Hong Kong/Macau 2008 – Avenue of Stars & Symphony of Light
September 29, 2008 | 5,513 views
Tsim Sha Tsui
Taking the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) trains from Mong Kok to Tsim Sha Tsui is a rather short trip, separated only by 2 stations wedged in between. (HKD4.40/RM2).
The YMCA Building @ Tsim Sha Tsui
Various skyscrapers around Tsim Sha Tsui, most notably The Peninsula (bottom pics), an award-winning hotel that has been operating since 1928.
MACAU Restaurant @ Shop A & B, G/F, Lokville Comm Building, 25-27 Lock Road, Tsim Sha TSui, Kowloon.
Though it was barely 5pm, we were ready for an early dinner, as late dinners in Hong Kong = Seats-grabbing fiesta, and Patience-testing ordeal. Macau Restaurant (http://www.macaurestaurant.hk/) has a few branches in Hong Kong, serving authentic Macanese cuisine, catering to those who missed trying some in Macau, or couldn’t be bothered to travel all the way for a taste of such in Macau.
Clockwise from top left : Baked Rice with Seafood, Spinach Noodles with Prawns & Mushrooms in Tomato Sauce, Beef & Fish Balls Noodles, Milk Tea, Portuguese Egg Tart, and Macau Crispy Bun with Corned Beef and Cheese
My Baked Rice with Seafood in Lobster Sauce (HKD36/RM16.20) sounded promising, but failed to deliver. Diluted tomato sauce, with a faint hint of lobster (or rather, fishy essence) drowned the lightly fried rice with eggs. But the mussels, squids, and prawns made up for the minuses. The rest of the meal proved to be rather bland, the Macau crispy bun with corned beef and cheese (HKD19/RM8.55) was too dainty to be of substance. But the Portuguese egg tart (HKD7/RM3.20) was GOOD, creamy & milky egg custard, with flaky pastry. Total damage? HKD124/RM55.80 for a moderate affair.
Wing Wah Bakery @ Tsim Sha Tsui
A few shops away is this simple, plain old bakery manned by a Chinese old man. Still longing for more to fill that vacuum in our stomach, I picked a golden yellow egg tart, and a wife cake (lou por peng), while the others bought fluffy egg cake, etc. Forgot the price, but egg tarts should be around HKD4/RM1.80 per pc.
MY HKFA?!!! *_* (I can dream, can’t I?)
A short walk to Tsim Sha Tsui’s Waterfront, we reached the Avenue of Stars, where people gather and hangout by the strait separating Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula. Resembling Hollywood Walk of Fame, the waterfront not only serves as a cool hangout for couples and families, but also popular with avid photographers.
Quirky structures abound at the waterfront
You’ll see Bruce Lee’s statue immortalized in that famous pose of his, and various other statues/structures for camwhoring purposes
Of course, coming here on a breezy evening is definitely more ideal, comparing to us suffocating in the smog, and tormented by the heat and stagnant air. Directly opposite the waterfront you’ll be able to see Victoria Harbour, and the amazing skyline of Central on Hong Kong Island. But clouded by the haze, the beautiful view was somewhat obstructed. Sigh ….
Victoria Harbour and Central
Some STARS on the pathway
The magnificient night view on Hong Kong Island. Can you spot the famous Bank of China tower?
Every night, at 8pm sharp, the Symphony of Lights show will start, and lasts for approximately 10 mins, promising an unforgettable multimedia experience
44 Buildings, Five themes – Awakening, Energy, Heritage, Partnership & Celebration
You’ll be able to view the dazzling performance every night, either from the Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon side, OR from the other side at Wan Chai’s Golden Bauhinia Square, on Hong Kong island. Narration in different languages on different days, with English on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while Mandarin narration’s on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Only on Sunday will you be able to listen to the explanation in Cantonese.
A splendid shot? (Credits to TallGal)
After hanging around the waterfront, and cooled ourselves down at a nearby shopping complex, we were on our way back to Mong Kok
Aberdeen Fishball and Noodles Restaurant
We had our compulsory (ahem) supper at Aberdeen Fishball & Noodles Restaurant, with four branches in Mong Kok alone. We were attracted to this outlet as the menu was extensive, the place looks clean and unpretentious, and the food is reasonably-priced.
For an additional HKD7/RM3.20, you’ll get a drink of your choice to complement your meal
You probably would’ve heard the Hong Kong actors ordering “Tung Ling Cha” (Iced Lemon Tea) in the movies/dramas quite often. Wanna know what’s the difference between the version in HK and Msia? In Hong Kong, they do not skimp on the lemon wedges, as evident from the pic above. First you ‘mash‘ the lemon wedges in your drink to fully extract the tangy juices, and relish your cold, refreshing glass of cooling concoction. Lovely. My perennial favourite Milk Tea however, conquered all, and remained my #1 choice throughout my stay. =)
Braised Fatty Beef and Enoki Mushrooms with Rice (HKD30/RM13.50 per set, with a complimentary drink)
Pork Cheeks with Satay Sauce (HKD38/RM17.10)
The Braised Fatty Beef (trust them when they mention FATTY !!) and Enoki Mushrooms was nothing special, but not to say it was bad. But the star of the meal had to be the utterly delicious, PORK CHEEKS. Actually pork neck in Chinese, the thinly sliced pieces of meat were roasted to perfection, with the outer layer crispy, and the tender yet chewy meat intact with the natural juices of the meat. Oh how I miss those! Give the accompanying Satay sauce a miss though, as it was way too salty.
Location : #1 (148, Sai Yeung Choi St) #2 (139, Tung Choi St) #3 (Flat 2, G/F, Fa Yeun St) and #4 (G/F, 20, Nullah Road). All in Mongkok, Kowloon.
** Be warned though, service’s NOT that satisfactory, and the pork cheeks took a good 20 mins to arrive. But well worth the wait, IMO. **
Next Day’s Itinerary : Dim Sum @ Central, Golden Bauhinia Square, Times Square, and The PEAK.
Ooh, thx for the compliment. Can’t believe i can take such nice shot.haha!Maybe i can change my job to be a photographer.Hehe?
[Reply]
Can I ask u one more time if you still use 5610; it’s too good to be true; The night scenes are magnificent and the nite’s light symphony was what I miss last time there so I saw it here. Eh, feel like eating tarts now, they look so yummy nice..oh my stomach growling.
[Reply]
Haih…your recount on ur recent trip to HK makes me wanna go visit HK. The food and the night scene…hmmm but ppl say that the ppl there very snobbish and rude…right anot? Especially the sale persons there 🙂
Btw, I love reading your blog :))) Keep up the good work!!
[Reply]
I was quite disappointed with the symphony laser show. . . 🙁
[Reply]
tallgal : haha, some mere praises and already ‘kembang’? =P
jencooks : oh, only the food pics are taken using my 5610. the scenery and all taken by camera. 🙂
elinluv : sales person not snobbish, at least in those outlets we went. only some in restaurants/cafe they show their dark side.
allie : you were expecting so much more? 🙂 maybe we were just glad to be there with hundreds of others.
[Reply]
I. Wanna. Go. HK. And. Macau. Now.
So long no vacation di… you just gave me my next holiday destination, dear. So much food, so little time… Hehe.
[Reply]
“late dinners in Hong Kong = Seats-grabbing fiesta, and Patience-testing ordeal”… hahaha.. so cute.. so true! by the way, the husband loves loh por peng.. was it any good? price looks good la.. 😉
[Reply]
i am so going to go makan in HK& Macau based on your recommendations… just a question of when 😛
[Reply]
The pork cheek look so tender~~~ & succulent too ~.~
[Reply]
The Symphony of Lights last time got fireworks everynight. I think they cut cost oledi.
[Reply]
Very nice night pics, dude. And that pic of the pork neck won my heart. 😛
[Reply]
Though the service was bad and the ever grumpy waitresses whr we can always easily find in HK, this Milk Tea was one of the better ones thruout the entire trip. Nice!
[Reply]
life for beginners : I. Want. Go. Again. As well. 🙂
cumi & ciki : the many chains of Wing Wah lou por peng in shopping complexes and in streets sell them at HKD4 per pc. smaller than the ones in Msia, but popular nonetheless. But i find them a bit hard when cold.
jasmine : there are a lot more eateries I've missed. but there's alwiz another getaway. 🙂
mimid3vils : yeah, I am drooling thinking of the tender meat.
precious pea : it'll be perfect with fireworks.
lyrical lemongrass : thanks, but I was fiddling my fren's camera as the night scene mode was very sensitive to shakes.
mboy : to me, every cafe serves GOOD milk tea! slurpilicious.
[Reply]
Wei,at mini now la.. Got internet connection,surprisingly. Hehe.. Reading ur blog to pass time.. Haha! Wa,ur HK-MACAU trip stil left how many episodes? Like nvr ending one? =P blog faster ma,if not u’ll forget everything u indulged lo.. Hehe..
[Reply]
kakkaka the Peninsula… i stayed next door to it (Kowloon hotel). Peninsula = RM1500 per night. Oh and if you do stay with them they will offer you a limo service to and from airport. By the by, peninsula has THE best chinese restaurant in Hong Kong, hands down. Prices are eye watering…
macau restaurant aka oo moo cha chan teng… my sis fave but i honestly hate that sh8t… she forced me to go there for every single meal during our last trip in HK :S In the end got diarrhoea (They arent actually reknowned for cleanliness…)
Wing Wah does very very good moon cakes (gf bought me a box when she visited me – it was promptly devoured in less than 4 days) It is actually a chain of bakeries.
Walk of fame was sooo… boring… and lies!! It was bloody hot despite me literally falling into the sea!
[Reply]
elinluv: actually sales ppl used to be very snobbish… but since SARS outbreak, they had to learn their manners as the tourism industry took such a huge downturn. If I may say so, I think the sales ppl in HK (right now) are perhaps the politest bunch. Certainly better than Malaysia and London. I can only speak about high end shopping (since well that was what shopping I did at HK) For example, when I entered most boutiques they would greet you, stand aside let you take your time without pressuring you and then even if you don’t buy anything, they will thank you for your time etc. I don’t even get the same level of politeness in London.
by the by, speaking of sales people… it is a funny sight seeing those mainland china ppl going into designer boutiques.. The sales people are almost like fighting with ea other for their business – these mainland china ppl are shit rich. They go in to Dior or LV and buy like 5-6 bags at once… and they pay in cash!!! The men actually brings a briefcase of cash along…
[Reply]
kca :no worries, now that I’m at the halfway mark, I’ve retained most of my memories. I hoped.
genuiness : well said. 🙂 I was astonished by the level of politeness as well, and they seem to be so informed of their products. guess SARS did offer something positive in the long run?
[Reply]
Beautiful night view photos*
ohya.Good reviews of your HK trip =) Love reading it*
[Reply]
thanks, Jerome.
[Reply]
I was also amazed by the level of politeness shown by the HK sales assistants.They are also very knowledgeable on their products and what@which item suits u best. Thumbs up.
[Reply]
Very good review of your HK trip accompanied with wonderful pics.I’ve been there many years ago and yes the sales people are very snobbish those days.Anyway I’m planning a trip there again with my family and your recommendations will be useful to us this time,thanks for the good work 🙂
[Reply]
you’re most welcomed, ipoh aunty!
hope your trip this time around would be filled with fun and laughter, instead of snobbish faces.
[Reply]
Awesome way of thinking. I like it. Thank you for sharing
[Reply]
Very good blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any tips? Many thanks!
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
December 10th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
I am using WordPress.org, self-hosted. You can start with Blogger (blogspot) since I started from there too, and it’s pretty easy to navigate around.
[Reply]