Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Hong Kong Day 3


8:00 Breakfast at MX Cafe (above) in North Point, a section of Hong Kong that is like Chinatown times a thousand. We attempt a congee breakfast special but to our dismay pork abounds in the thick corn soup. We settle for the coffee and tea and people watching. Did I mention that in Asia there are TV screens everywhere? In the elevators, taxis, even at breakfast counters.
9:00 Temporarily lose appetite walking through North Point after encountering a sidewalk butcher shop and what appears to be a horse's tail on a hook.

Did I mention that Cantonese cusine (the primary cooking style of Southern China and Hong Kong)comprises everything that walks, flies, or swims? Every. Thing. More about this later.
10:15 Attempt a Dim Sum breakfast at Luk Yu Teahouse, the oldest and most famous teahouse in Hong Kong. Dating from the 1930's it features original wooden booths, ceiling fans, and spittoons. It also features an unfriendly and surly staff. After being ignored and chuckled at for about 45 minutes, we pay $4 for tepid tea and decide that Dim Sum is too mysterious a food to attempt without a Chinese-speaking friend.

1:30 Lunch at the Roof Garden at the Fringe Club, a lovely lunch spot. The vegetarian buffet (75 HKD) is super fresh and tasty with plenty of Asian and Thai options. The rooftop tables are a nice break from the hectic Hong Kong alleyways.
2:30 Star Ferry back to Kowloon for some shopping. The IT Store has all kinds of designer goods at big discounts but we're looking for the fake stuff. Head to Mung Kok "Ladies Market" for the replica handbags, sneakers, and watches. Despite the plethora of options we don't buy much, maybe beause the sellers are so agressive, maybe because the place seems so unsavory.
5:00 Ferry back to HK Island
Dinner at Veggie XP, a supposedly good vegetarian restuarant with faux versions of seafood and meat. We order the fake shark-fin soup, fried snails (below), and a chicken thing.

All of it except for the chicken is strange and not appetizing. And the service was not very good. Overpriced too. I don't reccommend if you're looking for vegetarian food in Hong Kong.

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