HONG KONG: GOOD TIMES

Some people say that the true test of friendship is the time your friends spend on you.  It means, then, that I have true friends in Hong Kong for during my recent visit they kept me very busy indeed.  Knowing my love for good food, they rallied around, entertained me and took me out for some of the best suckling pig, 奶油猪仔包，菠萝包，蛋挞，鸡派，奶茶, 清汤牛腩面 in town.  They showered me with gifts of homemade cake, crispy egg rolls, cookies, Chinese sausages and salted fish.  They skipped work on Monday just so they can accompany me for 早茶。

Dinner with Ally, Cindy, Pearl & Tammy

<新斗記> 铜锣湾店

新斗記佐敦店曾获得2012年米芝莲一星的美誉

这道招牌的「火山石乳豬」被視为必叫之菜

Lunch with Sally Yim

北角 <凤城酒家>
 渣华道62～68号 ｜62 – 68 Jaffe Road
+852 2578 4898

旧茶楼feel   有不少街坊fans

主角出場: 灌湯餃

Tea time with Sally

湾仔<金凤茶餐厅>

湾仔春园街41号

历史悠久的传統港式茶餐厅

蛋挞，鸡批，奶茶

湾仔<檀島咖啡餅店>

蛋挞

***

A friend once commented that I’m 长情.  Can it be a way of telling me that I can't let go of the past?  As I get older I find myself more in awe of historical architectures around the city than spanking new malls.

***

The electric trams are still running!  Though I do feel a sense of forlorn knowing that the old ding-dings are being replaced by modern new ones.

***

Traditional local diners (茶餐厅) are part of Hong Kong's charm and character.  Sadly, soaring rents have forced several tiny boutiques and local diners to shutdown completely.  Over the past years, small shops in Causeway Bay, especially those in Russell Street, Lockhart Road and Jaffe Road have been gradually replaced by chain stores operated by international companies.  A November 2012 report by global real estate adviser Cushman & Wakefield indicated that the average rent in Causeway Bay is now higher than New York’s Fifth Avenue and Paris’s Avenue des Champs-Elysees!

<德兴隆>

店面格局怀旧 沒有冷气设备

无敌豆腐花

 

<龍鳳冰室>
湾仔春園街16號

怀旧装潢冰室   

TVB actor 林子善所投资的茶餐厅   林子善在电视剧<怒火街頭2>里饰演米佐治

***

I've always had a penchant for street markets ( 街市).  I especially enjoy the hustle and bustle during the early mornings when hawkers open their stalls.  The narrow alleys comes alive.  So much action!  A man, with a dog on leash, haggles with a butcher, an old lady yelps in surprise as a fish leaps out of its tank and lands on the floor, colourful fruits and vegetables are stacked neatly side by side.  The dim sum trolley is loaded with steaming baskets of goodies.  Next to where I'm standing the baker slides open her shop door and the scent of freshly baked bread immediately fills the air.  I take it all in, the sights, sounds and smells.  It's like watching a movie.  There comes a day when all these that I treasure will disappear into new and modern constructions in the name of redevelopment and progress.  Will it be for the better?  I need to believe that it will be so.

After dinner on a Saturday evening Tammy, Cindy, Pearl, Ally and I hung out in my hotel room with a constellation of conversations at our feet.  At one point, the inevitable question was raised. "How many years have we been friends?" Some mental calculations followed. “23,” came the shocking revelation.  A reminder that old architectures may collapse and street markets may become outdated, there remains our friendship. Strong, steadfast, forever.