Shopping gems
by Shopping & Style editor Kawai Wong Hong Kong’s status as a shopping paradise is a signed and sealed deal. There are your usual mustsees:
Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui (a Champs-élysées
sans grandeur),
Times Square (1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay. +852 2118 8900) and the markets in
Mong Kok for people on a budget. But don’t forget the edgy independent shops dotted around the rest of the city.
Neoclassic & Open Sesame (First Floor, 6 Stewart Road, Wan Chai. +852 3114 1313) is a barbershop and antiques store. Featuring green walls and aged furniture collected from all over the world, you can buy whimsical hand-soldered lights from 1,800RMB.
Select 18 and in-store shop
Mido Glasses (Ground Floor, 18 Bridges Street, Sheung Wan. +852 9127 3657) are choc-abloc with vintage items.
Hatwoman (Shop 209, Man Yee Arcade, 68 Des Voeux Road, Central. +852 2167 8337) specialises in quality millinery sourced from all over the world. And don’t forget to check out
St Francis Street and
Star Street (
www.starstreet.com. hk) for more independent shops.
Hollywood and
Lok Ku Road are also famous for vintage finds and contemporary galleries.
Culinary delights
By Food editor Dorothy So
It’s difficult to do justice to Hong Kong’s eclectic dining scene in a few short paragraphs. At one end of the spectrum you have the super-local eats that make up the backbone of this city’s culinary tradition. Go for old-school dim sum pushed around in metal trolleys at Lin Heung Tea House (160-164 Wellington Street,Central. +852 2544 4556) or hit up the Mong Kok area in Kowloon for some down-and-dirty street food.Hong Kong is also great for seafood.Forget the touristtrap places like Sai Kung and head out to the Aberdeen Fish Market (lunch only; Ground Floor, 102 Shek Pai Wan Road, Aberdeen. +852 2552 7555) where you choose your sea-dwelling prey mere hours after it’s been caught.On the other hand, if you want to try some high-end international cuisine, go for a Michelin-starred, wine-paired meal at Time Out Hong Kong’s 2010 Restaurant of the Year, Amber (Seventh Floor, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen’s Road, Central. +852 2132 0066). Alternatively, if you visit during October,the famous white truffle menu at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo (Shop 202, Second Floor, Alexandra House,18 Chater Road, Central. +852 2537 8859) is worth the splurge.
Party animals
by Nightlife editor Oliver Clasper
The unavoidable cacophony of Top 40 music that consumes most of Central makes it hard to find real clubbing, but it does exist if you know where to go. Two small and highly dedicated drum ’n’ bass and dubstep crews, Kongkretebass(
www.kongkretebass.com) and Heavy, ply their trade at
Backstage Live (First Floor, Sompteaux Centre, 52-54 Wellington Street, Central. +852 2167 8985). Also watch out for their collaborative outdoor parties throughout the year. For cutting-edge techno (minimal or tech house, mainly), mainstay
Yumla(Lower Basement, 79 Wyndham Street, Central. +852 2147 2383)and newcomer
Fly (Ground Floor,24-30 Ice House Street, Central.+852 2810 9902) serve it up every weekend without fail, while
Volar (44 D’Aguilar Street, Central.+852 2810 1272) pushes the latest electro and international acts – though it’s pricier and with a much younger crowd. For afterhours clubbing of the grittier kind(on weekends the above venues shut at around 5am), head down to
Homebase (Basement Floor, Au’s Building, 17-19 Hollywood Road, Central. +852 2537 1000)
Wild things
By Around Town editor Andrew James
Don’t let the suits fool you – Hong Kong rivals most major cities when it comes to outdoor pursuits.Beaches?
Pak Tam Au to
Tai Long Wan is Thailand without tourists.Cool waterfalls and cliff jumping? Trek to
Sheung Luk Stream. Tall,tough summits? Wind your way up Lantau Island’s
Sunset Peak (for hiking details, maps, photos and more preferred hikes, see
www.tinyurl.com/TOHKhikes). Want to get wet? The city’s scuba shops will take you to the best dive locations in
Sai Kung for day or night-time dives (contact Mandarin Divers for info and prices. +852 2554 7110). And don’t miss the nearby
Nine Pin Islands,with volcanic formations rivalling the best in the world(
www.geopark.gov.hk). Want to get high? Indoor climbing and bolted crags are everywhere– there’s even
Central Crag in the middle of downtown (Project X Team hosts weekly meet-ups. See
www.projectxteam.org for details). Got the need for speed? Surf and kiteboard rentals and lessons are also available at several beaches (contact XGame on +852 2890 2321).
In search of culture
By Art editor Edmund Lee
Despite the city’s reputation, there are some great scattered cultural hotspots. High-profile performing arts groups from around the world regularly grace the
Cultural Centre(10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.+852 2734 2009). International and local music acts of the highest calibre are also regulars at
Hidden Agenda (Sixth Floor, Ko Leung Industrial Building, 25 Dai Yip Street,Kwun Tong. +852 9651 8567), the influential indie bar that was declared Time Out Hong Kong’s best music venue in 2010. More arty pursuits can be found at the nearby
Osage Kwun Tong (Fifth Floor, Kian Dai Industrial Building, 73-75 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong. +852 2793 4817), a gallery showcasing Asian contemporary art. On the Hong Kong Island side, art lovers can do worse than make a brief visit to the nonprofit
Para/Site Art Space (Ground Floor, 4 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan.+852 2517 4620), a tiny curator-run space, the vision of which remains extraordinarily grand.
Getting there
Return flights from Beijing to Hong Kong start from
4,610RMB with China Southern Airlines at
www.elong.com.