After Vietnam, the initial plan was to fly straight into Japan. As we were trying to figure out which flight to book, we noticed a lot of the flights had a layover in Hong Kong. Knowing we would have a layover regardless, we thought why not spend a couple days in Hong Kong while we are in this area of the world? So that’s how we ended up spending 48 hours in Hong Kong.
Nathan was FASCINATED by Hong Kong and its history so if you want the rundown of this place, he has got you covered.
Food
Surprise. We ate a lot in Hong Kong. While there were a couple of misses with food (just like every other country we have been so far), the great and different food we did have made up for the misses.
Egg Custards And Pastries
Everyone talks about getting egg tarts while in Hong Kong so that was one of the first stops we made when we arrived. They are delicious! I can only describe it as if a cream cheese danish and mini egg quiche had a baby. You get the height of a mini quiche with a main base of pastry dough and sweet egg/custard flavor throughout. While stopping for pastries you have to get other things as well like butter pineapple buns, cookies, etc.
Duck
In the states Nathan and I do not eat duck. It’s something we don’t actively seek out and when we have tried a duck dish it’s dry or not that good. Nathan found this restaurant that was highly recommended and known for its duck dishes. Chukfo Taipan is tucked away in a little alley with fruit and food vendors right across the street. We got lucky and were able to sit down with no wait even though the little restaurant was busy as can be. This meal was hands down our favorite in Hong Kong and the people were super nice too when helping us order.
Australia Dairy Company & Interesting Soup Desserts
One thing we saw over and over on social media was the Australia Dairy Company. The restaurant itself is known for constantly being crowded, sharing tables with strangers, and receiving “get in, finish your food, and get out” attitudes from the wait staff. On the other hand the food itself is what people rave about. It’s leans more towards breakfast style with the menu including french toast (which was huge in Hong Kong), milk pudding, scrambled eggs, toast, etc. When we went it was about 8pm and we already had dinner. For second dinner we opted for the classic order of french toast with milk pudding. Was it really good french toast? Yes. Was it the best I have ever had? No. Nathan really liked the milk pudding but I couldn’t get over the texture. Overall it was a fun experience and since we went later at night it was easy for us to get a table to ourselves.
After having a late night breakfast, we walked over to Kai Kai Desserts. This restaurant has authentic and traditional desserts which were more like cold, sweet soups. Since leaving Vietnam, anytime I have seen mango on the menu, I order it. The mango dessert was great with the mango pieces and mango soup base. The other crowd favorite that we ordered was rice dumplings in ginger soup which was way to strong of ginger for us but we tried. Again, worth the experience of trying something new.
Getting Around Hong Kong
In a lot of the cities we have been to so far, public transportation has been easy to navigate. Hong Kong was no exception with a variety of public transport options that are straightforward. If you want to sight see while also getting to where you need to go easily, double decker trollies called Ding Dings are the way to go. This was primarily how Nathan and I got around the city and it was a cheap way to explore Hong Kong.
The Monster Building
This building is part of Nathan’s Wikipedia Hong Kong knowledge bank. After about a 20 minute ride on a Ding Ding, we made it to a different side of Hong Kong that had more residential buildings vs. sky scrappers. The Monster Building is actually a group of five connected buildings that house about 10,000 people. It’s hard to imagine when looking at this building how that many people can fit in one area.
Nathan and I have both been to New York before and I figured the look and feel of Hong Kong would be similar. While there are similarities, both have very different qualities. Specifically in Hong Kong, all the buildings feel much more dense with balconies, AC units, laundry air drying all around. Which the dense feeling makes sense with a little over seven million people living in Hong Kong. One minute you’re walking and looking up at these older buildings then all of a sudden there are all modern skyscrapers surrounding you.
Hong Kong Skyline At Sunset
Victoria Peak at sunset is something you definitely need to do if you visit Hong Kong. While it can get crowded, it’s worth watching the skyline start to light up and see just how many buildings this area holds. We found that taking an Uber up the peak was cheaper than taking the scenic trolly ride up.
Nathan Road
Nathan found a random sign that had his name on it and he was very happy about it.
Misc. Images From Hong Kong
