Day One:
Very important is where to stay in Hong Kong to give you the best of everything and I would suggest Tshimshatsui...obvious lah..all the makan lobangs are there and even late into the night you still can get your supper and it is a very lively area too. All the hotels are located near the MRT entrances (exits).
If you take the morning flight you will arrive in the early afternoon and after check in you can go out for a light meal...dessert shops like Hui Lau Shan (on Haiphong Road) and Sweet Dynasty (on Canton Road..Haiphong Rd junction turn right..) are my favourites and so are those Hong Kong small eateries which serve delicious wanton noodles and best of all is their beef tendons/belly noodles and wash down with their special milk tea..lai char (along Cameron Road, Granville Road, Hankow Road, Haiphong Road etc). These are also open for breakfast and they have western sets too.
Dinner, if you are still exploring Tshimshatsui...drop in at Wu Kong Restaurant on Peking Road...serves great Shanghainese cuisine...lion head as a suggested dish..be careful...the servings are all very large..or walk further down Nathan Road to Shamrock Hotel where they have a restaurtant...serves very traditional Cantonese food and sea food too..or walk another kilometer further to Yau Ma Tei...London Restaurant on Nathan Road and many others. If you are going to Ladies's market at Sai Yeong Choi Kai...there is a good claypot eatery near Stanford Hotel and after that you can cross over to Langham Place for dessert at Honeymoon Desserts...great variety including durian!!
If you have a craving for Teochew food then take a taxi to Kowloon City which is a Teochew and Thai enclave...many Thai restaurants there too. We liked Soon Kee Restaurant for their Teochew food...Teochew owners...located at 41 Nam Kok Road, Kowloon City.
Tired???No?? Then take a walk to the Waterfront Promenade..nearer towards Star Ferry and have a beautiful night view of Hong Kong and the nightly laser show...if Chinese factories abstain from polluting the night sky!
Day Two:
After breakfast take the MTR to Wong Ti Sin Temple (station is Wong Tai Sin) as it is one of Hong Kong's most famous temples and is packed on each of the first and fifteen day of the lunar month. From there continue your journey on MTR to Kowloon Bay for a very delicious and sumptious tim sum lunch at Maxim Palace Restaurant in Telford Plaza...MTR station walk right in and to the right at the end of the shopping complex (shops opens at 11 a.m.). Maxim Palace's tim sum are sold on push carts and so you can check out what you want when each carts arrives at your table. Do try their desserts too especially the green bean soup..with a special kind of seaweed..that helps to cool the body..very popular during the SARS.
Be warned that Maxim is very popular and if you arrive after 12 p.m. you may have to take a queue number...definitely for Saturdays and Sundays but tim sum is still available the whole day except there is a special promotional price between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Bill is about HK$250 for 5 big eaters.
After lunch the suggestion is go to Sai Kung...in the past it was a quaint village but today it is the starting point for walks...many walking trials into the hills...very popular during the weekends and camping sites too...Honeymoon Desserts started their business in Sai Kung and still has a very large shop there.From Kowloon Bay take the MTR to Choi Hung for the mini bus (green) which station is just outside one of the exit..check the exit before getting out. The mini bus is very quick and gets to there in about 15 - 20 minutes and cost HK7.50. Alternativcely you can also take a bus..double decker and sit on top for a panaroma view as the bus climbs up hills and go down valleys into Sai Kung...slower pace too. Take the MTR to Diamond Hill and go up to the bus terminus and look for the bus to Sai Kung. Alternatively, you may want to venture to Lama Island for seafood. Rainbow Seafood Restaurant is one recommended. Do make a reservation as they also provide the ferry service from Central to the jetty next to the restaurant and vice versa.
Walk around the town and go for the desserts at Honeymoon, then along the waterfront...you see boats selling seafood and many locals buy from them and take home for dinner but you can also buy from them and then take the seafood to a restaurant of your choice..they will charge you a cooking fee and you can also order the vegetable and noodles dishes from the restaurants.
If you have time to kill then take one of the numerous boats for a ride to the offshore island which is popular with campers and then back for dinner.
Day Three:
Morning after breakfast take a taxi to Kowloon City...about HK$50 (but if you are more adventurous then take a bus..number 1A from Star Ferry bus terminus or along Nathan Road, Tshimshatsui and get off at the bus stop in front of the old Kai Tak airport...ask the bus driver to inform you when he reaches the destination) and explore the area...must do is the wet market and the shops fronting it...very cheap dried seafood like dried scallops, salted fish, fish maw, sharkfins etc.. and mushrooms (another place is of course the famous dried seafood street in Western District on Des Veoux Road West on Hong Kong Island...take a tram...Kennedy Town direction). In the market there are lots of Teochew foodstuff like preserved olives, salted small craps and shellfish etc. Also do visit Wo Kee Loong on 7 Tak Ku Ling Road, a very traditional Teochew pastry shop..yummy.
For lunch head for Sham Tseng...for Hong Kong's most popular roasted goose (the original place was a poultry farming village and some owners of the farms decided to roast their goose to sell which became very popular and Chan Kee and Yuen Kee grew in popularity as well). Suggest Chan Kee which is on the main road..Castle Peak Road..a taxi ride from Kowloon City costs about HK$100 or you can take the MTR to Tsuen Wan station and then get down to the mini bus station and take the bus that passes by Sham Tseng..driver will alert you if you let him know in advance). In the evenings especially weekends it is very crowded with locals..don't see many tourist...except the stray ones..
Afternoon go to Mongkok for shopping...taxi from Sham Tseng costs HK$100 if you drop in front of Langham Place Hotel...ha..dessert at Honeymoon on Langham Place...
Dinner you can cross over to Hong Kong on MTR to Wanchai and get out at exit A2 to head for Sang Kee Seafood restaurant...1/F Hip Seng Building, 107 Hennessy Road..you can see their neon lit signboard across the road...but do make a reservation...tel:2575 2236 and reserve their signature dish,,catfish congee..otherwise it maybe sold out....prices mof dishes are very reasonable and even for live fishes and prawns...they show it to you to confirm the weigh and freshness. 5 dishes with the fish will not be more than HK$600.
After dinner you can go down to Causeway Bay...if you like steamed milk then head for Yishun which is on the lane behind Sogo..opposite the taxi stand.
Day Four:
A morning visit to the dried seafood street at Western District on Des Voex Road, West would be very interesting and you can take the tram from Central or outside Admiralty station..tram that head for Kenny Town or Whitty Street..get down once you see the rows of shops selling dried seafood. Prices eg dried scallops are much cheaper.
For lunch go over to North Point..take the tram..fare is a flat HK$2..headed for North Point (final stop after passing through the wet market which comes alive in the late afternoon or Sakeiwan (drop off at a stop near the North Point MTR exit)..recommends Phoenix Golden Court Restaurant on 460 King's Road East (tel: 31029288) for their very cheap and sumptious set lunches..eg HK$288 with 5 dishes including a live steamed garoupa!..or take a tim sum set.
After lunch, shopping in North Point is interesting as it is very local and the wet market must not be missed as it comes alive after 3 p.m. Alternatively is to take the tram to Sakeiwan for a local atmosphere.
For dinner go to a very old teahouse, Lin Heung Tea House at 160 - 164 Wellington Street, Central. Do call up and make a reservation (Tel:2544 4556) as it is very popular with locals and also at the same time order the house speciality...stuffed duck. The food is very traditional home cooked variety...bittergourd with pork ribs, steamed minced pork with salted egg, deep fried sliced lotus roots with fish glue etc. Dessert is free and it is red beans soup.
On the way out...pay money down stairs (entrance)..you may want to buy some traditional pasteries for supper....or head down to Mak's Noodle (very popular for the wanton noodles) at 77, Wellington Street.
Having your fill of food, take a walk at Lan Kwai Fong and drop in at one of the numerous pubs for a drink and soak in the atmosphere. If you are still craving for dessert then go to IFC Mall for Honeymoon Desserts (shop no: 3013..3rd floor)...quite crowded after 9 p.m.
Day Five:
Last minute shopping (Uniglo at Miramar Shopping mall???) or have a hearty breakfast before going off to the airport...time flies when you are enjoying the run from one restaurant to the next for your food hunting.
Hope this suggested itinerary fits in with your next Hong Kong trip! And happy food hunting!!!
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