Unboxing: Hong Kong 2024 Travel Haul

I finally got around to opening all the stuff I bought in Asia. And I think I exercised quite a bit of self-control in Hong Kong.

Innisfree x Steven Harrington: The Isle Adventure Collagen Green Tea Ceramide Bounce Cream Set and Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Serum Set
Innisfree x Steven Harrington: The Isle Adventure Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Serum Set x 2
Innisfree Green Tea Amino Hydrating Cleansing Foam, Green Tea Hyaluronic Skin Toner, and Black Tea Youth Enhancing Ampoule
Innisfree Hyaluron Moist Sunscreen SPF50+ x 2 and Perfect 9 Intensive Eye Cream
Casetify x Sanrio: My Melody "Fruit Sando" and Hello Kitty "Marketplace" iPhone 15 Pro Max MagSafe Clear Phone Cases
Casetify x Sanrio: My Melody "Fruit Sando" and Hello Kitty "Marketplace" iPhone 15 Pro Max MagSafe Clear Phone Cases
Sttoke Hong Kong x Mickco Limited Edition 12oz. Ceramic Cup in Pink
Topologie A-Frame Bag Small in Black
Topologie 10mm Rope Strap in Neon Yellow and Utility Sling Wide Strap in Black
Uniqlo Hong Kong UT "Dim Sum" Graphic T-Shirt
Uniqlo Hong Kong UT "Bubble Waffle Blanket" Graphic T-Shirt
Uniqlo Hong Kong UT "Bubble Waffle Cat" Graphic T-Shirt

I actually somewhat regret not buying more stuff now because there's no sales tax over there...

Innisfree

52 Yun Ping Rd., Shop A

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

(852) 3428-5640

Casetify Studio

K11 Musea, B1/F, Shop B122

18 Salisbury Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Sttoke 

K11 Art Ball, 2/F, Kiosk 41

18 Hanoi Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Topologie 

K11 Art Ball, G/F, Unit G05A

18 Hanoi Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

(852) 3709-7027

Uniqlo

Harbour City, 3/F, Unit 3231-2

3 - 27 Canton Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

(852) 2175-0810

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 10 — Family Reunion Dinner at Peony

For our last dinner in Hong Kong, we made our way to Discovery Bay for a family reunion with appropriately classic Cantonese dishes at Peony:

Sweet and sour Iberico pork
Roasted crispy goose
Roasted crispy pork belly
Braised bean curd with mushrooms
Seafood and glass noodles in fish broth
Pan-fried oyster pancakes
King crab fried rice with crab roe

Though the portions are small here (we ended up having to add another five dishes for our table of 12 people, which I didn't take pictures of because my family is fast at snatching up food), I thought everything was delicious — particularly the roast goose, which is less common in Canada as Chinese restaurants tend to serve duck instead — and well-presented. I wouldn't necessarily take a ferry to eat here specifically (we came here because two of my cousins live in DB), but it was definitely a great last dinner for our trip, and I had a great time catching up with everyone as well.

Peony

DB Plaza, Block C, 1/F, Shop 153A

1 Discovery Bay Rd.

Discovery Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

(852) 2215-0833

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 10 — All Day Breakfast Pancake Set and Uji Matcha Soufflé Pancake at Pan de Pain

On our first day in Hong Kong, we passed by an adorable pancake restaurant aptly named Pan de Pain, and I made a note to try it out at least once during our trip. So as our trip is nearly ending, we finally decided to go there for brunch today:

All Day Breakfast Pancake Set
Uji Matcha Soufflé Pancake

The all-day breakfast pancake plate was excellent; it satisfied all my Western breakfast cravings (because, as it turns out, there is such a thing as too much dim sum) and was just the perfect portion size to be able to fit in dessert afterwards. Which worked out great, because one thing I didn't have a chance to eat in Japan was soufflé pancakes, so I was able to make up for it by getting the delightful Uji Matcha Soufflé Pancake here. Perfectly creamy and jiggly and not too sweet, served with matcha cream, matcha syrup, matcha ice cream, matcha mochi, and azuki beans — the ultimate matcha lover's dessert. A rousing success, 10/10, would absolutely eat again.

Pan de Pain

K11 Art Mall, B1/F, Unit B111B

18 Hanoi Rd.

Tsim Tsa Tsui, Kowloon

Hong Kong

(852) 2576-1968

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 9 — Dim Sum Lunch at Voynich

Decided to check out a very fancy-looking restaurant (apparently it's inspired by secret agents like James Bond) called Voynich for dim sum lunch. We decided on their "Kwai" set lunch which is $218 HKD (about $38 CAD) per person, and thought it seemed somewhat reasonable considering the variety of dim sum included:

"Kwai" set lunch
Steamed shrimp dumpling with black truffle sauce
Steamed pork dumpling with crab meat and black caviar
Steamed mixed mushroom dumpling
Stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp and scrambled egg
Fried rice with seafood and dried scallop

Except what we were not prepared for was the portion size. The menu actually states every dim sum item in PLURAL FORM, but in execution, you get ONE PIECE of each dim sum. $218 HKD all of a sudden seemed like a complete and total rip-off. I get that the presentation is nice and there's some gold flecks in the har gow and the smallest dollop of caviar on the siu mai, but sorry, even with the quality of ingredients, this amount of food absolutely did not merit such a price point. (This doesn't include the tea fee, either, mind you.) The dim sim here doesn't taste any better than any other plebe dim sum I've had, either. The set meal also included your choice of rice or noodle dish, but again, in the smallest portion you can imagine. (To put in perspective, an order of fried rice or fried noodles at a regular Cantonese restaurant is around $15-20 CAD, but the portion is about five times bigger than what we got here.) 

Xiao long bao
Creamy chicken filo pastry puffs

We were not nearly full enough from this rip-off of a lunch set, so we ended up ordering xiao long bao and the creamy chicken filo pastry puffs on top of it. And that's when we learned that we should have just ordered à la carte from their regular dim sum menu, where both the prices and the portions are much more reasonable. A ROOKIE MISTAKE.

But, hey, at least the interior design is top-notch.

Voynich

Harbour City, 4/F, Unit 401

Canton Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

(852) 2688-2408

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 8 — Omakase "Great" Set Menu at Yakiniku Great Soho

My cousin Ben wanted to meet up for dinner since I was visiting Hong Kong for the first time in 20 years (and it had been nearly a decade since we'd seen each other in person). Originally, he wanted to take me out for some true local food like char siu rice, but then when I got back to HK from Japan, he messaged, "If we go for char siu rice, we will literally have a 15-minute dinner so I'm going to book somewhere else." And so he made a reservation at Yakiniku Great Soho, where I learned the art of eating Japanese beef with the Omakase "Great" set menu:

Beef tartare with parmesan
House green salad
Seared wagyu with browned butter and wasabi
Seared wagyu!
Seared wagyu!
Wagyu topped with egg salad and ikura
Wagyu meatball
Seared wagyu!
Rare wagyu in broth
Wagyu steak topped with uni on rice
Cold somen noodles with shrimp
Monaka ice cream sandwich

This set menu features 8 different cuts of wagyu (which are all presented, explained, and cooked to perfection in front of you), chef's recommended sides, a noodle course, and dessert over the course of two hours. File this one under MOST EPIC MEALS I'VE EVER HAD. (While I would've also enjoyed char siu rice, we agreed that this dinner was far, far superior.)

Yakiniku Great Soho

The Steps, H Code, 1/F

45 Pottinger St.

Central, Hong Kong

(852) 2758-8688

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 8 — Cucumber Salad, Xiao Long Bao, Pan-Fried Spring Onion Pancakes, and Shanghai-Style Fried Rice Cakes at Shanghai Po Po 336

Since it is hot as balls out (it's 30℃ all week and it's only March; I don't know how people survive the summer months here), we ducked into iSQUARE to cool down and get some lunch. So we decided on Shanghainese food at Shanghai Po Po 366:

Cold cucumber salad
Xiao long bao
Pan-fried spring onion pancakes
Shanghai-style fried rice cakes

My Shanghainese food cravings were satisfied, but the xiao long bao could use some work (not enough flavour, and the skins were a little too thick) and the fried rice cakes are way too saucy. Overall, this place is decent, but I actually think the Shanghainese restaurants I frequent back home are better.

Shanghai Po Po 366

iSQUARE, 6/F, Unit 605-606

63 Nathan Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

(852) 2806-1833

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 7 — West Coast Crêpe and HK Style French Toast Crêpe at Café Crêpe

Wanting some Western food for dinner, we decided to go to Café Crêpe. For those who have lived in Toronto in the last 20 years, you will know that we had our own Café Crêpe on Queen Street. It opened when I was in high school and I went there every time I ventured downtown (which was a lot, 'cause I used to go to a lot of local rock shows) and it was one of my restaurant staples well into university. It became a Queen Street icon. Except COVID happened. And then it permanently closed, after nearly two decades of business. But for some odd reason, their locations in Vancouver and Hong Kong remained opened. I didn't even know they had locations outside of Canada, but I FOUND ONE.

West Coast savoury crêpe
HK Style French Toast sweet crêpe

I decided to get the West Coast savoury crêpe (which has smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, spinach, and dill) because I didn't want something too heavy. It was good but I do think one of the other options with meat and cheese would've worked better with the sweetness of a crêpe. What was magical, though, was the HK Style French Toast sweet crêpe, which I assume is a Hong Kong exclusive item. Egg, peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, maple syrup, and icing sugar — it tasted EXACTLY like HK-style French toast. It doesn't replace an actual HK-style French toast, mind you (it lacks, you know, the toast part), but it was good enough of a replacement that I felt like I ate one. 

Café Crêpe

K11 Art Mall

18 Hanoi Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

(852) 2899-2286

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 7 — Dim Sum Brunch at Social Place

My cousin Bianca (who lives in Hong Kong) recommended a restaurant called Social Place, so we went there for dim sum:

Steamed "koi" shrimp and pork dumplings
Steamed beetroot dumplings with mushrooms and black truffle
Deep-fried "mangosteen" creamy lobster and corn glutinous puffs
Deep-fried "pear" black pepper wagyu beef glutinous puffs
Baked "apple" salmon and apple puff pastries
Baked "black swan" shrimp, pork, and chives puff pastries

I have clearly been wasting my time with plain ol' plebe dim sum. Along with our lunch at YUM CHA a couple weeks ago, we have had the most ridiculously adorable dim sum I have ever seen in my life in Hong Kong. These were ALMOST too cute to eat, and there are some incredibly unique options here, too (I, for one, have never had wagyu beef, lobster, or salmon at dim sum before). But the best part? They actually taste as good as they look. Okay, yes, they are pricier than your standard (e.g. plebe) dim sum (about $68 HKD/$12 CAD per dish on average), but if you're like me and you eat with your eyes first, then it's worth every penny regardless of currency.

Social Place

Silvercord Building, 3/F, Unit 303

30 Canton Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

(852) 3168-1362