tsim Sha Tsui. For the countless times I have been to this city, this was my first time to stay in the Kowloon area. The hotel is situated right inside Harbour City – one of Hong Kong’s largest malls.

(Tip: They also have a pillow menu where you can choose from 12 different pillows)

The Food

When in Hong Kong, you eat! Our first meal was a quick one comprised of xiolongbao. We also visited a restaurant called M&C Duck at Harbour City. As the name suggests, their menu is loaded with duck dishes like peking duck. The food was great! Portions were enough if you’re in a small group.

Even the food at the convention centre was appetizing.

We also tried several Japanese restaurants like Inakaya at ICC and Hip Katsu at Harbour City.

Inakaya is more of an upscale Japanese restaurant which features teppanyaki tables if you’re into those. Situated at the 101st floor, you get great views of the Hong Kong harbour. The latter is more of a mainstream katsu place situated inside the mall.

The highlight of our dining experience however was trying out the Michelin 3-Star restaurant L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon located at The Landmark (in Central). The place was not packed when we visited which was a good thing.

The highlight of the dinner was probably the scallops. It was cooked to perfection!

The Sites

We were supposed to visit the Sky 100 observation deck at ICC. However, the weather was too gloomy. The receptionist was kind enough to advise us not to go since all we will be seeing would be fog. Money saved!

From ICC, we walked towards the nearest MTR station. We ended up walking farther and reached the Austin Station. The stop looks fairly new and there was a lot of construction ongoing around the area.

(As I am writing this post and have gone back to Hong Kong just last week, the Blue MTR Line now extends to three more stops after Sheung Wan)

We also visited the Hong Kong Museum of Art. There was no entrance fee on the day we visited! However, you still had to pay if you would like to visit the special exhibits.

After, we walked further to reach the Avenue of Stars. This area is probably one of the most visited places for first-timers in Hong Kong. I finally saw the Bruce Lee statue! Yes, it’s my first time to visit this place. The weather was getting gloomy…and it rained eventually.

Our last stop was Prince Edward. I was looking for a shop which I thought was situated in Mongkok. We ended up reaching the next MTR station. There’s a happening in every street opening we pass by through the overpass.

This wraps up my visit to Hong Kong last 2014. The city’s bustling sound is music to my ears. I’ll be back again for sure!

Cheers,
The Tourist Pao