Dim sum, design & dragon boats
One of the world’s top culinary capitals, the city that worships the God of Cookery has many a demon in the kitchen, whether the deliciousness in the pot is Cantonese, Sichuanese, Japanese or French. So deep is the city’s love of food and so broad its culinary repertoire that whatever your gastronomic desires, Hong Kong will find a way to sate them. The answer could be a bowl of wonton noodles, freshly steamed dim sum, a warm pineapple bun wedged with butter, a pair of the sweetest prawns, your first-ever stinky tofu, or the creations of the latest celebrity chef. Underneath the glass and steel of Hong Kong’s commercial persona is a dynamic cultural landscape where its Chinese roots, colonial connections and the contributions of its home-grown talent become intertwined. Here you’re just as likely to find yourself applauding at Asia’s top film festival as joining in dawn tai chi or reading the couplets of a local poet to the drumbeat of a dragon boat. Culture could also mean indie music by the harbour or Chinese opera in a bamboo theatre, not to mention the thousands of shows staged year-round at the city’s many museums and concert halls.
2. The Peak
Rising above the financial heart of Hong Kong, Victoria Peak offers superlative views of the city and the mountainous countryside beyond. Ride the hair-raising Peak Tram, Asia’s first cable funicular, in operation since 1888 – to the cooler climes at the top, as skyscrapers and apartment blocks recede into the distance. At dusk Victoria Harbour glitters like the Milky Way on a sci-fi movie poster, mysterious and full of promise, as the lights come on.
3. Mong Kok Markets
With its eclectic speciality markets Mong Kok is your best bet for a rewarding shopping crawl. Ladies’ Market has a mile-long wardrobe covering everything from ‘‘I Love HK’’ rugby shirts to granny swimwear. Exotic seeds and gardening tools sit next to buckets of fragrant florals in the flower market. Stalls displaying colourful aquatic life in softly humming, UV-lit tanks line the streets of the goldfish market. There are vertical markets too – a buzzing computer mall, and a multistorey gadgetlovers’ heaven.
4. Man Mo Temple
Experience Chinese folk religiosity in Soho. Permanently wreathed in sandalwood smoke from the hanging incense coils, the famous temple is dedicated to Man (literature) and Mo (war) and the gods who govern them. Formerly a cultural and political focal point for the local Chinese, the temple now commands a following beyond conscientious students and the martially inclined, as locals and tourists come to perform ageold rites and have their fortunes told.
5. Wan Chai Dining
If you were to hurl yourself, eyes closed, into a random neighbourhood and expect to emerge smacking your lips, you’d stand the best chance if you were in Wan Chai. The district is home to a great many restaurants suiting a range of pocket sizes. Regional Chinese cooking, European cuisines, Asian kitchens, East–West fusion, classy, midrange, hole in the wall… Just name your craving and head on down to the Wanch; you’re certain to find it there.
Hong Kong Global Geopark
The government will step up facilities at this breathtaking geopark – Unesco-listed since 2011 – including accessibility, certain pier facilities and training of professional guides.
Lai Chi Wo
A 400-year-old village and freshwater wetland, Lai Chi Wo is undergoing an agricultural revival that may serve as a model for other country park enclaves. It’s also part of Hong Kong Geopark.
Hong Kong craft beer
Suddenly everyone is making craft beer in Hong Kong and bars are selling them. Young Master Ales has a brewery that’s open to the public on Saturday mornings.
Caroline haven
This old gritty residential area on the outskirts of Causeway Bay has become a haven for shop owners, designers and restaurateurs attracted by the lower rent and the old-fashioned neighbourhood vibe.
Pok Fu Lam village
There are tours now at PFL Village, one of Hong Kong Island’s last remaining villages, after it was declared a ‘‘heritage site under threat’’ by an international watchdog.
TUVE
A strongly design-oriented boutique hotel in an old and quiet corner of a largely residential neighbourhood. Design freaks will be right at home among the steel, glass and concrete.
Simple dishes refined
Restaurants making refined versions of familiar Chinese chow have sprung up on the island: Fortune Kitchen and Choi’s Kitchen.
Desserts
Dessert shops, including high-end Atum Desserant and budget Master Low Key Food Shop, are blossoming in the city that traditionally believes the best compliment one can give to cake is ‘‘It’s not sweet’’.
Restaurants by family of old establishments
Family feuds and other exciting matters at some of the most revered names in Hong Kong’s culinary landscape have spawned new, smaller and more affordable outlets that live up to their heritage – respectively Seventh Son, Kam’s Kitchen and Kam’s Roast Goose.
When to go
October to early December is the best time to visit. June to August is hot and rainy. Beware of typhoons in September.