Flower Market Road, Hong Kong 2013

While walking down Nathan Road, we took a fun detour to Flower Market Road. Both of us came out with a small bouquet of flowers to brighten up our corners in our hostel room! I think it really makes the space so much more homely.

Café Bistro The Alchemist, Hong Kong 2013

When we were planning for Hong Kong, we organised what we wanted to see by area, planning to spend every day in a new area, slowly discovering them and more. After the dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, we walked a few steps to Cafe Bistro The Alchemist. And by a few steps, I meant we took the train from Sham Shui Po to Prince Edward, walked to the cafe only to realise it was only about 100m from Tim Ho Wan.

A cafe for travellers, C and I immediately felt welcomed into this space. We also felt that there was a very Taiwanese feel to the decor. Loved the mis-matched chairs, cement wall and fixtures, travel books and inspirational Mandarin quotes on the wall.

Still stuffed from Tim Ho Wan, we went for some coffee and desserts. Our waffles were awesome, why did no one else think to combine green tea ice cream, chocolate fudge and strawberries? And f the horde of people that descended on the cafe for lunch are anything to go by, the rest of the food must be pretty good too!

Tim Ho Wan, Hong Kong 2013

The reason we were in Sham Shui Po was to try the dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, the world's cheapest Michelin Star restaurant! The original outlet that was awarded the Michelin star was originally located in Mongkok but sky-rocketing rents have caused that outlet to close down. We headed to the Sham Shui Po outlet because it was convenient to Tsim Sha Tsui (where we stayed). And I glad we did that. The Sham Shui Po outlet feels like it's been there for years and has a down-home atmosphere as compared to the mall outlets. We arrived at about 11am and were surprised to be seated almost immediately, there are so many horror stories of one-hour long queues that I was quite prepared to wait!

Tim Ho Wan has also made its way to Singapore but the queue never dwindled below one hour and reviews were inconsistent, never tempting me to join in. So I kept my expectations in check, not sure what to expect. Well, rest assured Tim Ho Wan is worthy of its Michelin star. The food was excellent! The BBQ Pork Buns were amazing, the crust was sugary crisp and the pork fillings, so smooth and creamy! Another stand-out were the spring rolls, I don't usually like spring rolls, but I am making an exception for this one!

Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong 2013

We stepped into the neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po on the way for our breakfast dim sum (post coming up!). Home to many industrial and wholesale stores, it's definitely off the beaten track for travellers and that's exactly what we wanted to see, life in Hong Kong as it is.

2013 Recap

Happy 2014, everyone! I hope you have been enjoying the festivities and celebrating the new year in your own little way.

2013 was a very good year in travel. I travelled to 2 new cities (Perth & Hanoi), 1 new-to-me city (Hong Kong) and repeated trips to Bali with friends for much-needed R&R. Work-wise, I am still finding my foot in my new supervisory role. I am still figuring it all out and trying to balance work & life. It's still a year of discovery and growing up. I can see this going on for awhile yet.

Here's my annual recap of what I did this past year. It was a bit of a quiet year despite all the travel.

January

+ Jersey Boys The Musical
+ F.I.R. Light Up The Way Concert

February

+ Perth

March

+ Bali
+ Completed my cervical cancer vaccination injections

April

May

June

July

+ The Addams Family Musical

+ Hanoi

+ Received a pay raise

August

+ Really really busy at work with exhibition openings and events.

September

+ Won Fu WONDERFUL 2013 Live Tour

October

+ Began swimming on a regular basis

November

+ Hong Kong

December

+ Bali