The Bite Magazine - issue 16

Heung Tea House in SheungWan.You can also indulge in dim sum and other dishes at these tea houses while the Lin Heung Tea takes you way back into time. You don’t have to go to Milan or Paris to get the latest in fashionable wears – Hong Kong has it all, from glitzy designer malls with independent boutiques, local fashion brands to offbeat neighbour- hoods that will create a buzz you will not find anywhere else. For those really into their designer brands such as Alexander McQueen or Fendi, the exclusive Land- mark or the prestigious Harbour City will be the ultimate place for you. But if you’re not too fussy, then Tsim Sha Tsui’s shopping paradise in Granville Road has a hub of independent boutiques that showcase Hong Kong’s very own fashion designers. In the buzzing urban district of Causeway Bay, you’ll find revamped shopping centre Fashion Walk which boasts local designer apparel labels such as Liger, a funky fashion brand started in 2009 by designer friends Hilary Tsui and Dorothy Hui or Juice, a fashion and life- style store founded by local celebrities Edison Chen and Kevin Poon, which is now a respected voice on music, fashion and design. I used to think that it was only Italy that were the dons of suit-making but what I learned while being in Hong Kong is that the city’s tailors are known all over the world for providing inexpensive, well-cut suits and shirts. New designers such as those at Hola Classics in the Caroline Hill region are carrying on the traditions while established Raymond Lun provides elegant, tweed patterns that add hipster flair to classic English tailoring. For some reason, I can imagine model David Gandy in one of Lun’s suits – what a picture that would be! While there you can also get a peek into his workshop in the back so you get an idea of how it is all done. In the Star Street Precinct area of Wan Chai, you’ll find Hong Kong designers, quirky boutiques and vintage shops, funky bars that spill onto the pavement and top restaurants. One thing I always do when visiting a new city is explore its history. Once a British colony and now an independent country, China still has parts of the old British influences. Statue Square in the middle of downtown Hong Kong was once called Royal Square because of its number of effigies including QueenVicto- ria, Prince Albert and Edward VII. Today, the only statue still standing afterWorld War II is that of Sir Thomas Jackson, a former HSBC chief. The once red oval- shaped Elizabeth II post box found in the square has now been painted green to symbolise post-1997 Hong Kong.Whilst there are wonderful modern buildings in the city, it’s the older buildings that give Hong Kong its character, such as tong lau, old Chinese tenement buildings with distinctive narrow frontage, high ceilings, French windows and spacious verandas, which were once seen all over southern China. Blue House in the Wan Chai district is a Grade 1 His- torical Building that dates back to the 1920s and still has tenants living there with a Chinese medicine shop, dessert parlour and the Wan Chai Livelihood Museum occupying the ground level. TheWan Chai neighbourhood is a great place for visitors where they will find venues such as the stylish Tai Lung Fung bar which is decorated in a classic ‘nostalgic Hong Kong style’ and the perfect place for happy hour after a day of sightsee- ing. Maureen, an eatery, offers a gourmet, molecular twist on Chinese noodles or even Stone Nullah Tavern, an American gas- tropub located in a refurbished tong lau . For antique shops and art galleries, Hollywood Road is becoming very popular espe- cially with the hip SoHo crowd. If you start your journey in Sheung Wan and walk to Central along this road, you’ll find kitschy souvenirs on sale alongside designer clothes and traditional tea par- lours among European-style cafes and restaurants. Not too far from here is the Man Mo Temple which dates back to 1847. This temple, the largest of them all, is absolutely amazing, full of colours, bite travel