Ahh summertime, the time where drowning in sweat and rain becomes the new normal and staying in with AC is now more exciting than ever.
Despite this god-awful weather, this summer has also been an incredibly active and plan-filled one for me. Between training for dragon boat, traveling to new places, and juggling work events, June and July were certainly a jam-packed time. OH and Anna and I finally reunited after 6+ months of being apart, YAY!!
August seemed to sneak up on me once again (someone please explain how time flies) so I thought it was a perfect time to look back and enjoy the last bit of summer before it is officially over. As usual, get ready for some food recs, bops to listen to, and a whole lot of random story time 🙂
Cheung Chau
Cheung Chau was on the top of my to-bring-anna-to list and it’s mostly because of ALL the food they have there. This little island has a special place in my heart and since its only 40 mins ferry ride away, it is an easy getaway place from the usual Hong Kong busy city life.
We got there around noon so it was a perfect time to dive straight into our first target, seafood lunch. Along the waterfront, there are LOTS of restaurants offering seafood so the options are truly endless. We opted for this place called Hing Lok Restaurant that seemed to be poppin and it turned out to be a great choice! They had these 3 dishes set for HK$188 and the waitress was nice enough to walk us confused people through the menu. I highly recommend the garlic scallop and calamari, and avoid the rather dry fried rice though!
Funnily enough, it started pouring really hard the moment we sat down so we ended up spending a bit of time just eating here until the rain dies down. Our next stop was the beach, and as we made our way over, we made sure to get some famous mango mochi (Anna got the durian one!) and stopped by a super cute craft store called myarts – they gave out these free watercolor portrait with movie quotes in the back and we spent honestly way too long looking at all of them haha. We eventually got to the (very busy) Tung Wan Beach and lowkey suffered in the heat until the sun went down. We finished our day trip with a pint of local Young Master beer at The Pink Pig and made our way back to the city afterward.
If you happen to be in Hong Kong, I’d highly recommend spending a day in Cheung Chau, you’ll feel like you are transported back in time in the best way possible, and there are enough things to do there for a whole day trip (unlike some neighboring islands). Also, I’ve since been told Kwun Yam Wan beach is nicer and more secluded than the one we went to, so it’s now on my list to visit next time I’m there!
FOOD (and drinks!)
Yes, my favorite category and probably the main reason why my bank account is always suffering. This time around its worse because Anna was in town so I was on my tour guide mode and had to take her to my favorite places (or so I told myself). So in addition to Cheung Chau, here are some of my new food discoveries this season:
Burger Joys
Normally, I’m not much of a burger person but you know that feeling when you just need a good burger? Because that’s how I felt multiple times this month and Burger Joys really came through. It’s also Anna’s first meal in HK which I found to be hilarious (but also incredibly delicious). They make great tater tots and chicken nuggets which is more like chicken strips and the best part, it’s only 5 mins away from me!
Chrisly Cafe
Another gem we discovered together was this Cha Chaan Teng, Chrisly Cafe. We went on a Sunday night post-Cheung Chau and had HK breakfast food for dinner which again was a fantastic idea. The eggs there are super fluffy which I LOVE and this place is English friendly which is both rare and perfect for my Canto-impaired self. I’ve since returned multiple times and this place has definitely become my go-to for when I am craving HK breakfast food and don’t feel like getting yelled at by the waiter (cough australia dairy company cough). Highly recommend!
Poke HK
Thanks to my coworker, I was reminded that this place existed. Poke HK is hands down the best poke I have had in Hong Kong. HK has a pretty low standard for poke (aka it barely exists and usually $$) so I’ve been deprived for a long time. But this place man, it is good. The build your own one is only HK$88 which is super reasonable, and the portion is very generous with lots of rice/salad and toppings in addition to the raw fish. It reminds me of the kind I had in LA, so it’s definitely high up there on my favorite food list!
Honi Honi
If you’re looking for a cute bar with great cocktails, check out Honi Honi in Central. I love the tropical vibes and semi-outdoor settings and the cocktails they have are super interesting tiki-style, a nice change from my basic G&T option. They also had a live DJ (that came out of nowhere) and they had great bops for our girl’s night out. I’ll definitely be coming back soon!
ASSORTED FAVORITES
Trip to Korea
That’s right, ya girl got her new passport (lol) and took another quick getaway, this time to Seoul and Busan in Korea! Anna and I have been planning this trip since forever and I’m so happy we finally made it happen! We had lots of great food and stories to talk about, so stay tuned for our Korea guide coming your way very soon 😉
Dragon Boat
In case you didn’t know, I’m not exactly the fittest person, to say the least. But this summer, my company arranged a dragon boat race for us and I find myself having to train for these multiple times a week. For those who don’t know, dragon boat race is a pretty big annual thing here in Hong Kong, and in addition to the super serious race, companies (and organizations) typically participate in the race too!
Our first sea training ended up with us rowing back in fear as a storm came out of nowhere in the middle of practice. I am lowkey still traumatized of storms to this day, but that strangely helped us be more united and we ended up doing pretty well at the race especially considering we only trained twice (lol). I don’t know if I’d say I’ll gladly do it again, but it was a fun time and definitely a memorable experience for all of us. Go Paper Cuts!
Muay Thai
While we’re on the working out topic, my coworkers and I have also decided to start working out together somewhat regularly this month. I’ve gotten back into yoga (now at One Yoga studio in Wanchai) and we went to our first Muay Thai class at Kru Muay Thai in Central. AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! I legitimately thought I was going to die in this class, which lowkey, I did, but it was also just pure fun. The instructor is super energetic and funny and as intense as it was, they also don’t push you too much that you’d feel like death which is a plus for me. It’s a mix of stretches, punches, and some good ol’ cardio and I like how they change things up every few minutes to keep things interesting. We’re going back there again for a second session this Tuesday and I look forward to it!
Tai Pan Reflexology
Another old favorite revisited, I took Anna to my favorite massage place in town, Tai Pan in TST. This place is my happy place and heaven in the heat, and once again I loved my time there. It’s not cheap for a massage (just like anything else in HK) but I always love the foot massage there. They also give you complimentary tea AND the place is incredibly aesthetic, so really what more can you ask for in a massage.
Jane The Virgin
This weekend, I finally caught up with Jane The Virgin and finished the last episode ever. It’s crazy to know that the show is officially over and I feel like I have followed all the characters through so much and see them grow in the 100 episodes. I won’t spoil it for you guys, but if you are looking to watch something interesting that is both hilarious and emotional and plain cheesy for your rom-com heart, I highly recommend this show. Anna actually was the one that made me got into this, so thanks, Anna! Hehe. Get ready for some feels trip and lots of crying (at least I did).
Some extra shoutouts/reminders for self:
ORII GUI launch event (x2), nabe one, tsuen wan yakitori, family Indian dinner, wall fort, Joe’s, HK anniversary, and the many fish & chips.
MUSIC
At last, we’ve come to the last category: bops to listen to. Here are some of my new discoveries courtesy of Spotify (love u), a mix of usual indie stuff with a couple of surprises:
- Yeah Right – Joji
- Honey – Kehlani
- Strange Froot – TOKiMONSTA
- What If I Go? – Mura Masa
- Garden – SZA
- Summertime in Paris – Jaden Smith (THE song of the summer!)
- V.3005 – Childish Gambino
- Stars Fell on Alabama – Daniela Andrade (on Youtube and my future wedding song, js)
- You Might Be – Autograf
- Love$ick – Mura Masa ft. A$AP Rocky
- 1999 WILDFIRE – BROCKHAMPTON
Phew, that was a long one to write. My favorite thing about writing favorites (lol) is reminiscing what I did that month and this just reminded me just how much happened this month. August is going pretty well so far and I’m excited about more random shenanigans coming my way this month heh
