Time Out Hong Kong - special edition

An important part of Hong Kong's signature is its wine and dine scene. Not many cities have such a density of Michelin starred restaurants. It seems impossible to make a wrong choice.



It happened to be Wine and Dine festival: the equivalent of 17 euro for 10 glasses of wine including Chatueaux Margaux (bargain!) under the skyline.



Thirsty or hungry yet? Below you wil find my suggestions!

Two starred Michelin restaurant "L'Atelier by Joel Robuchon" (Central in Landmark building) - gimmick: high tea for two, art on a plate! (btw, they do good lattes as well)













"Le Hutong" (Kowloon) - gimmick: main course "the red lantern", soft shell crabs with chilies that make you cry and choke at the same time, yum! The view is excellent as well.






"Felix", designed by Phillipe Starck (Kowloon, 28th floor of the Peninsula) - gimmick: its restrooms (and city view)



Sushibar "Sen-ryo" (Central - 3rd floor of IFC mall) - gimmick: the mouthwatering softshell crab handroll!












Winebar "California Vintage" (Central) - gimmick: an Ipad loaded with info to help you pick a wine



Coffee bar "Deli and Vine" (Kowloon in Hong Kong Culture Center) - gimmick: a latte made with love and the funky interior






Italian restaurant and winebar "Posto Publicco" (Soho) - gimmick: jazzy music and delicious pasta!



Authentic Chinese fishing junk "Duk Ling" - gimmick: simple cans of beer with a view to a kill






And of course, streetfood - gimmick: often looks disgusting, but tastes wonderful!




Bon apetit!




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Location:Hong Kong

T'ai chi

After a failed attempt in Xi'an, took a tai chi class on the Kowloon pier in Hong Kong with mr. William Ng. T'ai chi ch'uan (literally "Supreme Ultimate Fist" and also referred to as Shadow Boxing) is a type of internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. While enjoying the skyline of Hong Kong Island, tried to master a sequence of poses with beautiful names such as "bird showing its wings" or "moving the clouds". It is much more difficult than it looks - sort of "moving yoga" actually. It is obvious that I need a bit more practice...





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Location:Hong Kong

The NYC of the East

Take NYC, dip it in soy sauce, sprinkle it with sesame seeds and there you have HK...to be eaten with chopsticks. Love at first sight!








Hong Kong seems to have it all. Trendy restaurants and bars, slighty dirty but yum local eateries...







...a Chanel store on every corner, fake Louis Vuitton bags on every night market...










...skyscrapers and traditional stilt houses...








...a river and beaches, ferries, trams and taxis...







...Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, a jungle with poisonous snakes and beautiful public parks to relax...




...Jaap van Zweden and Chinese opera, horse racing and tai chi...







...modern malls selling delicate chocolates and delicious sushi and outdoor markets bursting with vegetables, fruit, meat and seafood...










The population is a mix of locals, (illegal) Chinese immigrants and expats. The difference with Delhi and Mumbai is striking. No honking, no cows or cow poop and no annoying touts. Everything is well organized and the people are friendly and helpful. Perfection!




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Location:Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Red hot cillipeppers

India is famous for its spices and just about every dish is flavoured with a special combination of spices like masala or tandoori. Goa region grows the finest quality of many spices, including 3 out of the 4 most expensive kinds (vanilla, green cardamom and cloves). Time to explore the spice plantations which are hidden in the jungle!






When wandering the spice plantation, I can hardly imagine that many many years ago, people figured out which spice grows on or out of which bush or tree, how to extract it, when to harvest it and what you can use it for. Every tree and bush looks the same to me and even when the friendly Indian guide points at a peppercorn tree, it takes me some time to recognize it. Btw, if you harvest the red corns and boil them, the skin peels off and you have white pepper...who figured that out?!




When the guide scratches an innocent looking tree, it suddenly smells like Christmas...it is a cinneamon tree.




A guy jumps from palm to palm like a monkey to harvest betelnuts (a main ingredient of paan - a mixture of betelnut, lime paste, spices and condiments wrapped in an edible silky paan leave - that colours the teeth of many Indians bright red and explains the "bloodstains" on the streets).



- Paan seller in Varanasi -

The tour ends with a delicious spicy meal and a shot of Feni the local Goan cashewnut liquor (my god, that is STRONG stuff)! I buy some almond and lemongrass oil for my poor skin, damaged by the dust, sweat, sun and dirt... When I apply it at night, my skin is on fire and burns like your stomach after having the real Indian spicy stuff. Burn baby burn!







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Location:Ponda - Goa province, India