HONG KONG: Exploring Michelin Guide Restaurants in Mongkok

HONG KONG: Exploring Michelin Guide Restaurants in Mongkok

If you are booked in a hotel in Mongkok, it will be worth visiting these three dining places to find out why they are listed in the Michelin guide. They are listed in the Michelin street food section which evolved into a new category in 2018 called plate Michelin, which doesn't earn them a star or a title as bib gourmand, but are considered by Michelin inspectors to serve quality food.

The three dining places I chose is just 250 meters to 1.5 kilómeters from each other. So it will be easy to do food tasting in these restaurants. As you can see in the map below, they are just near each other

My suggestion is for you to visit Soupreme first for the Matsusake soup, then eat pan fried shrimp, truffle and signature buns at Cheung Hing Kee. Then eat the famous Michelin desserts of green tea lava cake with green tea ice cream and Mango Napoleon.

SOUPREME

Unfortunately, when I visited Soupreme, it was closed. So all I did was take a photo of the front. It would have been a wonderful experience since they have consistently been in the Michelin list in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

WHAT TO ORDER:

Matsusake soup (45 HKD)

You can get discounted vouchers at klook.com.

CHEUNG HING KEE

The branch I visited and shown in the photos is the branch in Tsimshatsui. This is just to give you an idea of the price and what to order. They also have a branch at Mongkok, about a kilometer from Soupreme and a few meters from the third Michelin restaurant I'm recommending. 

WHAT TO ORDER:

Signature Pan-fried buns + Pan-fried buns with shrimp
(2 pieces each) (35 HKD)
Pan-fried buns with black truffle (2 pieces) (16 HKD) 

They were listed in the 2016 Michelin guide.
In the photo are other items in the menu. 

The buns are pan-fried. 

They taste like large crispy xiao long bao.

It's bigger than the ordinary xiao long bao. 

It's like xiao long bao coz there's soup when you bite into it. 

The bottom is crisp because it's pan-fried. 

JOYFUL DESSERT HOUSE 

I will rave about the Joyful Dessert House because they make the most fantastic desserts. They truly deserve being in the Michelin list for 3 consecutive years: 2016, 2017, 2018. If there is one thing I would say, this is worth going all the way to visit even if it's out of your way. 

WHAT TO ORDER

Green tea lava cake with green tea ice cream (64 HKD) 

If you are a matcha lover, you will love the full-bodied matcha flavor of the cake and the oozing matcha lava. Heavenly! 

Mango Napoleon (64 HKD) 

You can see the lightness and crispness of the pastry

Even the drinks are really good. If you happen to visit in the mid-afternoon, one drink is free when you order the Mango Napoleon or the Green tea lava cake. 

Matcha milk
(36 HKD) 

Honey Peach Slush
(40 HKD)

For discounted vouchers like the one below, you can purchase those at klook.com 

THE 2018 MICHELIN GUIDE STREET FOOD LIST

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES: Meals on Manila to Hong Kong Roundtrip Flights

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES: Meals on Manila to Hong Kong Roundtrip Flights

Sharing with you photos of our meals for the Manila to Hong Kong flights. Meals are included in the fare, aside from 30kg checked baggage. So I'm posting photos of the meals to help you decide if it's worth purchasing the Philippine airlines flight with meals included.

MANILA TO HONG KONG, PR 306, HOT MEAL

 Aristocrat chicken with Java Rice

Dessert is coffee mouse

Pork with Pasta
Dessert is coffee mouse

HONG KONG TO MANILA, PR 319, LUNCH (It became dinner because we were delayed by 4 hours)

Pork with rice
Dessert is Ube jelly with beans in coconut milk

Chicken with mashed potatoes
Dessert is Ube jelly with beans in coconut milk

Included with the meals are unlimited drinks such as softdrinks, beer, red wine, white wine, juice, tea, coffee. 

MANILA: Dining at NAIA 2

MANILA: Dining at NAIA 2

(Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 or the PAL Terminal):
Food Choices and Price List 

I needed to write this post because of the very limited dining options at the NAIA 2 so you can  prepare yourself by bringing your own food or simply to not expect too much in terms of food choices. 

The best of the lot in terms of variety and taste is CAFE  FRANCE. 

Below are the dining options and food stores:

CAFE FRANCE

BRING CASH IF YOU WANT TO EAT AT CAFE FRANCE 

DELI KIOSK

DELI CORNER 

GOLDILOCKS

RED RIBBON 

The menu you see is Deli corner.
The small stand on the right is the Red Ribbon stall. 

BY THE WAY, no matter what the airport website says, THERE IS NO JOLLIBEE INSIDE NAIA 2.

HANOI: 10 Reasons Why I Love this Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour

HANOI: 10 Reasons Why I Love this Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour

If you don't have time to stay overnight in Halong Bay, this is a day tour I highly recommend. The cheapest day tour I could find is only half the price of this tour but they have a lot of problems like cramped vans, overbooked boats, a long and bumpy van ride, hanging out too long in souvenir shops instead of a longer stay at Halong Bay. Since it's only a day, comfort and maximized time is essential. Comfort is essential because if you don't feel well after the 3 hour van ride, you end up not enjoying the short stay at Halong Bay. It's also important to maximize time by avoiding long wait times in boats and in souvenir shops because as I said, it takes away time spent at Halong Bay if you spend it on these unimportant  activities that can be avoided.

Here are 10 reasons why I love the Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour

1. Late hotel pick-up time

We were picked up 9:00 AM so we need not wake up too early (We're on vacation, right? 😊). We were also able to enjoy a long and hearty breakfast.

Despite the late pick up time, we arrived ahead of a lot of tourists. I will explain later.

2. The luxury van is spacious and is limited to a comfortable number of passengers.

The luxury van is very spacious and comfortable, it has spacious leather seats that can be reclined, has free WiFi, charging port and complimentary bottled water. The 3 hour ride was fast and comfortable. We were able to rest well so we were able to enjoy cruising Halong Bay.

3. Our guide, Choung, is very well-informed, attentive and entertaining.

Our guide, Chuong took care of us very well. He was very attentive to our needs. He is well informed and shared with us a wealth of information about Vietnamese life and culture from a personal perspective which gave us an insider's view of Hanoi life.

4. The route of this tour uses the highway so travel time is faster.

They picked us up 9 am but we were able to arrive ahead of the other tours. We rode the boat immediately and visit the caves without the crowd of tourists because we arrived ahead of them because our van used the faster route.

Other cheaper tour groups avoid paying the toll for the highway, so they use the longer, less paved route.

5. We stopped briefly to use the toilet and weren't brought to any souvenir shops.

We liked that we stopped just a few minutes to use the toilet so we were able to save time and maximize our stay at Halong Bay. 

This is the toilet stop

6. They limit the number of passengers riding the van and the boat. So we weren't crowded.

Inside the van

Inside the boat 

7. Waiting time to board the boat is only brief. 

8. Food is delicious. Drinks are included in the rate. 

9. The bamboo boat or kayak ride (you have a choice between the two) used to explore the inner islands of Halong Bay is included in the rate

10. The tour's pace is perfect and not tiring but we loved that it included the right combination of highlights on the must see and experience at Halong Bay. 

Major highlights:

A cruise along Halong bay

Bamboo boat ride or Kayak to the inner islands of Halong Bay

Dau Go Cave Tour 

In conclusion:

Despite it being more expensive than other day tours, I consider it value for money and will highly recommend it to others. The additional expense is worth it because it gave us a very enjoyable, comfortable and comprehensive day tour of Halong Bay and a quick peek on Vietnamese life and culture through the personal perspective of our guide, Chuong.

THIS  IS  A  VIDEO  OF  US  CRUISING  HALONG  BAY  

To book, go to Halong Bay Luxury Day Tour Website