BIG BUDDHA

We took a train from Shueng Wan to Central Station where we changed train to continue our journey to Tung Chung.  From there we took a cable car to reach Ngong Ping village.  It was cold and windy on the day we visited.  The village is designed after ancient china architecture with many restaurants and coffee shops which I thought was a bit over commercialized.

We can hear the wind howling even inside the cable car.  The car swung from time to time and the glass windows were all frosted.  At time when the mist clear we managed to take some shots.

From the ground level it is 268 steps to the Lotus Throne on which the Buddha sits.  The steps are pretty steep.   We were in decent physical shape, and have to take a short break halfway up the stairs to rest our legs and catch our breath.  The lotus throne is the circular seat of the Big Buddha. Visitors can walk around the it and enjoy the view from there, but cannot go inside the Buddha itself. 

With the mist cleared the view of the surrounding island and the sea was very pretty.

There are stalls selling Tofu Fa and so claim that the Tofu Fa make from water from the hill (山水豆腐花) by using stone grinder (石磨).  We picked Tak Kee out of 2~3 stalls as the rest were not opened for business yet. 

Due to the coldness we ordered hot tofu fa with ginger syrup (HK$10).  Ginger syrup alone has enhanced the bland flavor of Tofu Fa and at the same time added some red sugar available on the table to adjust to our preferred sweetness.    The red sugar dissolved gradually.  Smoothness of the pudding was just awesome.  It was incredibly smooth and soft.  We also ordered the sweet sesame paste which was thick and great flavor.

CHEAP FOOD

The prices of properties has been shooting up in the world and the badly hurt are the retailers whose businesses are conducted in rental shops. In order to survive they had to resort to slashing their  produce prices in order to stay competitive.  This is so, especially in Hong Kong where rental of shops can shoot sky high and thus cause a lot of small eateries to close shop as they cannot keep up with the demand of high rents.

Many restaurants in Hong Kong are offering great discounts on their food in order to stay afloat and this has enticed a lot of tourists to visit Hong Kong just for the food.  One of the great offer is Foo Lum Restaurant with branches spread out in the colony.

We went to one of their branches in Aberdeen with offer of $1 chicken and discounts.

Roast goose a must eat when in Hong Kong.  The hugh goose is nicely roasted and succulent

Crabs with glass vermicelli in cast iron claypot  -  Fresh juicy crabs

Fried beancurd with fish maw and mushrooms

$1 soft juicy steam chicken

Spring onions in oil, perfect pairing to the chicken

Mix fried vegetables with fungus and bamboo pitts

Lobster balls with noodles in cheese sauce - creamy and cheesy

Sweet-sour spare ribs with chunks of pineapples

Deep fried squid with salted egg yolk sauce, very rich and tasty

Chinese kueh lapis - rice flour steamed with brown sugar

Peanuts mochi, soft and chewy

The cost for the whole meal is only HK$600 plus.  What a great deal and good food

I MISS

Came December will think of winter in Hong Kong.  The comfortable icy wind blowing against you as you walk the street.  Even it is icy cold the comfort food to eat after dinner is desserts, be it cold or hot.

Sweet mango pudding with juicy mangoes and ice-cream

Blended mangoes with pamelo and ice-cream in coconut milk

Stew pear with lotus in hot sugar syrup to go with braised chicken wings

Mango jelly milk drink

Hot bird nest in almond milk

SIMPLE GOOD

Simple, cheap and nice food you can find in Hong Kong.

Crispy toast with luscious butter

Luncheon meat and egg sandwich together with cheddar cheese and fresh vegetables

Seafood hor fun covered with gold lava

沙 僵 鸡

The poach chicken in Hong Kong is so different when compare to Singapore in terms of texture and color.  The flesh is so tender and juicy, even for the breast meat and the skin is oily and bright yellow color.  The Singapore chicken is bleached to the point that the skin is pale white which looks so unappetizing.  The first place to savor the dish is in Hong Kong airport.

Half a chicken

Glossy yellow skin and tender meat

A good condiment for the chicken : grated ginger and chopped spring onions in chicken oil.

MARRIOTT

Courtyard Marriott is situated in downtown Hongkong with easy access to the financial district.  It offers great harbor view with a beautiful backdrop of Victoria Harbor.  The hotel provides complimentary shuttle to major Hong Kong business districts.  There is complimentary high-speed connectivity in all guestrooms.

Double twin-beds with soft and feather light pillows

Large luxurious marble bathroom with toiletries

Rates from HK 1,692.00

Marriott Courtyard Hongkong
167 Connaught Road West
Hong Kong

NICE VIEW

Accommodation with a nice view to enjoy. The sky was foggy and weather windy and wet.

TEOCHEW FOOD

There are many good and cheap food in Hong Kong.  It needs not be high end restaurants.  This Teochew eatery is located in a quiet neighbourhood in Sheung Wan and is always crowded even during weekdays, reservation is a must.

A small eatery with their signature dishes shown along the wall menu

To bring home a bottle of their preserved lemons?

Pickled vegetables and dried bean curd

Started off with Teochew oysters porridge to warm the stomach on a cold night

Their signature braised goose and the gizzards

Succulent prawns with broccoli and celery in XO sauce

Deep fried oyster omelette.  The oysters are fresh and huge and paired well with vinegar chilly sauce

Deep fried sour plum spare ribs  -  pair well with rice

Vegetables claypot

Melt-in-the-mouth stew cabbage with Chinese ham

Deep fried lotus pancakes and prawn balls

Hong Kong style tau-sau

Fruits platter to end the meal