I didn’t sleep well the night before, so I awoke early and made myself a list of things to do before I headed out tomorrow afternoon.
1. Buy French macarons
I had researched a famous place before I left but upon arrival, I found a few different options that also had good reviews and weren’t nearly as pricey. A location of Le Goûter Bernardaud is located inside the IFC tower (one MTR stop away from my hotel) and once I found a map of the mall it was easy to find. A first for me on this trip! The gift box of eight sweets was $148 (about $17USD) and although they didn’t have the “cheese” flavor, I managed to fill the box. :) [Side note: I went back the next day and the cheddar flavor was available!]
2. Man Ho Temple
This small temple was only a few blocks from my hotel, so I peeked inside on my way to PMQ. So. Much. Incense. There were coils of burning incense everywhere and it made my eyes sting after a few minutes. This was a busy (working) temple so I mostly kept out of the way and snapped a few photos when possible.
3. PMQ
At breakfast I was seated next to two Americans visiting Hong Kong on business and Justine recommended PMQ as somewhere to explore. It’s a pop-up art community with lots of little artisan shops over several levels. There was a large variety of items for sale from custom handmade leather bags to terrariums, handmade jewelry and aspiring clothing designers. Throw in a few bakeries and coffee shops and you have a good way to spend an hour or two. However, you won’t catch me paying the equivalent of $8USD for pour-over coffee though – no matter where it’s from.
After that, I took a mid-day break for a Scottish stout at the Globe pub in SoHo. A comfy couch and my Agatha Christie novel was a welcome hour-long reprieve from navigating my way around.
4. Egg tart at Tai Cheong Bakery
Yum. Even better than I remembered and only $0.75USD. This beauty lasted about 20 seconds.
5. Graham Street Wet Market
From Hollywood Road to Queen’s Road Central, Graham Street is full of vendors selling fresh fruit, meats, fish and even orchids. I saw a shop where one fig was the same price as one avocado (~$1.55USD). I also spied Driscolls brand raspberries and blackberries – the California brand popular in the US!
6. Eat more dim sum
I went back to Tim Ho Wan and ordered the steamed rice roll with BBQ pork. The pork was tasty but the rice roll, well, lets just say the gluey texture was not for me. Oh well, at least I tried it and at $2.50 it didn’t break the bank. I also returned to Dim Sum Square and this time I had the Xiaolongbao, Siu Mai and Creamy Custard Buns. Everything was delicious and I cannot recommend this place more. I had mentioned it at breakfast and guess who I ran into at the end of my meal? :)
