It's Dim Sum day!

Today is Sunday. In Hong Kong it is Dim Sum day. If Cantonese sunday Dim Sums have exported well as far as Melbourne for example, good ones are still difficult to come by in Singapore. Some weeks ago we enjoyed Crystal Jade at Takashimaya, but for something a bit more 'real' we discovered Victor's Kitchen at Bugis today. It has the usual Siew Mai (steamed minced pork dumplings) or Har Gao (prawn dumplings) and also steams some lovely custard buns as the close-up in the picture above shows (like in the Moon cakes you even have a piece of yoke in the middle). And everything is cooked on demand to add to the freshness.

Victor's Kitchen at Sunshine Plaza, #01-2191 Bencoolen St, Singapore

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-9pm

Hong Kong & Macau

The picture above announces one of the ferries I took today between Hong Kong and Macau. All in all, in between all the Companies, there might be ferries linking both cities every 5 minutes.

When Hong Kong was British and Macau was Portuguese my preference and fascination were deeply going for Hong Kong. At the time the city just left me gobsmacked. But 10 years or so after I am amazed by the way Macau negotiated its new status. Of course, casinos remain the main activity (even more than ever) and since the market was opened a few years back, the major American Vegas companies are setting up offshoots here. But what is fantastic is the way Macau retains its identity. Overall there have been links with the Portuguese for over 400 years and, as everywhere they went, the Portuguese left some interesting features without forcing them to the local inhabitants (unlike the Brits and the Frogs). It is always interesting, wether you are talking about Brazil, Cabo Verde, Angola or Macau to see how the coloniser and the colonisee kind of mixed (incuding genetically) but always voluntarily. Each side only adopting what they were interested in. For example, the Macanese adopted some Portuguese ingredients in their food habits and vice versa to create a unique cuisine. I am now about to go and enjoy the city by night (but without gambling).

2008: Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Hong Kong everyone. May all your wishes come true.

Last day of the year

I am quite happy to spend the last day of the year in that buzzing and fascinating city. I'll certainly be out with the crowds to watch the fireworks tonight even though I already had a good crowd immersion all day taking the tram up to The Peak. It was a beautiful and sunny day with perfect cool temperatures. As expected the sky is always a bit hazy over Hong Kong therefore it is rare to get a clear view from the top. But once more, it is such a relief from hot and sticky Singapore.

Enjoy your last day of 2007 and see you in 2008.

Tai O Fishing Village

Far from the busy and and modern city of Hong Kong you can step back in time on the remote village of Tai O perched on the far south-western coast of Lantau. Do not go there for the architecture but lose your senses in the local market which can only surprise you with all those fishy dry products. On the above picture, you can witness oysters drying under the sun!

City Gate

Here we are in Hong Kong. As we were not arriving particularly early I had booked an hotel not far from the airport at City Gate which is literally composed of walls of tower apartments that give a real sense of... a city gate. I wish I could recreate the view (or may be I will if I happen to see this place from a distance) but in the meantime here is a close-up at what is on offer (just multiply this by 100 and you will get an idea of what it looks like.