Cheap eats in HK

Eating out can be one of the most memorable parts of a holiday...for better or worse!

The problem is sometimes, however, that spending the time to find a restaurant that offers the food you want at the price you want in the area you're in at that time can take up most of your afternoon or evening and spoil a good day's sightseeing!

Lost In HK understands this, and knows that falling back on the famous international fast food chains can often be an all-too-easy but not entirely desirable option. So here we suggest a few places round Hong Kong that may not have Michelin stars, but that will get you a cheap, decent feed hassle-free without fear of rip-offs or Bombay Belly.

Just to be clear though, this is by no-means a ringing endorsement of these places, simply a list of the spots we nip to for lunch or dinner while out gadding about Hong Kong. Enjoy!

1) DeliFrance: Either the smaller cafes or the larger bistros will serve up panini, croissant, pasta, pizzas, etc. All very tasty, all very cheap and straight-forward. The restaurants are ubiquitous on Hong Kong Island and in most parts of Kowloon and even in Tung Chung on Lantau Island. And a soup, sandwich and drink combo at lunch will cost you around $40!

http://www.delifrance.com.hk/

2) Cafe de Coral (pictured): So you read the first entry and thought "Yeah, but I didn't come to Hong Kong to eat European fare"? Well then, your choices for a quick and easy dinner are to be a brave soul and dive into one of the thousands of congee joints, with their menus scribbled all across the walls in Chinese, or to head for the black and yellow sign of a Cafe de Coral. Not Hong Kong's finest by any means but you can get decent Chinese dishes from all regions and at silly prices. Sizzling BBQ Beef with rice and a drink should again set you back around $40.

http://www.cafedecoralfastfood.com/eng/main/index.jsp

3) Yoshinoya: The self-proclaimed "Japanese beef bowl specialist" is as omnipresent, cheap and accessible as the first two, serving up great Gyudon and other Japanese classics. A Super Chicken or Beef set will get you a large bowl of your chosen meat with rice, Miso soup, Kimchi, a dessert plus drink for $36.

http://www.yoshinoya-hk.com/en/menu.php

4) Food Courts: If you're near Times Square in Causeway Bay, Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hollywood Plaza in Diamond Hill or the Citygate Centre in Tung Chung (to name but a few) you can sample the delights of a food court. Here you'll find a number of restaurants lining a canteen-like area, offering everything from Korean to curry, sushi to burgers. The quality of the food can be really good (The Teppinyaki joints in Hollywood Plaza and Citygate stand out as good spots), but the simple surroundings keep the prices low. At Times Square and Harbour City you order your food at the stand, they give you a ticket to then pay at the central till, then you return that ticket to the stand and wait for your food! At the other two you generally pay in the restaurant itself. Again, a full meal here with a drink should set you back no more than $40 per person.

5) Triple O's: Western food again sorry, but the best burgers in town bar none! You can find British Columbia's finest burger joint at The Forum, Exchange Square (Central), Great Cafe, Pacific Place (Admiralty), Harbour Centre (Wan Chai), Times Square (Causeway Bay), Harbour City (Tsim Sha Tsui) and New Town Plaza (Sha Tin). A little bit more expensive (expect to pay around $60 for burger, fries and drink) but it's damned well worth it!

http://www.tripleo.com.hk/en/index.html

6) Suzuki Cafe: Selling a strange blend of Japanese and Western food (such as sushi pizzas!), Suzuki Cafe is a bit more expensive than the other places, but still affordable and spread far and wide around the SAR. A meal here should cost you around $80 per person, but the food is a lot more varied and original (and tasty!) and is worth the extra bucks if you fancy something a little more upmarket than a quick bowl of sweet and sour in a shopping centre canteen. There are eight cafes around town. The pick of the bunch is at Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui where you get cracking views out of the huge window over the harbour and the Central skyline. There are also restaurants on Leighton Road (Causeway Bay), Hopewell Centre and Tai Yau Plaza (Wan Chai), Vicwood Plaza (Central), Langham Place (Mongkok), Tsuen Wan Plaza and Metroplaza in Kwai Chung.

http://www.suzukicafe.com/index.htm

Ping Shan Heritage Trail - New Territories

Normally it's hard in Hong Kong to find any sight or historic monument that's older than your Grandad, but right up in the north-western corner of the New Territories is a group of ancient monuments linked together by the Ping Shan Heritage Trail.

Declared a national monument only in December 1993, the trail runs from just outside Tin Shui Wai MTR station (just past Yuen Long), and links together monuments built by the Tang clan, one of the "five great clans" which occupied the territory from the 12th century onwards.

In most other areas these buildings have been flattened, but here you'll find incredibly well-preserved pagodas, temples and ancestral halls dating back more than 600 years, as well as a 200-year-old walled village which you

can explore. It's all extremely well-preserved, and sits oddly among the drab modern buildings

of three new villages right on the cusp of one of the New Territories' famous mammoth New Cities.

You can enter all the buildings along the 1km route and it won't cost you a penny! It takes maybe an hour to walk the route with stops along the way, and good connections by bus and MTR mean you only have to walk the route one way. Most of the buildings close at 5pm.

Coming out of the MTR the first monument you come to is the Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda, the only surviving ancient pagoda in Hong Kong. Its name means Pagoda of Gathering Stars, and it was supposedly built by the seventh generation ancestor of the Tang clan over 600 years ago. You can enter the shrine inside for free, but don't climb the steps up to the first floor...the security guard will come after you!!!

You can get a map from here, and follow the road (not the path at the side of the pagoda) round past some rather ugly truck stops and a pond until you get on the path to the walled village of Sheung Cheung Wai. It is 200 years old and the gate house, shrine and some of the old houses are still in their original form. Before you get to the village you'll pass the "Shrine of the Earth God", a lot less impressive than its name suggests. It was built to protect the villagers, but in-keeping with Hong Kong's attitude towards history it now sits next to the rubbish bins, and is itself a receptacle for a great deal of litter. Best to move along quickly.

After the walled village you come to the old village well and the Yeung Hau Temple, which is believed to have a history dating back several hundred years. It has

three bays housing shrines to Hau Wong (believed to be a Song Dynasty general who gave up his li

fe to protect the last two emperors of the dynasty) as well as Kam Fa (Patron Saint of Expectant Mothers) and To Tei (the Earth God).

Around the corner in the centre of the new village sit the Yu Kiu and Tang Ancestral Halls (on the right and left respectively). These two buildings are two of the most impressive on the trail. The Tang hall is the oldest, with its construction dating back to around 700 years ago, while the Yu Kiu hall was built next door sometime in the early 16th century. Both have undergone major restoration work, but both are still in use and retain a sense of importance through the photographs on show inside showing visits from high-ranking British officials in the late 19th century.

Further along the Kun Ting Study Hall and adjoining Ching Shu Hin provide two of the interesting buildings to explore. In the latter especially no guards watch over you, allowing you to walk around the various corridors and shady rooms of what was once a a guest house for prominent visitors and scholars. You can also see the entrance to the Shut Hing Study Hall, even though the rooms of the hall were demolished in 1977. All of these buildings date from the 1870s.

Across the road, a path leads to the Hung Shing Temple, which originally dated from 1767 but which was renovated in 1963. The temple is supposedly in honour of a man named Hung Hei, who was given the title of "Kwong Lee Hung Shing Tai Wong" after his death by the Governor of Kwong Lee in the Tang Dynasty.

The final building you'll come to walking in this direction is the Old Ping Shan Police Station, dating from 1899. It is one of very few remaining pre-war police stations in the New Territories, and now houses the Heritage Trail visitors centre (open 10am-5pm daily except Mondays and public holidays). Here you'll get a thorough explanation of everything you've just seen, so if you've missed anything you can check it out again on the way back.

All in all the trail makes for something a little different to Hong Kong's usual tourist fare, and while it may not be a full day's activity in itself could easily be combined with visiting the other walled villages in nearby Tsuen Wan, which would also provide an insight into how modern-day Hong Kong people live in the New Territories.

For a map and more information visit the website for the Antiquities and Monuments office: http://www.amo.gov.hk/

Transport in Hong Kong - Trams

A bit of mobile blogging action now....just took this video on the tram ride from Happy Valley up to Western Market.

It's unedited, but hopefully it serves to show somewhat the changes in the neighbourhoods as you pass through them.

Nicknamed "Ding Ding" by the locals, not only are trams a cheap way to get around this side of Hong Kong Island (it's $2 for any trip, $1 for children under 12 and senior citizens over 65), they're also a quality tourist attraction in their own right. Trams started running down here in 1904 and provide some of the best views of the city, especially if you bag one of the seats at the front of the upper deck.

The various routes will take you through the neighbourhoods of Western, Shueng Wan, Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley and North Point and run from around 5am till midnight every day.

You'll see concrete stations in the middle of the road all across town, but trams will also stop by other roadside stop signs. Board at the back and pay when you get off. Drop the exact change in the box or use ur Octopus Card. Tourist passes for the MTR won't work and the driver won't give change for nobody!

Here you have the website for the company that runs the trams: http://www.hktramways.com/en/home.html

While the tourist board also have their own guide: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/tramguide/eng/index.jsp

Hopewell Centre Part II

Having first visited the Observation Lift on a rainy day, here's a few shots from the Hopewell Centre when the sun was out.

Enjoy.....

Observation Lift, Hopewell Centre

While Hong Kong is sometimes dubbed
"Manhattan of the East", one area where it falls behind its Western counterpart is in the viewing deck stakes.

While New York can offer views from the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center, Hong Kong's skyscrapers were built for business, not pleasure, and so seemingly don't offer such treats.

That is with the exception of the cylindrical structure of the Hopewell Centre on Queen's Road East in Wan Chai.

Enter this building via the escalators and take a lift to the 17th floor. From here you can enter the "Observation Lift", which will run you up the outside of the building to the 56th floor offering stunning views across Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Victoria Harbour as you go - and all for free!

At the top, another lift will take you up to Hong Kong's only revolving restaurant, on the 62nd floor, for even better views. However - while the lift may be free, the restaurant certainly isn't, and eating here doesn't come cheap...you have been warned! Reservations are also a good idea if you fancy it.

To get here take the MTR to Wan Chai then take Exit A signposted Hopewell Centre. Cross the road and to your right is a street with an all-day market (with a big neon sign hanging over it saying "Under Wear" if you're unsure!) Battle your way to the end and turn right down Queen's Road East. You'll see the Hopewell Centre on the other side of the road about 500m down. You can take an escalator to the elevated walkway to cross the road, and then when you go in walk past the McDonalds and other cafes to the circular lift lobby and go up to the 17th floor to get the Observation Lift.

It's all entirely free and you can go up and down as many times as you like...I did! It's also still worth the trip on a rainy day.

As for other buildings you can (legally) make your way up to catch some views from, watch this space! (Of course, if I don't post for some time, assume I've been arrested trying to get up the IFC2 and start a whip-round for my bail please!)

More pictures and video:

Transport in Hong Kong - MTR

Seeing as it's lashing it down and no sightseeing can be done, it's time for the first of LostInHK's practical guides - how to get around town on the MTR.

The MTR is the city's underground system, as is good to get you around the northern side of Hong Kong Island (Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, etc), most of Kowloon, as far as Tung Chung on Lantau, plus out into the New Territories.

If you're making a trip out to this latter area the MTR is a great way to travel. A lot of the lines are new, it's quick and it's dirt cheap - for the price of just a couple of GBP or USD you can get from Hong Kong Island right out to towns and villages up near the border with China.

The main problem with the MTR however is the stations are quite spread out, and sometimes not in the centre of a given place. The stations are also vast and sprawling. However, their location is signposted all over town, and you just need to look for the symbol shown on the right here.

As a tourist you have a number of options when it comes to tickets:

1) Get a day pass - this will cost you $55 and gives you 24 hours unlimited travel on the MTR from the minute you first use it. If you want to be gadding about Kowloon or the New Territories one day this is well worth it, but not such a good bet for a day out knocking around HK Island. A child day pass costs $25.

2) Airport Express Pass - this will cost either $220 or $300 depending on whether you buy a card with one or two journeys on the Airport Express train (well worth it as a one-way trip on this is $100 anyway, and it is probably the best way to travel to and from the airport). As well as these two trips you then also get three days unlimited travel on the MTR.

3) Get an Octopus Card - this is what the locals use, it's a top-up card which you can use on pretty much any form of transport around Hong Kong (MTR, bus, tram, light rail). It costs $150, $100 of which is credit for transport and the other $50 you usually get back when you return the card in fully-working condition. However, if you return it within three months of buying it there's a $7 fee, so you still get $43 back. This card you just top up when you need to and you get discounted rates on the MTR. It saves having to scramble for change and can just be swiped on all the forms of transport mentioned. To top it up, either go to the machines in the MTR, insert it, then insert multiples of $50 or $100, or go to a Customer Service station in the MTR or even a 7Eleven store! Another good thing about this card is it can be used to pay for things other than transport. You can use it to pay in places like 7Elevens, bakeries, some restaurants, McDonald's, Cafe de Coral, etc, which comes in quite useful when you want that sneaky McDos strawberry milkshake! Also if you use Octopus there are machines dotted around town where you can swipe your card and get further discounts from certain stations. There's one for Wan Chai in the Causeway Centre near the ferry pier (at the top of some escalators near to the "Al Dente" restaurant) and one for Central and Sheung Wan on the mid-levels escalator. It is LostInHK's mission to find more, and we'll post a more in depth report at a later date.

These three items can be bought in the airport or at MTR stations - just go to the Customer Service Desk - while the first two can be bought online here: http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/oticketing/intro.html.

If you pay for the trip on an individual basis it will cost a lot more and can be a real pain. There are ticket machines in the stations which take notes and coins and will often give change. You have to select your destination, pay the fare, then get a ticket which you need to enter the paid area of the station and will need again to get out at the other end. The price of a trip changes depending on the distance.

Trains run from around 6am to midnight, but it changes depending on the station so be sure to check.

One more thing...all the stations have all manner of cafes and shops selling food and drink in them (some even have designer stores, but that's another matter) but eating and drinking on the trains and in the paid part of stations is forbidden. You may see locals doing it, but don't copy them! There can be an on-the-spot fine of anything up to $2000 dollars!

http://www.mtr.com.hk/index.html

Victoria Peak

The Rough Guide to Hong Kong and Macau says "Everyone should make the effort to visit the 555-metre-high Victoria Peak, whose summit gives unsurpassed views." LostinHK could not put it better themselves.

A cheap way to write an intro perhaps, but you can't argue with fact. And if there is one thing any visitor to Hong Kong should do - whether they are here for a couple of hours or a couple of months - it's to make the trek up to Hong Kong's highest point: Victoria Peak.

There are many reasons to come - it's cooler up here when the weather gets humid, it provides a welcome escape from all the hustle and bustle down below, there is greenery in abundance - but the top reason people flock here is for the views, which on a clear day are possibly the best you'll find in the whole territory, and maybe even one of the best cityscape views you can find in any city around the world.

Since the first path to the top was created in 1859 "The Peak" has been a desirable spot for tourists and residents alike, and today is one of the most sought-after addresses in the region. The opening of the tram in the 1880's made it easily accessible, and now you'll be forced to fight for space among the hoards flocking here for the daytime views, the sunsets and the Symphony of Lights show once night falls.

Don't let that put you off, however. The best thing about the Peak is, despite it's popularity, it is relatively easy to escape the crowds, as the best views are reserved for those who strike off the beaten path.

Once you arrive at the top, whether it be by tram or by bus (more on this later), you'll arrive at the Peak Galleria - a large shopping centre (what else did you expect to find here...this being Hong Kong!) with a number of cafes and restaurants as well as a Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and an open-air viewing gallery right at the top called the "Sky Terrace", for those willing to pay a few dollars to get up there. While LostinHK could take or leave the former, the latter is worth a visit at least once, and especially if you're only in town for a few days, as the views from up there are excellent and it is a little easier to bag yourself some space. Tickets are available from inside the Galleria and cost $20 (half that for kids under 11), or you can get a combined ticket with the tram (see the end of this article).

Behind the Galleria is a small square, and on the opposite side of that another shopping centre, again with cafes, restaurants and a decent supermarket for picking up a picnic. Around this square and shopping centre there a few more (free) places to go to admire the views: a flight of stairs next to the Delifrance across the square lead up to a children's playground from where there are good views across to Lamma and which also provides a good spot for watching the sunset over Lantau; and to your left as you exit the Galleria there is a path leading off (past the tram station), a short way along which you'll find a concrete pavilion type construction which offers good views for the Symphony of Lights (the top picture in this article was taken there).

But it is away from this area where the best delights The Peak has to offer are hidden, and where their are the fewest people also. In the square an old tram carriage houses the Tourist Information Centre. Stop in there and grab yourself a free map of the walking routes around the Peak. While there are many, the top two for views are described here.

The first one is a circular route which begins on the right as you come out of the Galleria. Walk around the side of the building, and as the road turns left and up the hill you will see a path that leads off down the side (Lugard Road). This is a great little shaded route which includes information about the wildlife and foliage all around you, and which is interspersed every so often with viewing platforms and great vistas out over the city, the harbour and the islands.

Don't be put off by the fact that it seems like nobody is down here, that's half the beauty of this route. As you follow it round views of the city give way to views across the harbour to the Tsing Yi bridge then Lantau Island (picture below). A little further Lamma comes into view across the water, with the town of Aberdeen down on the coast of Hong Kong Island below you. Following this path all the way around takes about 1-1.30hours with stops. There are lookout points along the way with benches to stop and picnic. The one where this picture was taken is a decent one for that, and is about 30 minutes into the walk.

For those with a little more stamina, the second walk heads up the hill. And by up, we mean up! The gradient is extremely steep at times, and while this is by no means an extremely challenging walk, it certainly isn't your average stroll in the park neither. But don't worry....anyone who isn't up to the task will know after about five minutes, and can easily walk back to the Galleria! Those who do go, take water. There are no stores on the way up and the "light refreshment kiosk" at the top isn't always open.

The thing is, where the buses and trams stop is by no means the actual peak of Victoria Peak. In fact the very top of the mountain is home to a transmitter of some description, and therefore off limits unfortunately. Still, just before that point there are the landscaped Victoria Peak Gardens some 50m below the actual top, which was the site of the Mountain Lodge -the Governor's summer residence in Hong Kong - which and still makes an excellent destination to head for.

Where the previous path starts the road turns left and heads steeply up the hill (Mount Austin Road). Follow this road up and round to the right, past a children's playground, and then to the left again. There is a path that leads off the road here and down to the route described before. Unless you want to join that route you need to follow the road to the left and continue upwards ever upwards.

The road continues to snake its way up the hill, and once you have gone past some final apartment buildings there is no longer any pavement, so try to be careful as cars do use this route. After snaking left then right again after the final set of apartments you will soon come to a shabby-looking one story house. This is the Gate Lodge, the only building left of the old Mountain Lodge, and which was built between 1900 and 1902.

A little further up and you arrive at the park. There is a car park at the end of the road, and to the left of this is a viewing platform with steps leading down into the park. Various paths lead off into the park and there are benches all over where again you can stop and enjoy a picnic. If you head along to the right after coming down the steps from the car park you come to a circular viewing area fro where you have 270 degree views out over the South China Sea, taking in Lantau and Lamma, and on a clear day you could perhaps see the many tiny islands beyond these two, dotting the sea between Hong Kong and Macau.

Now, as for how to get to the Peak, you're best options are take the bus or the Peak Tram from the terminal near the Bank of China building and Hong Kong Park in Central. The same Rough Guide also says that: "The precipitous tram ride up is another Hong Kong institution." While it may be an institution, in our humble opinion it is not as good a way to reach the peak as the bus.

While the tram will cost you $22 one-way or $33 return ($37 and $48 respectively with the "Sky Terrace" included), the bus will set you back about $9 each way, and the views are by far superior (get the front seat on the top deck and you won't be disappointed!) Bus #15 gets you there from Exchange Square or the Pier in Central, or from Queen's Rd East in Wan Chai.

The tram meanwhile can be one hell of a fight, as you queue for hours to get on and then things get hairy as you are rounded like cattle onto the platform. There is a good bit of information about the history of the Peak and the tram at the station, but you won't see any of it while you are being herded through. Our advice, if you do want to take the tram get the bus up and the tram back down - the queues are shorter and people seem a lot more relaxed about the whole thing!

http://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/home.asp