Currently Loving: Chanel Le Vernis

{chanel le vernis via a glamorous little side project}

Shopping Guide to HK - Part 1: Kowloon

Itinerary personalized for dearest Jo. Wish I could be there with you. Your requests are the ones which have stars. I threw in some other ones just in case and grouped them according to the MTR stops. In general, shopping areas do not open until after 11am, some even 1pm.

PART 1: KOWLOON

Prince (太子)

Allied Plaza/聯合廣場 consists of several floors of shopping that are somewhere between stalls and boutiques. Do not be too hasty in snapping things up as the exact same items could probably be found as well in the retail stores lining Fa Yuen Street at a cheaper price.

There are three exceptions though: scarves, tights, and BB cream. The scarves are super cheap and come in a every style imaginable. My favourite was this purple mohair loose cable knit scarf for only $20 HKD. Tights, especially opaque black, are a basic closet staple for me and was in heaven when I found this stall that sold tights with 400 thread count for cheapest price around.

The stalls that sell the scarves and black tights are on the floor that you arrive at after going up the first escalator. Turn right and always keep to your right. Continue along and keep your eyes open as the stalls do not have any signs. The stall selling tights will appear first and will be at the crossroad where the corridor splits into two. Keep to your right and if you continue along you will see the stall selling scarves on your left. It faces a wall lined with mirrors.

Fa Yuen Street (花園街) needs no introduction. It is the famous street with stalls selling everything imaginable. However, I go there for the stores that line the sides of the street where you may find the same clothing and accessories that caught your eye at Allied Plaza for a cheaper price. Actually, to be honest, I go there for the 菠蘿包 and the 咖哩魚蛋.

金華冰廳 is a Hong Kong-style cafe famous for their baked goods. You can buy their baked goods (which are often hot from the oven due to nonstop demand) to go or head inside for a seat. My favourite is their pineapple bun (菠蘿包). If you sit down to eat, try it with a slice of butter inside (菠蘿油).

旦王 offers local snacks, with their specialty being curry. I always go for their curry fish balls (咖哩魚蛋) and if I feel the need to kick up my cholesterol, curry squid (咖哩鱿鱼).

Mongkok (旺角)

**Argyle Centre/旺角中心** is similar to Allied Plaza but think trendier, younger (like teens), and crazier. Avoid when school is out or else be prepared to suffocate and be stepped on. You will find a lot of cheap knock-offs of whatever is popular in Japan and Korea, be it clothes, bags, shoes or accessories. I recommend that if there is something you really want, buy it then and there because you probably will not be able to locate that stall again.

Address: 688 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Jordan (佐敦)

Australia Dairy Company/澳洲牛奶公司 is a Hong Kong style cafe which features a cheap meal sets and yummy steamed milk pudding. Expect everything to be fast. You sit (probably with a bunch of strangers), you order, they serve, you eat, they serve, you drink, you pay and leave. All often within 20 minutes. Redeeming point: they make the best scrambled eggs.

髮品店 sells hair and selective beauty products at wholesale prices. This is the store that all the salons and hair stylists go to when they need to stock up. Do no hesitate to ask for help; their staff is very knowledgeable about their products and hair in general.

Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀)

**龍城大藥房** is an old drugstore that carries everything at a cheaper price. Skincare, hair, makeup, medicine, body products, etc. Cash only.

Address: 九龍尖沙咀加連威老道28號

The places mentioned above have all been marked on the google map below.

View Shopping - Kowloon, HK in a larger map

Currently Loving

It's about time - the girls' night out is BACK‏

(I just really really loved the subject of the email you sent out Sherry.)

So last Saturday, we had another (not so) crazy potluck gathering at Sally G's hot apartment. When I say hot, I mean temperature-wise, not cool and stylish. (One mini fan cannot supply enough wind for a two bedroom apartment) Please note that all the shininess in the following pictures is actually sweat from cooking in a kitchen on a thirty something degree day.

Technically it was not a girls' night out as Jessica's bf, Jerry, joined us (to our greatest delight). He is SUCH a great cook, we are now trying to find a way for him to be a permanent part of our gatherings. Sherry had brought a fresh sockeye salmon (caught by her cousin-in-law) which had us super excited until we realized none of us knew and wanted to deal with it. Then we remembered Jerry was coming ...

(The girls are actually surrounding Jerry who is dealing with the salmon. Yes, it is THAT fascinating)

(Clockwise from left: best stewed pig's feet - Jerry, sushi - Sherry, potato croquettes - Daisy, stir-fried veggies - Sally, pumpkin green bean mushroom soup - Muzi)

(Leftover sushi fillings made into a salad)

(Best dish of the night: stewed pork 东波肉 - Jerry)*

(Saltiest dish of the night: scrambled eggs with salted turnip - Sally)**

(Salmon cooked in a cointreau marinade - Jerry)

(Jerry feeding the poor. It was funnier in action; he was knocking the spoon against the side of the pot)

(The elegant Sally G as always. That is a piece of stewed pig's feet in her mouth by the way.)

*I have been craving it everyday now after last Saturday.

**It is so salty that you feel your organs crying out. Sally not only did not wash the turnip, she added salt to the eggs. For those who do now know: you need to wash and soak the turnip and do not need to add salt. I woke up on Sunday with a face so swollen my mother almost did not recognize me.

Best quote ever from Sally after we asked her if she made the dish often: "No, it's just my second time. It was really salty the first time too."

Bonus:

(I was on Main St. in the morning and caught a parade that was going by.)

Blueberries~~~~~

Last Friday (August 13th), before I knew it, I had done two hours of manual labour in the sun. My parents had previously gone blueberry picking a couple of weeks ago with great results that I enjoyed everyday for a week. When my supply ran out, I began badgering my parents to go again.

Friday afternoon, my mom calls me and tells me we are going that night. My original plan was to stay in the car while they picked and then head out for dinner together. Its a well known fact that I hate manual labour. HATE. I would probably avoid exercise except that I need it.

Yeah ... somehow after my scheduled run to Starbucks for a free smoothie, things just took a detour. I blame it on competitiveness that I ended up being in the burning sun and walking around in knee high weeds with hands covered in blueberry stains and dirt for two hours.

I never understood why people liked to go pick fruit so much. Now I understand.

It is the BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT.

You sweat the entire time. Squat for more than half. Arms are working too. And after all that exercise? You get blueberries the size of cherries.

Best Birthday Ever! (Randoms)

(From Sally G)

(Pictures from Muzi)

Best Birthday Ever! (Part 3)

The Sunday after my birthday, my family and I went down to the States for my birthday meal. My family has a tradition where the person whose birthday it is gets to choose what they want for a meal, whether it is at home or at a restaurant, in addition to a cake. This year I got a side bonus where my parents made me abalone congee. :) (I love love love abalone) Last year I chose a Japanese restaurant on Main St. and this year I picked the Cheesecake Factory due to an incessant craving for an excess of cream and fat.

Why? I have no idea. My actual birthday was already full of chocolatey-creamy goodness. In addition to the chocolate mouse I had already eaten for dessert at Les Faux Bourgeois, I also had another slice of the chocolate cake that was waiting for me at home.

(Fried macaroni and cheese balls)

(Fettucine with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes)

(Dulce de leche Cheesecake)

I actually did not like what I had at the Cheesecake Factory. It was waaay too heavy and creamy. And not in the "YUUUMMM, can't wait to eat more" way, more like "Omg, I want to throw up way". The fried mac'n'cheese was made with mozzarella and served in cream sauce. The pasta actually tasted better the next day when I added more tomatoes and some white wine.

We also dropped by the Seattle Premium Outlet but like the mall at Bellevue, there was nothing to buy. The only thing I spent money on was a pretzel from Auntie Anne's. In the end, it was still Walmart and Target that made it all worth while.

(My sister at Walmart)