Hong Kong - Day 2 (Fa Yuen Street - Goldfish Market - Flower Market - Yuen Po Street Bird Garden - Kowloon City Market - Kowloon Walled City Park - Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery - Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple - Avenue of Stars)

A visit to Hong Kong would not be complete without eating dim sum. So we took the MTR from Jordan to Prince Edward Station (HKD 5.70 per person) exit A, and walked for two minutes (140m) to One Dim Sum. There was already a long line outside the restaurant when we arrived at 10.15am. They have a manual system whereby the staff will give you a number and shout it out loud once there is a table available. In the meantime, they will provide you with an order form, and you may choose what you want to order and give it to them once they call your number. After 45 minutes of waiting, they finally got a table for us.

We ordered pork congee with preserved egg, fried shrimp bean curd rolls, prawn dumplings, shrimp in rice rolls, pork dumplings with shrimp and mango pudding. My partner likes their fried shrimp bean curd rolls filled with fresh shrimp and celery, wrapped in crispy bean curd skin. Whereas for me, I prefer their shrimp in rice roll. The shrimp are fresh and succulent, packed into every section of the roll. Besides that, the rice roll is smooth and silky.

The prawn dumplings are filled with fresh prawns, but the translucent skin is a little thick, especially on the edge of the skin. You have to eat it immediately when it's hot. Otherwise, the dumpling skin will get toughened. Apart from that, I don't really enjoy their pork dumplings with shrimp because their pork dumplings have a strong pork flavour that overpowers the taste of the shrimp. I love porridge, but their pork porridge does not impress me in terms of taste. The mango pudding isn't really amazing either. 

(Total bill - HKD 223 includes a service fee of HKD 20.30 and a tea charge of HKD 6 per person)

 

One Dim Sum

Our order sheet and hot Chinese tea

Chili sauce (very spicy)

Pork congee with preserved egg - HKD 25

Fried shrimp bean curd rolls (3pcs) - HKD 29

Prawn dumplings (4pcs) - HKD 40

Shrimp in rice roll - HKD 35

Pork dumpling with shrimp (4pcs) - HKD 34

Mango pudding - HKD 28

Address:

One Dim Sum

G/F, 209A Tung Choi St,

Prince Edward,

Hong Kong

Fa Yuen Street is about an 8-minute walk (500m) from One Dim Sum. The street is packed with vendors selling clothing, footwear, fruits, souvenirs and other products. The fruits seem really fresh, but the sellers are unwelcoming. While heading to Fa Yuen Street Market, we passed by the pedestrian bridge and spotted many Indonesians gathered and sitting together, sharing meals with their friends. Fa Yuen Street Market and Goldfish Market are close to one another.

Fa Yuen Street

Fa Yuen Street

Fa Yuen Street

Pedestrian overhead bridge to Mong Kok Station

Fa Yuen Street Market

Fa Yuen Street Market

Frogs

Goldfish Market

We made a quick stop at Kam Wah to grab some milk tea and polo bun. We chose not to dine in because the shop was quite crowded. The milk tea is smooth with a mild bitter aftertaste. The polo bun is cold, with a chewy texture. Both of us couldn't finish it and ended up throwing away the polo bun.

(Total bill - HKD 30)

Kam Wah Cafe and milk tea (take away)

Polo bun

Address:

Kam Wah Cafe
No 45 - 47 Bute St,

Mong Kok,

Hong Kong

We walked to Brighten Mall, which is about a 6-minute walk (450m) from Kam Wah Cafe. It has multiple floors selling plants and decorative items. Along the street, we saw a number of shops selling flowers as well. The Flower Market is located on Flower Market Road, just next to Brighten Mall. 

Shop selling flowers

Shop selling flowers

Brighten Mall

Address:

Brighten Mall

Mong Kok City Building,

154 - 158 Prince Edward Rd W,

Prince Edward,

Hong Kong

Flower Market Road

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden is a 2-minute walk (150m) from Flower Market Road. We stopped for a 15-minute break in the garden before walking to the nearby bus station.

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden

Address:

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden

Yuen Po Street, Prince Edward,

Hong Kong

It's our first time taking a minibus in Hong Kong, and I can tell it's not a very pleasant experience. We waited for bus no. 70 at Boundary Street near the Esso Petrol Station and rode four stops to Prince Edward Road West, outside the Kwok Hwa Building (HKD 8.20 per person). The bus driver's driving skills were sort of harsh, with sudden stops. Tei Mou Koon Dessert is about a 3-minute walk (240m) from the bus station.

The shop is small and we have to share a table with another couple who came in later. I ordered mango with grass jelly and glutinous rice ball. Mango is sweet but there isn't much mango puree. The glutinous rice balls are hard and chewy. Apart from that, the grass jelly was cut into big pieces and tasted bland.

Bus stop

Bus no. 70

Tei Mou Koon Dessert

Mango with grass jelly and glutinous rice ball - HKD 33

Address:

Tei Mou Koon Dessert

No. 47 Fuk Lo Tsun Rd,

Kowloon City,

Hong Kong

Our next stop is Kowloon City Market, a 3-minute walk (230m) from Tei Mou Koon Dessert. It's a multi-level market and there's a public library and food court. The wet market is really clean, and the vegetables are neatly chopped and organized.

Kowloon City Market

Kowloon City Market

Kowloon City Market

Kowloon City Market

Kowloon City Public Library

Kowloon City Market Food Court

Address:

Kowloon City Market

No. 100 Nga Tsin Wai Rd,

Kowloon City,

Hong Kong

Yee Heung Tofu is only a short walk away from Kowloon City Market. This shop is popular among the locals for their tau fu fa, also known as tofu pudding. It's a small shop and we have to share a small table with an elderly couple. We ordered a cup of cold soy milk and a bowl of tau fu fa. The soy milk has a burned taste and the tofu pudding texture is similar to bean curd. It has a denser texture than tofu pudding, which is silky, smooth and melts in the mouth. Apart from that, it's slightly sweet for my liking.

(Total bill - HKD 18) 

Yee Heung Tofu and soy milk

Tau fu fa or tofu pudding

Address:

Yee Heung Tofu

No. 74 Nga Tsin Long Rd,

Kowloon City,

Hong Kong

We walked to Kowloon Walled City Park, which is around a 5-minute walk (400m) from Yee Heung Tofu. By coincidence, there is a Songkran Festival going on and there's a water splashing activity and Thai cuisine stalls. We spent around thirty minutes there before heading to our next stop, Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery.

Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park

Songkran Festival

Songkran Festival

Songkran Festival

Songkran Festival

Address:

Kowloon Walled City Park

Carpenter Road,

Kowloon City,

Hong Kong

Opening hours: 6.30am to 11pm (daily)

We took the MTR from Sung Wong Toi to Diamond Hill Station (HKD 4.80 per person) exit C, to Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery. It's a large Buddhist temple and garden in Kowloon. Admission is free of charge.

Nan Lian Garden

Nan Lian Garden

Nan Lian Garden

Nan Lian Garden

Chi Lin Nunnery

Chi Lin Nunnery

Chi Lin Nunnery

Address:

Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery

No. 60 Fung Tak Rd,

Diamond Hill, Kowloon,

Hong Kong

Opening hours: 7am to 9pm (daily)

We went to a convenient shop to get some cold mineral water, but they ran out of cold ones. When the lady responded to us, she was really unpleasant. So we ended up getting it at the next shop. We took the MTR from Diamond Hill to Wong Tai Sin Station (HKD 4.80 per person). We reached there around 4.10pm, just in time to hang out for twenty minutes before they closed at 4.30pm. However, we didn't get to visit the Good Wish Garden. Wong Tai Sin is a well-known shrine in Hong Kong. 

Nam Kok

Mineral water - HKD 6

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Address

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

Chuk Un,

Hong Kong

Opening hours: 7.30am to 4.30pm (daily)

We didn't get to visit Avenue of Stars during our last visit since it was closed for renovations. So this time we took the MTR from Wong Tai Sin to Tsim Sha Tsui Station (HKD 8.90 per person). The Avenue of Stars is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. You will get to see the handprints of Hong Kong film stars, take pictures with Bruce Lee's statue and see the spectacular Hong Kong skyline. 

K11 MUSEA

Beethoven's Trumpet (with ear)

Avenue of Stars

Victoria Harbour

Avenue of Stars (Mr. Karl Maka)

Avenue of Stars (Mr. Jacky Cheung)

Avenue of Stars (Mr. Leon Lai Ming)

Avenue of Stars (Mr. Wong Tin Lam)

Avenue of Stars (Mr. Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing)

Victoria Harbour

Avenue of Stars

Rosewood Hong Kong

Bruce Lee statue

Avenue of Stars

Avenue of Stars

Waterfront Podium Garden Kiosk

Waterfront Podium Garden Kiosk

Tsim Sha Tsui (Moody Road)

We decided to have our dinner at Ichiran. We fell in love with Ichiran ramen when we first tried it in Tokyo. It took us around 10 minutes (750m) to walk from Avenue of Stars to Ichiran. We arrived at 6.15pm and there was no line to wait in. We used the machine to place our order - two classic tonkotsu ramen and two half-boiled salted eggs. Each of us received an order sheet from the waitress to customize our ramen in terms of seasoning, richness, garlic, green onion, sliced pork, spiciness and noodle texture. We followed their recommendation except for the noodle texture, which I chose as extra soft. I regret choosing extra soft since my noodle texture resembled misua (also known as wheat vermicelli), which has a silky velvety feel.

Their half-boiled salted egg comes with egg shell, and you need to peel it yourself. The broth is not as tasty as it was in Japan and Taiwan, but the ramen costs twice what we had in Japan! Besides that, the pork slices have a distinct porky flavour. After we completed our meal, there was a big line outside the restaurant. 

(Total bill - HKD 255 includes a service fee of HKD 23.20)

Ichiran

Ordering food via vending machine

Cold water

Restaurant ambience

Unpeeled half-boiled salted egg - HKD 18 each

Classic Tonkotsu Ramen - HKD 98

Address:

Ichiran

G/F & Shop B, Basement Floor,

8 Minden Avenue,

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon,

Hong Kong

After dinner, I wanted to try the choux at Owl's, but it was sold out when we got there at 7.10pm. The shop is open from 3pm until it is sold out.

Owl's Choux Gelato Coffee

Address:

Owl's Choux Gelato Coffee

Ground Floor, front portion of shop H Lyton building,

32 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,

Hong Kong

So we walked to Twist & Buckle Churros Specialists, just 2 minutes (170m) walking distance from Owl's Choux Gelato Coffee. This shop only sells churros with soft serve ice cream and milkshakes. You can order their original churros dusted with cinnamon sugar (HKD 30) or you can choose your sauce (additional HKD 10 for each sauce). There are four types of sauce for you to choose from - chocolate, nutella, salted caramel sauce and dulce de leche.

I tried their Hazel Lah, which comes with Nutella and chopped hazelnuts. I also chose to add soft serve ice cream (HKD 18). The churros are light and crispy on the outside. However, soft serve ice cream is a little too sweet for my liking and the flavour is just so-so.

Twist & Buckle Churros Specialists

Twist & Buckle Churros Specialists

Hazel Lah - HKD 58

Address:

Twist & Buckle Churros Specialists

No. 29-31 Chatham Rd S,

Tsim Sha Tsui,

Hong Kong

Instead of returning to our hotel, the timing was perfect to view the symphony of light at 8pm. Thus, it took us around nine minutes (600m) to walk from Twist & Buckle Churros Specialists to Avenue of Stars. Unfortunately, just like eight years ago, there weren't many laser lights visible. So we headed back to our hotel by taking the metro from Tsim Sha Tsui to Jordan Station (HKD 4.80 per person). We broke another record by walking 15km today.

Night view of Victoria Harbour

Night view of Victoria Harbour

Symphony of lights