hong kong: day 2.

2359hrs

The second day in HK was highlighted by good food, some breathtaking sights, and a personal first. So let’s get with the photos!

My favourite shot of the day: char siew sou (叉燒酥)!!!

(+24 after the cut)

Everyone was suitably refreshed after a good night’s rest, all ready for another day of shopping/eating! :D

This dinosaur egg is actually the Hong Kong Space Museum! Behind it is Victoria Harbour.

In the driveway of the super-posh Peninsula Hotel, we spotted a Rolls Royce all prepped up for a wedding! I hadn’t noticed before how funny the Rolls headlights look, haha XD

A candid moment after my mother waved at them :X

There seem to be much less expats around, but still quite a few Caucasian tourists enjoying the mild weather in HK.

***

One of our chosen places for dim sum in Hong Kong is Jade Garden at Star House, which overlooks the TST Star Ferry terminal. Try to go at opening time (11am from Monday to Saturday, 10am on Sunday) in order to secure a window table and the freshest dim sum ever!

Here’s what we ordered. Quite substantial for three people!

Quite simply, the best siew mai (燒賣) I’ve ever tasted. See that white stuff on top? It’s all prawn! And the crab roe… OMG I want to eat this again .__.

Not to be outdone, the braised pork ribs with black bean sauce were pretty damn good too.

We <3 dim sum! Haha XD

Jade Garden
4/F Star House
3 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
MTR station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Opening hours: 11am to 11.30pm (Monday to Saturday); 10am to 11.30pm (Sunday and holidays)

***

After brunch and some shopping at Harbour City, we took the Star Ferry from TST to Central. The fare is dirt cheap (HK$1.70 for an upper-tier seat) and it only takes nine minutes from point to point!

Halfway across the harbour… it was another hazy day.

Upon reaching Central, we decided to take a bus up to the Garden Road where to Peak Tram terminus was.

Open-top buses are so ridiculously touristy XD

My camera was almost horizontally on the ground so I could capture this cool shot: Two International Finance Centre, the tallest building in Hong Kong at 415m, and the seventh tallest in the world. In comparison, Singapore’s tallest buildings of Republic Plaza and OUB Centre are only 280m tall.

The Peak Tram, which has amazingly been in operation for 120 years! It’s a breathtaking way to go up to Victoria Peak, with a maximum gradient of 27 degrees :X

The view of Central/Victoria Harbour/TST from The Peak. It’s a pity it wasn’t a clear day, but compared to the last time we were there, it was a significant improvement :D

Some rich person’s villa on The Peak. Maybe it’s Andy Lau’s?

The Peak Tram (Garden Road Terminus)
Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong
MTR station: Central
Best way to get there: Bus 15c from the Star Ferry Terminal (Central)
Runs: daily from 7am to 12 midnight, at 10 to 15 minute intervals

***

After The Peak, it was time for an early dinner in Central… and where better to go than to savour the best roast goose in Hong Kong?

You can’t say you’ve had HK roast goose until you’ve had Yung Kee (鏞記) roast goose! It’s so juicy, so succulent, so flavourful… wah piang.

Some tofu dish. Quite nice!

You can’t go far wrong with kai lan and mushrooms in oyster sauce :P

Yung Kee Restaurant
32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
MTR station: Central
Opening hours: 11am to 11.30pm
*no online reservations allowed until February 29, 2008*

***

Our final stop for the day was somewhere I really wanted to go, one of the driving forces of my wanting to go to HK this time around. I have heard so much about Krispy Kreme from dot (who knows her food, trust me) over the years, and I’m very much a doughnut lover heheh. However, I refuse to queue for Donut Factory doughnuts in Singapore; very nice meh? -_- Want to eat good stuff, must go for the best:

I almost shed a tear when I stood in front of the shop. Krispy Kreme!!!

I kept the box in which I bought my first KK doughnuts :X

Sweet, soft (ohmygawd so soft!), round pieces of heaven :D

It was the perfect end to a very long, tiring but ultimately satisfying day in HK :)

Krispy Kreme
51 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong
MTR station: Central
(also more conveniently located at the HK International Airport)