Hong Kong-Day 1

Our sole purpose to Hong Kong was to EAT. Maybe a little bit of shopping as well....hehe! We arrived quite early and we took a 10 minute cab ride straight to Tung Chung where the famous outlet mall, Citygate Outlets is located. You could also take bus number S1, S52 or S64 from the airport. This place is home to many branded names like Coach, Polo Ralph Lauren, Adidas and many more. Heaven for the girls ;) We decided not to have lunch here but wait till after we've checked in as the place around our hotel has many good eateries. Walking distance from the mall is Ngong Ping 360 where you can take the cable car up to Ngong Ping Village and the Tian Tan Buddha Statue.

All visitors to Hong Kong should get the MTR tourist day pass and for HK$ 55, it's quite a good deal as one way ticket from Tung Chung Station (nearest station to airport) to Sheung Wan Station (where our hotel and the Macau Ferry Terminal is located) cost HK$ 21 and any trips between HK Island and Kowloon will cost you around HK$ 10.50-11.50. We checked into Mingle on the Wing, a boutique hotel that's a few steps away from the Sheung Wan station. Quite reasonably priced for the amenities provided and the location.

Let's get to the food...1st stop, Sang Kee Congee Shop. This family run business has been around for 40 years and it's famous for it's variety of congee like fish, crab, pig's innard and beef. It was winter and a hot bowl of congee was just perfect. Look at the queue...definitely a must try. I found the congee very smooth! The portion is huge as you can see from the photos, the congee is almost overflowing from the bowl.

Beef congee. Complimented with a small bowl of soya sauce, fresh spring onions and ginger

Congee with pig's innard of liver, kidney and etc...

Pan-fried fish cake

Sang Kee Congee Shop

Opening hours: 7am-9pm (Closed on Sundays)

Address: 7-9 Corner of Burd and Hillier Street, Sheung Wan

Direction: Sheung Wan MTR, Exit A2

After that hearty meal, we walked along Wellington Street towards Central. We came across Mak's Noodles, fame for its wonton. This restaurant received the Bib Gourmand distinction in MICHELIN guide Hong Kong/Macau 2010 and many famous people have tried this place including Anthony Bourdain. While we were there, we bumped into Hong Kong singer Kenny B. We asked the staff for recommendations and they were very helpful. We noticed the portions were slightly smaller than what you would normally find in Hong Kong but it makes up in it's taste and luckily we were still quite full from the congee. Noodles were chewy and quite tasty. We love the shrimp wonton...fresh and chrunchy!

Noodles with shredded pork

Noodles with shrimp eggs sprinkle on top

Prawn dumplings

Shrimp wonton

Mak's Noodles Ltd

Opening hours: 11am-8pm

Address: 77 Wellington Street, Central

Direction: Central MTR, Exit D1 & D2

Read more in the next post...Hong Kong-Day 1 continue

Places to stay-Japan

Entrance of Osaka Arietta Hotel & Osteria

One of the guest rooms in Arietta Hotel & Osteria

Bathrooms are very modern

Ueno Sutton Place Hotel

Superior Single-Sutton Place Hotel

In my previous post, I shared on an ancient castle in the small town of Himeji . This city is best visited as a day trip from other cities like Osaka or Kobe. I recommend staying in Osaka as it has more things to offer and the hotels available is much more.

One of the challenges that visitors face when coming to Japan is accommodation. Not because of the choices available but because cost is high. One of the hotel I suggest is Osaka Arietta Hotel & Osteria. The location is just minutes away from the subway and the price is very reasonable for the service and amenities provided. This hotel is under a group called Renaissance Hotel Group and they have a few other hotels around Tokyo and Fukuoka as well. Some of the hotels have 20% discount on Sundays. That is definitely good news!

I will post a few more options on the places to stay in Japan for your future reference. So drop by for more info...