DK Travel : Hong Kong

“A dream of Manhattan, arising from the South China Sea.” For succinctness, modern travel writer Pico Iyer’s description of Hong Kong has yet to be bettered. From opium port to Cold War enclave to frenetic financial capital, Hong Kong has never been boring. This is the hedonistic engine room of cultural fusion: East meets West in high style, and the results astonish and delight. Prepare to experience one of the most dramatic urban environments ever conceived.

Brecht’s Circle

Cream of the crop of stylish bar-restaurants around Causeway Bay. The mixed crowd is watched over by pop-art portraits of Hitler, Mao and Mussolini.
Bride’s Pool

Stunning waterfalls amid lush forest. Take the camera and wear sensible shoes.
Bride’s Pool

The pool is a popular picnic spot. Weekends are best avoided, but visit midweek and, with luck, you will have this glorious, wooded course of rockpools and cascades all to yourself.
Brisket of Beef

Requiring up to eight hours of slow cooking, preparation of this Hong Kong classic is an art. Households and restaurants guard their individual recipes, but all involve the classic five Chinese spices, rock sugar and tangerine peel. It’s served in an earthenware pot as a main course, or as a topping for rice or noodles. Given its richness, it is particularly enjoyed in winter.
British

Colonial power may have vanished, but a large British population remains, including a small but influential community of native-born. Influences are everywhere, from street names (“Lambeth Walk”, “Rutland Quadrant”) to school blazers.
Brown

Happy Valley has also been taken over by a host of trendy wine bars and eateries. The décor is, well, brown.
Buses

Hong Kong’s double-decker buses are a British legacy, although these mostly come air-conditioned and (in a universally loathed development) with onboard TVs blaring ceaseless advertising. The low cost of using them may help you overcome this irritant.
Caffè Toscana

Small and friendly, serving Italian favourites.
Camões Grotto

The author of the 16th-century Portuguese epicThe Lusiads may never actually have visited Macau, but don’t try telling the local Portuguese. Luis Vaz de Camões specialized in overblown, patriotic verse – a bust of him peers through the grotto’s gloom. The adjoining gardens are popular with old men and their caged birds first thing in the morning.
Canidrome

Go the dishlickers! This is the only greyhound racing club in Asia.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal) and extra charges.
- under HK$100
- HK$100-250
- HK$250-450
- HK$450-600
- over HK$600