We had been through Hong Kong once before, on our first visit to Thailand via Phuket. What we recalled was the double customs/security lines so we wanted to allot enough time to go through on our return from our outing. 

This time, we had an 8 hour layover and opted to see some of Hong Kong. I bought discounted tickets for the airport express on Klook prior to departure and that made our journey into town that much more seamless. During our 24 minute train ride, we got our first glimpse of Hong Kong. It’s a a city on the water. I’m not sure what I had expected but in some respects, it reminded me of Chicago in that regard. We didn’t see any riots, despite that being on the forefront of the news as of late. 

Once we arrived at Hong Kong station on Hong Kong island, we didn’t have far to go for our first destination. It was a 2 minute walk and ride up an elevator to the floor above the train station. Our first priority was sampling dim sum from the famous Tim Ho Wan but we were an hour early before opening time.

To pass the time, we walked outside and around the area, doing some sightseeing, immersing ourselves in the early morning bustle of the financial district.

As we walked around, we quickly were hit with the extreme humidity. We cut our outdoor exploration short as It’s a bit jarring and exhausting on the system to be exposed to 90 degree weather and 90% humidity all in one sitting.

We headed back into the mall to enjoy the A/C. Though the restaurant at the IFC mall was not the one awarded the Michelin star, we figured it was a good introduction and sampling and would satisfy our curiosity. What I can report was the uniqueness of some of the textures and flavor combinations.

There was a dish with a chili oil sauce that had a bit of spice but had more flavor than heat.

The bread dish was surprisingly as light as a chiffon and fluffy.

The steamed fresh shrimp dumpling was a bit doughy but not heavy. It’s definitely a recommend.

We waited about a half hour for it to open but soon after we sat down, the restaurant started quickly filling up. 

After dim sum, we headed to Victoria Peak.

Our taxi driver, unfortunately either misunderstood or was trying to gouge us. He took us to a garden but based on my google maps, we still had another 27 minutes to go. We eventually made it there but paid about double the fare that we should have been charged. After being dropped off at the taxi stand, it was a quick walk to the site.

We took a few photos and decided to have a drink at the closest bar.

Then we took a few more Peak photos and headed back.

Once we arrived at the airport, our hunger pangs reminded us it was time for another meal. The next location was chosen by my husband. On further research, his instincts were spot on. The restaurant was previously listed on Michelin’s Bib Gourmand. On further evaluation, it turned out to be a chain and one of the restaurants had actually been awarded a Michelin star, similar to our earlier meal. 

The restaurant gave receipts with numbers depending on party size. We ended up sharing a table with another couple.

Famished we ordered with our eyes, literally as the menu had photos. Though we successfully finished the very unique and slightly spicy large bowl of Dan Dan noodle peanut soup and a plate of green beans with minced pork, we had a few more bites left of the chicken, shrimp and fried rice which we packed to go.

Sadly, due to exhaustion, we didn’t end up eating it on our flight to Chiang Mai as we slept the entire time and only woke to eat the meal the flight had for us but we just might be returning on our flight back through Hong Kong and sampling a few other offerings during our short layover. 

All in all, we enjoyed our short visit in Hong Kong and immensely enjoyed their culinary offerings. If we could have squeezed in a harbor cruise, that might have rounded out our trip nicely but we definitely have no regrets on what we chose to see and where we ate during our stay.