When we arrived at the Central Ferry Pier, we headed straight to the MTR Hong Kong Station where we would find our first stop for breakfast.
Tim Ho Wan is a dim sum restaurant chain that originated in Hong Kong. In 2009, they opened their first location in Mong Kok which earned them one Michelin star. With locations now all over Asia, Australia, and the United States, Tim Ho Wan is often regarded as one of the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants.
I had tempered expectations going in since SC told me beforehand that their dim sum wasn't anything special. I still thought it was worth a try while we were in Hong Kong. We went to their Central location, which is located in the basement floor of Hong Kong Station. We arrived about five minutes before they opened and there was already a line formed. Fortunately we made the first seating. The picture above was the line after we finished eating.
The restaurant has a check-sheet menu for ordering, and it's also available in English. We got a grand total of nine dishes (truly we are gluttons for punishment). This post is already photo-heavy so I'll just list the dishes we ordered here:
- steamed fresh shrimp dumplings (ha jiao) ($33 HKD)
- steamed pork dumplings with shrimp ($33 HKD)
- braised chicken feet with abalone sauce ($33 HKD)
- steamed beancurd skin roll filled with pork and vegetables ($25 HKD)
- steamed eggplant stuffed with minced pork and bean paste ($25 HKD)
- baked bun with BBQ pork ($21 HKD)
- deep-fried spring roll filled with garlic and shrimp ($33 HKD)
- pan-fried turnip cake ($17 HKD)
- steamed rice rolls stuffed with shrimps and chives ($33 HKD)
Overall, we found the dim sum to be mostly average. Most of the dishes were around the $4.00-5.50 CAD mark, so it's pretty similar pricing to what one could find at home.
The only dish I found to be worth it was the baked bun with BBQ pork ($21 HKD = $3.50 CAD). The buns have a crumbly sugar crust, while the filling consists of sweet glazed BBQ pork. Shout out to my dad for hand-modelling.
After we finished eating, we walked to the bus station outside and boarded a bus that went up to Victoria Peak. It was an exhilarating experience sitting on the upper deck, mostly because I'm afraid of heights and I was scared the bus was going to topple at any moment off the narrow roads.
When we finally arrived at the Peak, we decided to spend the extra money for tickets to Sky Terrace 428. Standing at 428 metres above sea level, the Sky Terrace is the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong. I highly recommend going up here to get a proper view. Hong Kong is truly a concrete jungle.
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Instead of taking a bus back down, we thought it would be easier to just take the tram down. It was way faster than the bus, but line-ups could be crazy depending on the time of day. I thought it was worthwhile to experience both modes of transport.
We later walked about 15 minutes to our lunch destination in Central.
Yung Kee is quite famous in Hong Kong, known for their signature charcoal roasted goose. It's a slightly more upscale restaurant with prices to match. The restaurant actually has multiple floors so we were whisked up to the second floor in an elevator.
We got a combo plate of two roasted meats of our choosing, their signature roast goose and barbecued pork. The barbecued pork was pretty good, but the roast goose is definitely the highlight here. Crispy skin and juicy, succulent meat.
To go along with the meat, we each had a bowl of steamed rice and a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables. Perhaps it was the lack of greens in our vacation diet but even the vegetables were delicious!
While we were in Central, we made sure to stop by the main location of Tai Cheong Bakery. This bakery was established in 1954 and is famous for their egg tarts and Chinese doughnuts.
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A section of the Central-Mid-Levels escalator system. It's the longest outdoor escalator system in the world, and it's lined with restaurants and shops on both sides.
We were getting quite tired from walking in the heat so we found refuge in Shari Shari Kakigori House. Kakigori is Japanese shaved ice, which is ground finely and then layered with different syrups, sauces, and toppings.
There was a wide array of flavours to choose from, but we went for the mango lassi with panna cotta ($90 HKD = ~$15 CAD). The shaved ice is topped with mango yogurt syrup, fresh yogurt, and fresh mangoes. The panna cotta is layered inside the ice so it's a nice creamy surprise when you eventually reach the middle.
There was a minimum charge of $35 HKD for each person eating in the shop so that is why you see a random side of mochi (+$15 HKD) there.
After being properly refreshed, we walked a bit further down to Man Mo Temple. It's one of the oldest and most revered temples in Hong Kong. It's named after Man, the god of literature, and Mo, the god of war.
It's an impressive landmark, with lanterns and coils of burning incense.
We didn't stay for too long and ended up taking a taxi back to the Star Ferry pier and then the shuttle back to the hotel.
In the evening, my dad wanted to explore Ladies Market again, so we ended up at a random restaurant nearby called Ming Yuen Noodles for dinner.
I got my favourite lemon iced tea, which I pretty much ordered wherever I could. It's not common for restaurants in Hong Kong to serve ice water, so this was the only way I could quench my thirst.
We shared a couple bowls of noodles, including one with fish dumplings and another with stewed ox-tripe and liver. Offal isn't really my cup of tea, so my parents enjoyed this one without me.
We also ordered chicken and salted fish fried rice. I actually try not to eat as much rice nowadays (bad Asian I know) but there's just something comforting about a bowl of fried rice.
Day 4, fin!
- CT
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