|
Hong Kong
Keep in Touch:
Archives:
Articles:
|
Life Organic Health Cafe, Central
Well, as numerous diligent research subjects for Girls Guide have discovered, you can expect to feel absolutely crappy the day after (rumpled hair, smelling like smoke and very queasy), a quintessential model of unhealthy living. Instead of clambering bleary-eyed around your apartment in search of ramen and leftover gatorade, hop down to Life Cafe in Central - an all-organic health-food deli and restaurant - for a delicious dose of positivity. Nurse your hangover with a sparkling fruit smoothie or a hot mug of yerba mate, and when you're good and ready, order something to settle your stomach. Before the meal is over, you'll be swearing by the pita dip, formulating a new fitness plan, recyling, and announcing the end of your toxic love affair with Hong Kong nightlife. Of course, a drink or two every now and then never hurt anyone, even the people at Life know that -- that's why they have organic ciders, ales and wines on the menu (you know, for when you feel more up to it). Prices are very reasonable. Just being in the airy three-storey space is a little pick-me-up in itself; large windows let in the sunlight, a wall stacked full of books provides eco-friendly literature, the rooftop patio is cozy and candle-lit in the evenings and all the wood for the furniture is from sustainable forests in Indonesia. The vegan desserts are surprisingly good, especially the very brownie-like chocolate cake (no complaints there) and the coffee at Life is one of the best brews in town. So if ever again you wake up and feel a little less than perfect, or if you're just having a bad week, a few sips from the elixir of Life will have you glowing like an earth goddess in no time.
Deli and Cafe Hours: Written by KaiChin | Filed in Famished Girl , Relaxin' Girl | Link to this article Pottinger Street, Central
Perched on each side of charmingly uneven steps are tiny green stalls that sell a thousand different kinds of shiny buttons, ribbons, belt buckles, sequins, patches, exotic varieties of beads, trims, lace and zippers. When you're yearning to make over your wardrobe without spending a fortune, Pottinger Street is paradise for anyone with a flair for well, flair. I've spiced up many a pair of garden variety flip-flops with a cleverly glued button, and brightened old college sweatshirts by sewing an embroidered ribbon around the hood. Start from Queen's Road and work your way up - the first block (between Queen's Road and Stanley Street) is generally all sartorial embellishments. The second block (between Stanley Street and Wellington Street) sells outrageous costumes, masks, wigs, feather boas, hair clips and accessories of all kinds (apparently the flairmometer ranges from subtle to very conspicuous). Whether piecing together the perfect ensemble for a costume party, buying gifts for a friend or simply mending pajamas, Pottinger Street is definitely worth a visit for resourceful gals who love a bargain. A final note of caution: remember to wear flats while scaling the incline or you'll come home with a huge bag of goodies and a twisted ankle. Pottinger Street, Central 10am-5pm everyday. Written by KaiChin | Filed in Thrifty Girl | Link to this article Bodega Riojana, Kennedy Town
Unlike a lot of loud, sleek (and unfortunately cheesy) tapas-gone-hip places in Hong Kong, Bodega Riojana sits on its little slope far from the downtown crowds and will gently seduce you into slowing down from city-speed and taking a post-meal siesta. The dining room sits at most 20 people - it's a modest, homey space, with warm lighting, jewel-green walls, high ceilings and large front windows that fold open to let the air in. Chef and owner Christina labors with love in the semi-open kitchen while diners grow drunk with anticipation, deeply breathing in each plate before it even reaches the table. A testament to what one woman's passion can accomplish, eating at her restaurant is like having a giddy dose of inspiration. She cures her own meats, can whip up homemade ice cream...okay fine, she's basically my role model. Continue reading"Bodega Riojana, Kennedy Town" Written by KaiChin | Filed in Famished Girl | Link to this article sense 99, Central
Sense 99 is a hidden enclave completely devoid of pretension for those no make-up, grey sweatpants nights where all a girl wants to do is sit down with a glass of wine, chat with some friends and get her groove back. I love this place because there is absolutely no trace of attitude so prevalent in a lot of Hong Kong hangouts nowadays - even though there's a buzzer on the ground floor, they'll always let you up. Being there definitely feels like you've been invited to intimate after-dinner drinks at a friend of a friend's apartment. And what friends! A talented few of them jam regularly on the second floor, playing everything from Dave Brubeck to maybe even Nirvana. Stray instruments (little drums, random percussion, a stand-up bass) are tucked amongst the furniture, for anyone who wants to join in and make some music. For those times when you just want to 'come as you are', sense will provide the soundtrack and atmosphere - all you need to do is show up. http://www.sense99.org Written by KaiChin | Filed in Relaxin' Girl , Scene Girl | Link to this article maymayking, SoHo
Walking into the two-story boutique, I was greeted by an aura of cheery nostalgia. The ceiling was strung with cat-shaped paper garlands, gently swaying antique light fixtures and festive tasseled lanterns. In the front window stood a regal pair of qi pao (traditional Chinese dresses) in bold, bouquet prints. All corners of the store are packed with colorful goodies - I was delighted by all the carefully chosen and arranged books, cards and antique toys. If maymayking's lower level is a bright playground where one can easily imagine the toy figurines coming alive at night and chattering to one another in lively Mandarin, the upstairs room is for the lady in all of us - a darling little seamstress' shop where retro-glam barrettes and earrings share an apartment with racks of qi pao in the prettiest colors and patterns. My favorites were the adorable fabric wristlet bags (available on their website). Stop by to pick up some unique souvenirs or gifts for your girlfriends, sisters and mothers, or even a small treat for yourself - just being inside the store makes me happy. Once in a while, we all need a reminder to be playful, and maymayking gives us just the eye candy we need for that kind of pick-me-up. maymayking Written by KaiChin | Filed in Shopping Girl | Link to this article Island Beverley Shopping Center, Causeway Bay
Trouble finding it? It's that gold building with the throngs of funky-hip schoolgirls pouring on and off the escalator with one mission: shop. On the inside, all the glass store-fronts are polished to a whimsical sheen, decked out with dense displays of edgy one-of-a-kind clothes, cutesy Japanese trinkets (a personal favorite), silly purses of all styles and sizes, deliciously obscure make-up imports, wacky shoes and glittering hand-made jewelry. Each matchbox-size store (you'll find about fifteen to twenty tiny boutiques on each of the four floors) is a quirky gem - one store might sell only striped socks, while another may specialize in industrial chic. Visit often, as some stores come and go with the trends. Rent is cheap, giving emerging local designers a place to hawk their wares. Some stores sell hard-to-find lines available only in Japan: Burberry Blue Label, Vivienne Westwood accessories and Katharine Hamnett wallets. Be warned, though - the waify salesgirls in hipster black glowering over their lunchboxes are not particularly helpful and dressing rooms are the size of small showers. But hey, every girl knows you've got to suffer for fashion every once in while - and once you've navigated through those crowds, shimmied into pants while holding a flimsy curtain around your fanny and got a heck of a great deal, feel free to do a little victory pirouette. Cheers! You've earned your black belt in shopping. Tip: Most of the boutiques in the complex don't open until 2 or 3pm. Weekday afternoons are usually better than weekends, but be prepared to squeeze in with other style-seekers either way. Island Beverley Shopping Centre Written by KaiChin | Filed in Shopping Girl | Link to this article Tiffin, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Wan Chai I've always been a supporter of the "save room for dessert" theory, but in practice, it's easy to overdo the savory, leaving (very) little space for the sweet. Thankfully, there's an elegant solution for such dilemmas. Tiffin, the luxe lounge on the mezzanine level of the Grand Hyatt lobby serves a dessert buffet in the late evenings so you can do what you've always wanted: skip the meal and go straight for the good stuff. If you're brave enough for all the delicately constructed confections you can handle, you will find Tiffin atop Hong Kong's most grandiose marble staircase, floating between earth and a very high ceiling. The first thing you'll see is the dessert spread, unfolding from the middle of the room like a giant sugar-crusted flower. I usually wave a passing hello to my friends, fling my purse on one of the plush loveseats and head straight for paradise. Go ahead and pile as much as you can on your plate (I know I always do): choose from airy cream puffs, dangerously sinful mousses, gleaming pies and a divine selection of fruits and berries. Everything is light, soft and gently sweet, as if built by conscientious elves. There's also a crepe station, where a well-mannered chef will take your order. Turn a corner and you'll see ginger-vanilla souffles incubating quietly in a domed heater, but please note - all of this is merely a prelude to the main attraction: a glorious fountain of never-ending liquid chocolate. (Very Willy Wonka!) Pick up a kebab stick and spear yourself some sliced kiwis, strawberries, pineapples, honeydew and ladyfingers - it's all there for the chocolate-dipped fun. At some point in during un-ladylike indulgence, I always have a moment where I pause, look up and realize that through the floor-to-ceiling glass, the city skyline is winking at me from a thousand windows. A great view, the faint taste of sugar on my lips...who needs to save room for dessert when you can make an entire evening out of it?
Written by KaiChin | Filed in Famished Girl , Fancy Girl | Link to this article |
|
|
WELCOME TO CITY LIFE | MEET THE GUIDES | SEE OUR CITIES | PRESS | ADVERTISE | CONTACT ALL MATERIAL © 2005-2006. A GIRL AT PLAY PRODUCTION |
From tinsel to typhoons, lovebirds to Lunar New Year, every season is party season in Hong Kong. What else can you expect from a city that does a count down to Christmas with the same giddy exuberance as it does for the New Year?
In the heart of Hong Kong there is a lively urban orchard that flourishes year round, selling colorful haberdashery and shiny trinkets ripe for the picking. At Pottinger Street, for a very decent price and with some imagination, any girl can find the materials and inspiration for a little stylish ingenuity.
All girls know that sharing, whether it be food or conversation, is at the core of any great meal. Having tapas at Bodega Riojana encourages both: the food is meant to be divvied and the restaurant provides a sweetly quiet background for dish, chatter, and girl-tales of all kinds.
Characterized by rotating art exhibits from local Hong Kong talent, a down-to-earth crowd and a dimly smoky arthouse feel, sense 99 is a sort of informal, 21st century salon for those that want their weekend evenings to linger lazily and somewhat coherently into the morning instead of deliriously shaking the moments away next to designer-clad models in a whirring dust-cloud of electronica.
Exploring the steep concrete slopes and uneven steps of SoHo one afternoon, I stumbled upon maymayking, a charming little establishment that beckons passerby with a sharply colorful storefront - the kind of place where you'd half expect a rosy-cheeked, pigtailed Chinese toddler to peek out from behind the window and giggle, inviting you to come in and play.
There is one place every girl should have on their Hong Kong shopping repertoire in order to truly be considered a seasoned retail master. An unassuming building on the corner of the busiest pedestrian intersection in Hong Kong, Island Beverley Shopping Center is a dense grid of mirrors, glass and unique style at every turn. I like to think of it as a candy-coated funhouse for girls of all ages.