In remembrance

On this day, my thoughts return to the city that I call home. To a day that was filled with grief, but also showed me how incredible the human spirit is. I will never forget the kindness that crossed my path, or the sense of unity that encompassed an entire city.

Shum Shui Po Eats: Dim Sum

The Michelin Guide is a yearly publication that ranks restaurants and hotels on an international scale. While the rankings can be controversial, many ardent eaters follow them on their travels, marking off restaurants to visit. While I don't think that this is a complete list by any means, it's fun to see who is included. There is a guide for about 20 countries in the world, covering major cities. Restaurants of note are awarded one, two, or three stars (three being the best).

When I was doing my food research for the neighborhood, I noticed that a one-Michelin-starred restaurant was in the area. That alone might not get me to visit. But better yet, it was considered one of the cheapest dimsum options in town. Whoo; what an irresistible combination! I am there!

English name: Tim Ho Wan

This place ended up being a leisurely 10 minute stroll from my apartment (I am *loving* this neighborhood!). As I had carefully timed my visit to be on a weekday morning, it was not too busy and I was immediately seated and handed a paper checklist of menu items.

Chinese literacy helps make a belly full!

At this point, I mentally lamented my limited stomach and cautiously marked off three items to try. I could always order more later, right?

Item #1 to arrive was their famous roast pork buns (叉燒包). There was something a little different about this version though. Instead of a soft sweet bun with a slightly glazed top, these baked buns were topped with a thin crackly layer of sugar similar to that on a 菠蘿包. The bottom of the bun was also slightly browned, so that there was a slightly crunchy resistance when you bit down.

Three buns to an order, each of them about the size
of my palm. 

I really enjoyed this new texture in my 叉燒包. The sugary top didn't distract from the pork filling, and I think it was especially delicious because it came to the table piping hot. The one small dislike I had was that there was too much porky glaze inside the bun, and not enough pork itself.

Porky innards. The slight change in texture created a whole new
eating experience.

Item #2 to arrive was the Chiu Chow dumpling (潮洲粉果). It's not one of the most popular dumpling choices at dimsum, but I find that I like it more than the traditional shrimp or pork dumplings.

Plumply pretty!

I think I like these dumplings so much because of their flavor and texture contrasts. The skin of this dumpling is particularly sticky and chewy, and it is filled with a myriad of chopped ingredients. I think the filling differs at each restaurant, but typically it includes some sort of meat (pork or shrimp), some form of crunchy vegetable (pickled turnip or water chestnut), some herbs (chives or cilantro), and peanuts. All these combine together to make for a fantastically thrilling bite. The version at Tim Ho Wan didn't feature some of my favored ingredients (no dried shrimp or cilantro), but everything was really fresh and tasty.

Dumpling guts. 

Finally, Item #3 was chicken feet braised in black bean sauce (豉汁鳳爪). The difficulty in this dish (in my opinion), is getting the cooking time right. Too short and the chicken feet will be too chewy. Too long, and there's no texture left (which is what I've experienced a lot in dimsum places). Tim Ho Wan's version was absolutely perfect; the sauce was also spot-on. Not so much of it that the chicken feet were drowning, not too salty, and with a ever-so-slight kick from a thin slice of pepper on top.

Cartilage-y goodness! 

I really enjoyed my meal at Tim Ho Wan. I understand why the place receives criticism (with so many restaurants in Hong Kong, everyone has their own favorites), but I found the food to be very fresh and tasty. And with it being so close, I may just wander over again in a few days to sample some more menu items!

Shum Shui Po Eats, Part 1 of many

The neighborhood of Shum Shui Po is a treasure trove of unique local streets, offering anything and everything that a local or tourist would want to buy. I'm having so much fun staying here, and wandering around the busy streets. Of course, all this walking around makes me hungry. There's so much to eat that I haven't gotten to everything yet!

Chive and Pork Dumplings in Soup. I am staying near the Dragon Centre
Mall ( 西九龍中心), and the food court offers manymany cheap options.

One of the many herbal tea shops in the 'hood. They always smell
really distinctive; pungently herbal.

This must be a famous store; there are always lines when I pass by.
The popular item seems to be sheets of bean curd.

Crowd waiting to make their purchase

Another popular destination; this one is popular for their homemade
cheung fan, or steamed rice rolls. 

My favorite way to have cheung fan! These rice rolls are fresh from the
steamer, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then they are drizzled with a
combination of sweet sauce, sesame paste, and dusted with sesame seeds.
Four rolls make for a great snack and costs only $6 HKD!

The cheung fan was really tasty, better than the ones I get from New York. The texture was chewy but not gummy, and the batter must have been incredibly smooth because the resulting rolls were silky. The sauces adhered well to the rolls, so that each bite was salty and sweet and sesame-y all at once! 

For the ones old enough to remember...

I woke up this morning, and this was being played on TV...

Whoo! Trip down memory lane; all the actors look so young.

The price of city life

I have now moved to my long-term Hong Kong location... whew! For the first time in over a month, I will be staying in one location for longer than a week! I am very happy to unpack and to stay put for a little while. I rented out a service apartment in Kowloon. The place is tiny (pretty much a double bed, some space to move around, and a bathroom), as expected of Hong Kong. But it is very clean and modern looking, and I am finding it very comfortable. I don't mind small spaces at all, and this one is so very cute!

Tiny, but I love it!

Of course, I celebrated my tiny corner in this city by having some dessert. It is almost the Mid-Autumn Festival, and mooncakes are being sold everywhere. For years, I have been hearing about this new type of cold "iced wrapper" mooncake. What is it?!? How does it taste?!!

Hmmm. They don't look like the traditional mooncakes.

Turns out, the "iced wrapper" is a thin layer of mochi! There were dozens of different flavors to choose from, so I picked a black sesame paste with hazelnut crunch. It was interesting, as the flavors seemed so familiar yet new at the same time. Taken with a nice cup of hot tea, it made for a perfect afternoon snack.

Mooncake guts!

Ah Hong Kong. I have a feeling that a large proportion of my upcoming posts will be about food!

More Lamma Island

I don't know if my surprise is a big factor in this, but I am finding Lamma Island incredibly beautiful and picture-worthy! If not for the fact that I'm being eaten alive by mosquitoes (the locals say that they like my new foreign blood :P), I'd want to stay here longer.

So I've been hiking around the island the past few days. I must be getting used to the heat because I walked around for almost 3 hours today, and the humidity isn't bothering me at all now. Lamma Island is quite hilly, and the trails often start at beaches and end on hilltops, so the views have been quite breathtaking in person. It doesn't quite translate on camera, but it definitely didn't stop me from trying!

I felt like I was an explorer trekking through the
jungle, getting glimpses of beautiful scenery
between the trees.

Of course, the sight of the gigantic power station dispels any notions
of being on undiscovered land. Pretty valley though, no?

And of course, all the trails were very civilized,
paved and marked clearly.

Seriously, this looked SO much more huge in person.

I think I ended up hiking about 300 feet up. Doesn't sound nearly
as impressive that way though.

View of another bay and village.

Rolling down the side of the mountain to get downhill is not an option.

And a view from below, on beach level. Extra large because it is extra gorgeous!

The water was surprisingly clear and clean!

My sea glass souvenir. Yes, I know it's just broken bits of beer
bottles that have been worn smooth from the ocean. It's still pretty!

This is 20 minutes from HK?!?!

So where am I now, to get some much-needed rest and relaxation? I'm currently surrounded by green trees and chirping birds. There are shaded hiking trails that lead to pretty mountain views. There is abundant seafood, and beautiful views to enjoy while eating it. And all this is just a short ferry ride from Hong Kong Island!

I am, of course, on one of the outer islands of Hong Kong. Lamma Island, specifically. I found an apartment share and booked a room for a few days to see what 'getting away from the HK bustle' was like. And you know, it's pretty darn nice!

I didn't expect such peacefulness near HK!

The place I'm staying at is about a 15 minute walk uphill in Yung Shue Wan village (榕樹灣). Getting there from the ferry with my luggage was one tiring, sweaty hike!

Oh, it gets steeper.

View of the power station towers as I head uphill.

So far, I'm really enjoying my time here. There's a nice mix of local tourists and expat vacationers, and everyone is very laid back. Local shops sell handmade items as well as imported souvenirs (seriously, I just saw that in Bangkok!), and there's lots to eat as well. The pace is completely different from Kowloon/HK Island... nobody is rushing anywhere!

I had to try it! Of course it doesn't compare to dad's version! :)

There's some hiking trails and beaches that I'm planning to see in the next few days. I love roaming around with no agenda!

This was dinner's accompanying view.  Gorgeous!