Regina Chow - Singapore Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle & Travel Blog: Hong Kong 2011

Besides its glorious food and shopping haunts, Hong Kong is famous for its night life as well. You could take a tram up the peak for a breath-taking view of the city's landscape, pop by avenue of stars for the symphony of lights show and then head down to Lan Kwai Fong for a drink or two.

All of us took our own sweet time to dress up for our night out. We were all decked out in our latest acquisitions from Hong Kong.

I've included information on what I wore, just in case you're interested!

Neon Pink & Beige Tube Dress: H&M
Fur Jacket: Argyle Centre (a steal at just S$30!)
Pink Satin Straps Platform Shoes: Argyle Centre (S$30-S$40)

Our first stop was the Avenue of Stars at Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. Inspired by Hollywood's Walk of Fame, Avenue of Stars honours over 100 Hong Kong celebrities by placing imprints of the artistes' hands along the pavement, against the backdrop of Hong Kong's beautifully lit skyline. This is where you'll also find statues related to the film industry, including those of celebrities such as Bruce Lee.

We were late for the symphony of lights show, but we had lots of fun posing for the camera. Check out the first photo on the left hand side in the above collage. For Singaporeans, you may recognize the acronym of a certain Hokkien vulgarity on the building. LOL.

We then grabbed a quick dinner (yummy congee!) at Wong Chi Kei restaurant before heading down to Lan Kwai Fong. Wong Chi Kei is a famous congee and wonton noodle restaurant located at Central, just opposite Yung Kee, another restaurant that is renowned for its Peking duck and roast meat.

Lan Kwai Fong is probably the most popular nightlife district in Hong Kong. It is often jam packed with expatriates, tourists and locals. Be prepared for loud blaring music, drunkards along the road (check out the uninvited guest at the bottom-left right photo in my collage above) and huge crowds along the steep cobbled slopes. Go there with an open mind and I'm sure you'll have a great time. :)

We were at Marlini, this tiny little bar with extremely loud hip hop music and very spontaneous patrons who were not afraid to show off their dance moves on the street. After Marlini, we went to a club called Liquid, only because the bouncer waived our cover charges.

I don't know why, but I think the clubbing scene in Singapore has far surpassed that of Hong Kong, especially with the establishment of new nightspots such as Filter. I hardly club in Singapore, but I personally think that Butter Factory and Zouk are much better places to hang out at, as compared to the clubs in Hong Kong.

For me at least, Hong Kong will remain a shopping and eating paradise. As for clubbing? Nah.

Drop me a comment if you beg to differ! I'll love to find out what your recommendations are. :)

Wong Tai Sin Temple & Landmark Cafe

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Lazy Weekend Outfit - What I am Wearing Today

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Eat, Shop, Eat

Saturday, April 09, 2011

We all know that Dim Sum and Yum Cha are synonymous in Hong Kong. For the uninitiated, yum cha (literally translated as drinking tea) is a dining concept that incorporates the art of drinking tea in the company of dim sum dishes.

There are several renowned dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong, and according to my Hong Kong-based friends, Maxim's Palace City Hall is by far the best.

We didn't manage to yum cha at Maxim's this time. Instead, we decided to try our luck at Tim Ho Wan, a highly raved dim sum restaurant that is famous for its char siew bo luo bao (barbecued pork pineapple buns). As the restaurant only has 20 seats, patrons usually wait hours for their turn. The long snaking queue in front of the restaurant is a testament of its popularity.

After getting a queue number, we quickly lost our patience as the queue was moving at snail's pace, if it was even moving at all. Since we would probably have the chance to yum cha another day (which we did!), we eventually gave up waiting and adjourned to a nearby eatery diagonally opposite Tim Ho Wan for local delicacies such as yu dan 鱼蛋 (fishballs) and wanton noodles.

I can't recall the name of the shop but the food was unbelievably good! I had sumptuous zha jiang mian 炸酱面 (noodles tossed in minced beef sauce) there. Yummy!!

Feeling satisfied after the hearty meal, we took a stroll to the MTR and made our way to Central. The best time for photo-taking is while you're waiting for the train to arrive. I guess that was why the MTR in Hong Kong made reflective glass doors so that commuters like us can cam-whore while waiting. How very thoughtful. LOL!

The highlight at Central was H&M of course! H&M is coming to the sunny island of Singapore come August 2011, but till that happens, most Singaporeans would typically get their H&M fix from either Hong Kong or Tokyo.

I would imagine that H&M needs no introduction. The fashionable apparel sold at affordable prices is the main reason why girls fall head over heels in love with the brand.

We spent a few hours trawling through 3 storeys of H&M apparel. I even managed to get two pairs of denim shorts from the children's department for myself! I was wearing one of them in my recent outfit post. ;)

After H&M, Causeway Bay beckoned. Island Beverly at Causeway Bay is very similar to Argyle Centre, except that the prices are much higher. You may find some interesting designs here priced at about S$50-80 onwards. Sometimes, you can find the same items here at Argyle Centre, so I really wouldn't recommend this mall.

Reyna and I left the mall earlier while Jun, Kaykay, Mavis and Shirley were still shopping because our legs were aching and our stomachs were rumbling. We ended up at agnes b cafe for desserts.

Almost all the agnes b shops in Hong Kong are accompanied by agnes b cafes. The desserts are pretty decent but please do not attempt to try the soup. We ordered a clam chowder soup and gosh, it tasted like fishy water!

Shopping in Hong Kong

Thursday, April 07, 2011

We've been planning an all girls trip for eons and it finally materialized last week! It has been a while since I last went to Hong Kong (probably 2-3 years back?) and I was glad to have the opportunity to rediscover the city.

The main objective of this trip was to scout for bargain buys. I'm sure you girls must be anxious to find out where I bagged most of my purchases. Well, I'll be sharing more here and in subsequent posts. ;)

I will also be posting up my hauls in my WIWT posts at the end of each week, so do look out for them if you are interested.

Now, here are photos from the first day of my trip.

We woke up on a dark (not bright at all because we were up by 4am!) and early morning to catch our 6am flight to Hong Kong. All of us wore sunnies on the Airport Express because we barely had any make-up on.

Ravenous by the time we arrived at Royal Plaza Hotel, we grabbed a quick meal at Fairwood, a fast food chain that serves pretty average Chinese and Japanese food. Then, it was time to return to the comfort of our hotel to laze around a bit, freshen up and prepare for our shopping escapade!

The hotel is very accessible and is within walking distance to most of the shopping malls/streets in Mongkok. The rooms are ginormous by Hong Kong's standards and the beds are so comfortable you'll fall asleep instantly. Believe me, you wouldn't want to get out of bed unless you are hardcore shopaholics like us.

Our first stop was Fa Yuen Street (花园街）, which is similar to Bugis Village in Singapore. There are so many boutiques and street stalls that resemble the pasar malam stalls that we have here. I bought very cheap Vivi-inspired lace shorts and gyaru-style tops here. What's my definition of cheap? Like S$10-20 per piece!

We also took a short walk to Argyle Centre (旺角中心）, a must-go mall for all of us. The walkways are very narrow and flanked by a myriad of little shops selling everything from apparel, shoes, bags and accessories at affordable prices. It is almost like a cross between Far East Plaza and Bugis Village.

I bought most of my bags, shoes and clothes from Argyle Centre. Everything here ranges from S$10-30 for clothes and bags. Shoes are generally a little pricier, at about S$40-50 a pair, especially if they're replicas of designer footwear or of better quality.

One word of caution though, this mall can get terribly crowded after office hours and on weekends. On weekends, you can hardly walk past a shop without being sandwiched between fellow shopaholics. The experience is akin to being trapped on an MRT during peak hour with little ventilation and no way of getting out (just like what happened this morning)!

This mall is a treasure trove and I love everything about it except the crowd, so if you are planning to make a trip there, do go on a weekday to avoid the human traffic. ;)

When night falls, you may want to visit the Ladies Street (女人街）, also located in the Mongkok district. This street used to be lined with boring stalls selling poor quality designer replicas and souvenirs that aren't worth a dime. It didn't help that the stall keepers were rude and fond of chasing potential customers away if they appeared uninterested in the products.

The good news is, all that has changed. Now, the wide variety of merchandise here is a huge draw. The stall keepers are also very friendly and eager for customers, so bargain all you can! The Vivi-inspired leopard print fur bag in my previous WIWT post was purchased in Ladies Street when the stall was about to close for the night. After much haggling, I bought it at only about S$20. What a bargain!