I spent 96 hours in street food paradise in Asia – it was paradise on a plate
I am in the corner of a restaurant and chaos is everywhere. The interior folds, with signs of vintage neon, golden dragons and imposing iron doors. The atmosphere is electric.
In the last minutes, six huge sharing plates have been hoisted on our table. After mentally reaching the price, I am amazed to realize that the party before me costs only £ 88.
I find it hard to keep my ways when the steam is for the main dish – a sumptuous lobster dripping with soft and sticky sauce.
The conversation is dead for me. I’m ready to eat.
I am, of course, in Hong Kong, a dynamic city guaranteed to attack your senses in the most incredible way. From world -renowned street food to some of the most sympathetic people in the earth, the place known as the Culinary Capital of Asia is the dream of each traveler.
And, while tourism is finally recovered from the pandemic – in 2024, 44.5 million international travelers visited, up 40% compared to the previous year – there has never been a more exciting moment to visit this gastronomic paradise.
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First impressions
After a 1 pm flight, I am grateful to reach our first hotel, the 4 * Dorsett Wan Chai. It’s a flight, with prices from $ 700 hk (£ 69) per night. Slap Bang between the flourishing districts and the entertainment districts of Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, the surroundings are filled with fashionable markets and stores.
As I open the door of my room, I feel like the main character of a Rom-Com. I decrease for the King-Size bed and make a dive in mind before being distracted by the view through my floor window on the ceiling: the futuristic skyscrapers played with the boujoue with 19th century buildings.
I can also see Happy Valley’s racecourse, which I am told that the ultimate destination of nightlife in the middle of the week. With admission fees of $ 10 HK (99p), residents and vacationers meet for `Happy Wednesday ”, a bizarre smorgasbord of horse racing, entertainment and good food and drinks.
The hotel is so welcoming, you would be forgiven to jump between sheets, order a room service and watch the world go. But this is a unique trip, so I bring together energy to explore Hong Kong at night and get on the free hotel shuttle bus in Central.
Enveloped by lively lights and busy guests, I am struck by the safety that I feel safe in this city of 7.5 million people. As a woman, traveling comes with a side of prudence; Constantly check your bag and be wary of who is around you.
But here I feel free to absorb each sound, each view and smell. It’s liberating.
A culinary paradise
It is not a secret for anyone that Hong Kong is the paradise of a food lover. The cuisine is legendary, with everything, traditional cropping stains with the gastronomy of Michelin-Star, where chefs merge local products and flavors with international influences. The old -fashioned street food is a large company here.
During a visit to the island of Cheung Chau, 10 km southwest of the island of Hong Kong, where the inhabitants withdraw in summer, I head to one of the sellers of the seafront.
Looking at the multicolored wooden boats that sweep the water, I inspire a sugary egg pie. Each bite is celestial, from the butter dough to the creamy center of custard, all for $ 12.5 HK (£ 1.24). Back in the center, I see a crowd as the queue for the same dessert at the Viral Bakehouse. Once a “hidden jewel”, Tiktok has made the bakery a must -have in Hong Kong.
Always savoring the pie, I head to the Café Bau in Wan Chai, a concept restaurant from the farm at the table directed by Michelin star chef Alvin Leung.
Like each culinary experience so far, I am amazed by the volume of food. While I take an eight dishes tasting menu, devouring everything, from the point of pork to the thorny lobster, I feel like I am Man v. Food. Although my stomach is full, my taste buds insist that I finish each bite. This is perhaps the only time I try it, after all, because the defined menu is 1,288 HK $ (£ 128.48) per person.
For dessert, I do a Leone bar stand, a bad mood joint and vibey voted the best bar in Asia in 2024. I try a bitter velvety olive ($ 150 hk, £ 14.90) associated with garlic olives. If there is one thing that you will not be in Hong Kong, it is a tingling.
Metro’s # 1 Hong Kong hack from Metro
Take a ferry from the central pier on the island of Cheung Chau. The trip is 30 minutes and costs $ 23.20 HK (£ 2.31). I use an Octopus card to pay – the reusable smart card and without contact with Hong Kong. As an oyster with additional features (you can use to eat, entertainment and shopping), recharge your card with money and you are ready to go.
A changing urban landscape
Hong Kong is the largest artistic center in Asia. Each March, the city is transformed into immersive canvas. Artists and art lovers flock here from around the world, while installations, exhibitions and performances take over.
Street art is a large part of creative culture in Hong Kong, and there is no distance from the eastern and western influence. (Hong Kong was under controversial British 156 -year -old British before transferring to China in 1997.)
Every corner And illegal.
During a walking visit with Wanderlust Walks, our guide Alex weaves us through the animated central and Sheung Wan, sharing the stories of “behind the words”. Many highlight the social problems that afflict Hong Kong.
A local guerrilla artist, Go Hung, creates street installations from recycled materials. His famous Nest series, where he places baskets in the trees with the words “Back High” in colorful fonts, reflects the housing crisis and the arrow of real estate prices in the city.
An affordable long-haul
For my last two nights, I am in luxury 5 * Dorsett Kai Tak. While Hong Kong’s affordability varies depending on where you stay, accommodation rates are generally moderate.
After having heard of bars on the chic roof of the city and the infinity pools, I am surprised to learn that my room here costs only 973 HK (£ 96.79) per night.
Opposite the hotel is Kai Tak Sports Park, the largest sporty place in Hong Kong. By sipping my morning coffee, I look at athletes sprinter around the track; My own private Olympic Games.
The park is coupled with a large entertainment center and a concert space, making it the ideal place to stay if you have a ticket for an event.
The Kai Tak region also has an abundance of karaoke bars. I have time for my life in a small lair five minutes from my hotel, the arbor Amy Winehouse and sipping a blue girl, the local beer of Hong Kong. The karaoke is free and a bucket of sharing beer (six bottles of 330 ml) is 180 hk $ (£ 17.88).
As it is time to leave, I have a broken heart that I could not scratch the surface of this magical place. The most friendly people with attractive food, I now have a hole in the shape of Hong Kong in my heart.
How to get to Hong Kong and the best time to go there
Hong Kong shoulder seasons fell from March to early May and September in early October. Temperatures vary between 21 ° C and 28 ° C. As a destination where you are more likely to follow a route than Sunbathe, these months offer perfect heat – and fewer tourists – to discover the best of Hong Kong. Summer is notoriously sticky and humid, often reaching 31 ° C.
We fly with Finnair de London Heathrow in Helsinki and Hong Kong. Return economic rates start from £ 532. The seats in the new award -winning business class start from £ 2,025. As a business class beginner, I am like a child in a sweetness shop, in admiration in front of the unpidited revolutionary seat.
I change Emilia Perez On my 18 -inch screen, enjoy several champagnes and pesto pasta before my eyes feel heavy. But not worrying, I activate the button that transforms my comfortable chair into a bed, I slide on my eyes mask and falls into deep sleep. The new mood lighting (which fights the jetlag effects) is a gift, while the light “ `does not disturb ” outside my suite, allows the cabin crew knowing that I went out for the count.
Sophie-May Williams was a guest from Hong Kong Tourism Board and Finn Air.
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(Tagstotranslate) Lifestyle (T) Travel (T) Gourme (T) Hong Kong (T) Travel reviews
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