So are breakfasts in Hong Kong.
That in Hong Kong live some of the most food-obsessed people on the planet It is not an exaggeration, it is a reality. Hong Kongers have a passion for food that overshadows their love of politics, shopping, or gambling. It's all about food.
I land in Hong Kong on a clear day and through the window I can see the magnificence of Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok) which, opened in 1998, It was designed and built by British architect Norman Foster on an island outside the city.
Although it is a relatively new airport, the destination is already thinking about an expansion. The numbers support this decision: the global figures for tourism in China rise around 5.9% per year while those for global tourism are between 2.6 and 3.1%; namely, China is growing twice as fast as the rest of the world.
In Hong Kong you will live a sensory ecstasy, starting with the sight and ending with the taste.
CENTRAL DISTRICT
It's almost night when I arrive at my hotel in Hong Kong after a half-hour ride on the modern train (it has Wi-Fi and even chargers, hello Renfe!) that connects the airport with Central Station.
My accommodation in Hong Kong is not just any establishment. The super central Landmark Mandarin Oriental is located across the street Queen's Road Central, 6.5 kilometers long, one of the most historic and spectacular avenues in the city. People, lights, shops, cars, noise… life.
This is Central, a neighborhood that He has spent years trying to find the balance between the new and the old, the sophisticated and simple, the fashionable and the cool. I am not very sure that this long-awaited balance has arrived, but for now things are working, yes.
It is even difficult for me to type that the Landmark Mandarin Oriental is a boutique hotel, but it really is, both in form and content. An urban sanctuary of just 113 rooms (this is Hong Kong!) and big punch in both style and service (ouch, that breakfast).
The rooms have been completely redesigned once the hotel's first decade of life has been celebrated, and today they can boast many things, but among them highlights the fact of being one of the largest and most spacious in the city. Bathtub, walls that are replaced by windows, designer furniture and high-end fabrics complete the incomparable offer of this true Asian luxury hotel in Hong Kong.
And I didn't have it easy, I mean. Landmark Mandarin Oriental is sheltered from its 'big brother' Mandarin Oriental, the first hotel that the prestigious Chinese hotel chain opened in the city, and in the world.
Located both socially and geographically in the heart of the city since 1963, this establishment continues to shine on its own merits thanks to its impeccable service, its location and its effervescent atmosphere, where tourists mix with locals, business with pleasure. Mandarin Oriental has ceased, in this case, to be a hotel, to become an icon.
Landmark Mandarin Oriental, an urban sanctuary of just 113 (huge) rooms
Twenty-two years after the departure of the British from Hong Kong, destiny begins to fit its pieces and it does so as it knows best: becoming a 21st century asian super city with districts like Central in the lead.
Here, the big names, the Michelin stars and the luxury hotels are displacing the age-old antique shops or the old cafes, although luckily there are still jewels where the instagramers have not yet passed, and this should be celebrated.
Hoi on Cafe is one of them, old school, a survivor. To understand the concept of this old cafe you have to go back to Hong Kong in 1950 and enter a place where adjectives like cool or fashion pass by. Here the design is simplistic; the furniture, rustic and the multitude of premises, a loyal clientele.
Of the second generation running Hoi on Cafe, only one person speaks English, but it's not hard to understand each other when the attitude is right. Now, the choice must be made in advance; nothing better than a cup of their smooth milky tea accompanied by tempting (I say tempting not to say calorific) French toast Hong Kong-style (they are made from two in the afternoon) , served with a huge slice of aromatic butter (17Connaught Road West, Sheung Wan) .
Despite a lot of tea being drunk, coffee has never been a foreign drink to Hong Kong. However, it has been over the last 70 years that coffee culture has dramatically evolved in this part of East Asia.
Today Hong Kong cup headlines about its barista championships, record-breaking high-priced coffee purchases; or the city's thriving coffee shop scene. And we are in the perfect district to get the best proof of the above.
Coffee lovers live in Hong Kong their particular playground and chains like Cupping Room, Coco Espresso (which owns the most famous barista in town making _latte art creations)_ o Elephant Coffee Roasters are true coffee paradises. In Central you can find several stores of these chains, although the one in Sheung Wan is worth visiting, especially because it is located next to the two small streets full of small shops and art galleries in that neighborhood near Tai Ping Shan Street.
Wandering through the streets we also find the famous street of antique dealers, the traditional tea houses and Asterisk, a men's clothing store that is well worth a stop along the way. The store and, while we are here, the Man Mo Temple which, camouflaged between towering buildings, is one of the most revered places of worship in the city, as well as one of the oldest temples
CoCo Espresso, one of the coffee paradises of Hong Kong.
Halfway between the new and the old appears PMQ, an entire building occupied by artists and craftsmen where they also teach cooking classes and even yoga. The modern and the cute are mixed in the same concept where you want to spend hours. And there is also Wi-Fi.
But hunger is pressing and right next door we are very lucky to have Little Bao, one more example that the Hong Kong culinary scene is in full swing. They don't take reservations and queues at your door can be up to 30 minutes, but what's that when Are we about to enjoy the best bath in town?
With a rogue spirit, an open kitchen and a well-structured menu, Little Bao took exactly two bites to become my favorite place in the city. The fault lay with his The original bao, a creation based on juicy bacon, leek, shiso sauce, tomato and some other surprise ingredient.
With a much less street spirit and a much more sophisticated atmosphere, the Mandarin Oriental's Man Wah restaurant (1 Michelin star) offers a menu on par with the city (it's located on the 25th floor, too). Specializing in traditional Cantonese cuisine, all of their dishes are accompanied by beautiful panoramic views of Victoria Harbor and the city's skyline.
Among his specialties are dumplings, but remember that in Hong Kong you can only eat them at lunchtime, and not during dinner. In any case, there will always be options for dishes as spectacular as the orzo (a kind of pasta) with beef sautéed in the wok or the fish pudding, prepared following the guidelines of an ancestral recipe that is typically Hong Kong.
Brunch at Little Bao, where they serve the best bao in the entire city.
WAN CHAI
It is worth making a stop along the way in the bowels of the historic neighborhood of Wan Chai, very popular as a place for drinks and nightlife, but during the day it is perfect for walking and shopping, just to show that not all cuisine in Hong Kong is enjoyed with two chopsticks.
Here is The Butcher Club Burger, an institution in the heterogeneous world of hamburgers. Hong Kong street food also has meat (Australian beef, in this case), and is enjoyed in a place with a lot of roll and accompanied by fried potatoes in duck fat. Nothing can go wrong here.
Wan Chai could highlight many things, but tiny streets like Sun st. and Star st. –which put even the most refined sense of direction to the test– or stores like Delstore, specialized in Japanese fashion, satisfied all my wishes.
In Wai Chai there is also another branch of those where they serve excellent coffee. In this case, it is the Elephant Coffee Roasters chain, where you will surely have to queue to enter, but where, also surely, you will taste one of the best coffees of the trip. Large windows and beautiful people who either passed by or stayed working in front of their Macs complete a café that makes me wonder if Hong Kong isn't becoming more like Manhattan... or even better.
Pure, minimal, with a lot of style and a bit (a lot) posh, Omotesando Koffee is another good option, the one favored by the very local people in particular and the modern ones in general, where to stop to try their specialty, some cube-shaped custard called kashi and of which, believe me, you will not be able to try just one. Add and continue.
Burger with fries at The Butcher Club Burger.
CAUSEWAY BAY
If shopping were an Olympic sport, Causeway Bay would be the official venue. Buying in Hong Kong is more than a hobby, it's a thesis, and I had come here ready to get my doctorate, in food, in shopping or in whatever subject. But since it is impossible to access each and every one of the shopping centers in just the 24 hours that I had left in the city, I had to start with a bang.
And that's what I did: gaining strength in one of the branches that Din Tai Fung has in this district. After waiting half an hour in line, I was able to enjoy the best dumplings in Asia (my favorites are always the pork with truffle) ... and of the world. I left there with renewed energy to give my best in this place where consumerism proudly takes to the streets. And I was not going to be less.
Causeway is the ideal district to feel the pulse of the city like no other, a true microcosm where everything, or almost, is allowed, and the new, the old, the ugly or the beautiful are mixed in an overwhelming space full of shops . Shops like the high-end fashion stores at Lee Gardens One & Two, Hysan Place, Lee Theater or Times Square if the budget allows, or at Fashion Walk if the credit is more moderate, a word that does not combine anything with Hong Kong. And if the forces are still with you, the labyrinth of shops at the Island Beverly Center hides young fashion boutiques at attractive prices. Don't let the rhythm stop.
Din Tai Fung's dumplings are already legendary.
HOW TO GET
Air France operates a daily flight from Paris-CDG to Hong Kong. From Spain, passengers can depart from seven airports and make a quick connection at Paris-CDG. Air France's flight network to Hong Kong is combinable with that of KLM, which also offers another daily flight from Amsterdam to Hong Kong. The flights are operated with Boeing B777-300 and fares range between 500 and 700 euros.
In addition, you will be able to start enjoying the gastronomic show even before reaching the mainland, since in the air the gastronomic enjoyment offered by the French airline is outstanding: throughout 2019 it offers its customers the proposals cuisine from seven Michelin-starred chefs with menus signed by Joël Robuchon or Guy Martin, among others.
Hong Kong impresses both from the sky and on the ground.