My Hong Kong born father is a bit obsessed and very particular with hotels and I think he has passed the hotel obsessed gene to me. I love checking into a new hotel and walking around the room discovering new things. In a room I babble and coo about details while Mr NQN simply looks out at the window and contemplates the view, it’s perhaps a zen moment to help cope with a chatterbox wife.
Even the barber shop is stylish!
After a sound sleep, we make sure we wake up in time for something to eat. Breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental is not your usual affair. You see I’m not a big fan of buffets, the food is never as nice as when cooked fresh (I’m looking at you rubbery scrambled eggs) so when we’re told there is a choice of two places to eat breakfast here, one a buffet and one a la carte it is a lack of time that prompts us towards the buffet so that we can get something quickly.
The Chinnery bar-where women were only allowed to visit from 1990 onwards!
Green apple and red apple juice
You get the sense that they do things differently here when Mr NQN orders an apple juice with the waiter and he asks “Would you like red apples or green?” and then unable to decide but thirsty, Mr NQN orders both. And they taste entirely different.
The issue with the pool of rubbery scrambled eggs leaking liquid is combatted with freshly cooked omelettes. Both chicken eggs and duck eggs are offered. There are also egg white omelettes for those inclined to go low fat with their omelettes and fillings include smoked salmon, chorizo, cheese, chives and a multitude of others.
I order a duck egg omelette with chorizo, mushroom and spring onions and the chef cooks it quickly. The flavours are good but I like them a bit gooier in the centre (although I could have perhaps requested that).
The fruit station is a sight to behold. I adore exotic fruit and this looks like a fetching shop display. I choose some dragonfruit and some Chinese pears.
Pastry display
Yogurt station
Mr NQN is a continental breakfast person who likes fruit and cereal so he picks up a pot of yogurt while I pick up some steamer baskets of dim sum. Yes people eat dim sum for breakfast here which delights me to no end 
The Mandarin chocolate shop
Nearby, just across the floor near the a la carte breakfast option Cafe Causette, there is the Mandarin chocolate and cake shop where their Willy Wonka-esque chocolatiers make all sorts of unusual things. At first you may think that there are regular sorts of truffles, cakes and pastries but if you look a bit closer at the displays, the screws and pliers are made out of chocolate and dusted in a “rust effect” powder. They come in flavours like milk, caramel, orange and coca cola!
Then it is time for a spa on the 25th floor! ”Welcome to the Mandarin Spa” the smiling face behind the counter says to me. I am booked in for an Oriental Essence massage, 60 minutes of bliss in which I would I would exchange my tense body for an upgraded version.
The Mandarin Oriental Spa’s waiting area
I swap my shoes for a pair of their slippers and I am led to the ladies change room. I meet my therapist Phoebe who shows me to the therapy room past the Vichy shower room. The rooms are luxurious and serene with glowing candles and smooth surfaces. Phoebe does a full consultation and asks for my preferences and she will then tailor a massage to fit my areas of concern (back and shoulders). She then offers me one of two essential oils scents,a rose and a chamomile.
She applies the perfect pressure checking on room temperature, light and comfort. The bed reclines seamlessly and smoothly and I float away. After the massage, we’re led to the waiting room where there is a choice of water or infused tea with honey. I shower and make my way out of the spa where my new body serves me very nicely indeed.
One of the advantages to going away with fashion bloggers is that there is designated shopping time. Combining shopping and eating is like Hong Kong’s two favourite sports together so we visit Harbour City, one of Hong Kong’s largest shopping malls.
I find myself understanding my Hong Kong father more the more time I spend in Hong Kong. It is a capitalist economy and money talks louder here than many other countries but there are things that Hong Kongers hold sentimental and one of those is the Star Ferry. Taking just eight minutes due to reclamation (we hear some people saying that in years, they’ll be able to walk across so take it while you can 
), the old boats are also one of Mr NQN’s favourite memories from when he was an ex pat here.
At $2.50HKD ($0.30AUD) on weekdays to $3HKD ($0.37 AUD) on weekends, it takes you across from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. Walking through Harbour City to get to the restaurant we pass a who’s who of designer names and it reminds me that perhaps they have a Christian Louboutin store and I can perhaps buy the shoes that I’ve wanted to buy for my birthday!
But shopping plans are put on hold as we arrive at Rice Paper, a Vietnamese restaurant in Harbour City on the third floor. We have a choice of a three course set meal for about $14.50AUD ($118 HKD) or ordering a la carte. The set meal looks like very good value so Mr NQN orders that and I go for a la carte to try something different.
Violet drink
The violet drink, admittedly ordered because you don’t often see a violet soda, was refreshing and a bright violet shade with the syrup at the bottom. It tasted mostly of lime rather than violet though.
Vietnamese drip filter coffee
I like Vietnamese coffee as it is strong and sweet. It is served with either sweetened condensed milk or regular frothed milk.
Fresh lime soda (part of set lunch)
Refreshing and fizzy, this is the drink if you need instant cooling.
Fresh spring rolls with soft shell crab $78HKD/$9.65AUD
The soft shell crab rolls certainly looked striking and the crab was fresh and crunchy. I was less smitten with the mango sauce that they came with though.
Fresh spring rolls with Vietnamese sausage $58HKD /$7.17AUD
The Vietnamese sausage and cucumber rolls are refreshing and just how I like them, low carb and full of tasty freshness and flavour.
Starter platter (part of set meal)
The first course of the two courses, this is enough food in this one course to feed one quite happily. There are an assortment of items with a variety of textures and flavours. The picks were the satay and the long sticky rice flour batons which reminded me of ham sui gok.
Pho (second course of set meal)
The second course is an enormous bowl of fragrant, sustaining beef broth with thinly sliced tenderloin from New Zealand on top. Mr NQN does well with half finishing it given how much food was on the table.
Braised duck in special sauce $128HKD/$15.85AUD
The braised duck in special sauce was a half a duck in a soy based sauce.Whilst the texture of the duck was lovely and soft and fell off the bone appealingly, the sauce needed a bit more seasoning or flavour.
There’s no time for dessert as we rush off to our next appointment, meeting some of Hong Kong’s fashion and food bloggers at Canton Deli. Even though we’ve eaten our fill and then some they bring out some of the pick of the restaurant. We’re meeting the lovely JJ from The Wanderlister, Janice from e*ting as well as Karen @bridgeways from Harbour City and restaurateur Geoffrey Wu @geoffrey_wu!
There are delicious dan egg custard tarts, noodles, spring rolls, har gow (prawn dumplings), and I did sneak in a bite of most things (just for research purposes). The pineapple bun was interesting. It had crunchy sweet top much like the eclairs with sable topping and was served with a square of butter which melted from the heat of the bun. There is actually no pineapple flavour in the bun though (the Cantonese name which starts with ‘bo lo’ means pineapple).
Ahh har gow, how I will always have room for you…
Pineapple bun
All washed down with strong tea and a quick session of blogger gossip!
The best thing about shoes is that no matter if you’ve just eaten a big lunch (or two, who’s counting?) is that shoes are always going to fit you. So it is with this knowledge that we visit the standalone Christian Louboutin store in Harbour City to get our fix. Depending on when you visit, there may be a queue outside but this afternoon the store is thankfully queue-less. The classic pump in nude is luckily in stock in my size and before Mr NQN can shake his head I am the very happy owner of a pair of them, sexy red sole and all!
We manage to drool past several stores there including Royce, Leonidas and Jean-Paul Hévin where we buy a box of his chocolates (around $40AUD for 16 truffles). The chocolates are absolutely swoonworthy and worth the price. There are flavours such as ‘Gemme’ smoked Chinese tea flavoured bitter ganache and ‘Troglodyte’ which is a bi-layered chocolate almond hazelnut praline and gianduja. My favourites are the delicate pralines with the lovely thin chocolate layer on the outside and finely chopped nuts and cream on the inside. Jean-Paul Hévin has four stores in Paris, five in Japan and two in Hong Kong.
Back at the hotel, getting ready for dinner in record time, we dressed and I noticed a little gift on the bed which all guests get every evening with turn down service. There is a jetlag roll on oil which smells fragrantly of chamomile, one of my favourite calming fragrances. I roll a little on the underside of my wrist and don my new Louboutins.
Look at that view! Sigh…
For Northern Chinese dishes we go to Hutong, located on the 28th floor of 1 Prince Street, an office tower. A hutong is an narrow alley or street mostly found in Beijing’s courtyard neighbourhoods so an office tower might seem an odd place to put it. But once the elevator doors glide open you are definitely not in corporate land anymore and you are transported.
Inside it is dark, lacquered black floors and a wishing tree with fastened red tickets declaring wishes in English and Chinese greets you. So dark that I’m glad that we have our fantastic Sigma lenses or we would have really struggled to photograph things! Tonight we will be tasting Hutong’s signature dishes.
Scallops, green asparagus and bamboo clams
The starter dish had three components to it – the first are the spears of asparagus which have a delicious sweet sesame coating on the base of each spear and are very nibbly and moreish (must try and replicate at home!). The second is the scallops, thinly sliced and topped with pomelo segments. Pomelo is a fruit that is very popular around Chinese New Year time. It reminds me of a less bitter grapefruit with distinct pulpy flesh. The third was two bamboo or razor clams steeped in Chinese rose wine, chilli sauce and a pungent hit of garlic.
Around this time the light show goes on at 8pm which it does every night.
Cod fillet tossed with crispy fermented beans
This was the dish that wowed everyone and I can’t for the life of me remember having this anywhere in Sydney. The cod fillet is a thick slice of boneless fillet but tenderly cooked and soft. It is topped with a lightly crunchy fermented bean and chilli mix (and the chillies are hot). Whenever I’ve had fermented beans it has always been a flavour or aroma explosion (like natto or fermented black beans) but these are quite mild and almost nutty in flavour and texture. This dish was everyone’s favourite.
“Ma la” chilli prawns fried with Sichuan dried chilli and Chinese celery
Another favourite, the prawns are succulent and juicy. It’s hard to meet a bad prawn in Hong Kong and they are deliciously spicy with a long, strong lingering burn at the end. And yes I volunteered to eat any extra
“Chinkiang” pork ribs braised with sweet and vinegar sauce
Next come the meat dishes and there are two ribs on offer here: “Chinkiang” pork ribs braised with sweet and vinegar sauce is the first and they are beauties indeed. My mother makes a very similar dish at home which we all love (I might try and persuade her to share the recipe). The sauce is sweet and given acidity from the vinegar. Some of the pork rib pieces are softer than others and some of us struggle with biting the ribs with chopsticks and they sauce is the kind of sauce that you want to order rice for.
Crispy deboned lamb ribs
The crispy deboned lamb ribs came out on a slab looking like one large section of meat portioned into slices. They look to be deep fried and are paired with a sweet vinegar sauce and spring onion. I preferred the others as these were quite dry in comparison and quite oily.
Double decker dessert box
I’ll admit it, I’m not a jelly person unless it’s that lovely, super wobbly stuff with the texture of panna cotta. There was a red bean and orange jelly and an osmanthus jelly (a lightly fragrant flower) and they were just too firm for me and I don’t think many of us were taken by them. Better was the mango and coconut rice wraps which had a sticky rice outer coated in desiccated coconut and a fresh mango filling. Or you might like to skip dessert for a cocktail and dessert upstairs at Aqua Spirit, owned by the same group that own Hutong (as well as a slew of other restaurants).
Daddy Mac $128HKD/$17AUD
At Aqua Spirit people go to drink in views and cocktails such as the ones from their list of eight signature and unique cocktails. There is the Daddy Mac (Mr NQN’s choice) with Corralego, Anejo tequila, agave, lime juice, pineapple juice, kaffir lime leaves and an interesting black pepper rim. Or the Amore Mio which is served in a little teapot with fresh edible flowers and amaretto biscotti. It contains cognac, Cinar, home made almond and Grand Marnier syrup, green tea bag, lime leaves and grapefruit bitters.
Amore Mio $148HKD/$19.71AUD
My Sweet Pear $138HKD/$18.37AUD
I tried the My Sweet Pear which has Grey Goose pear, lemongrass, Canton, Averna, lemon juice and a cinnamon sugar crust to sweeten it as it is quite a tart drink.
If you are looking for a western style dessert, platters can be ordered from their restaurant downstairs and contain a warm chocolate fondant with an oozy centre, tiramisu, coffee creme brulee, ginger creme brulee, lemon sorbet and everyone’s favourite, a mandarin sorbet which is refreshing, floral and sweet.
Back at the ranch or should I say our exquisite suites, everyone is mindful of the stories they need to write so we retire to our rooms. Mr NQN draws himself a bath and watches the twinkle of Friday night lights before climbing into bed.
And as they say they all slept happily ever after.
So tell me Dear Reader, are you a hotel fiend too?
NQN and Mr NQN travelled to and explored Hong Kong as guests of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Virgin Atlantic and the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
Virgin Atlantic Airways
www.virgin-atlantic.com
Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2820 4202
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/
Harbour City
3 Canton Road Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
www.harbourcity.com.hk/
Rice Paper
Shop 3319, 3/F, Harbour City, 17 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3151 7801
Mon.-Sun. 11:30-23:30
Canton Deli
Shop 3303, 3/F, Harbour City, 17 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2613 9889
Mon – Sun 11am – 10.30pm
Hutong
28th floor, 1 Peking Road Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3428 8342
http://www.hutong.com.hk/
Daily noon-3pm and 6-11pm
Aqua Spirit
29th floor, 1 Peking Road Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3427 2288
http://www.aqua.com.hk/
Open daily from 4pm-2am
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54 Comments | Add your own
Oh my! This is such a great post. Well very put together and everything looks so so good! Thanks for taking us on this journey with you!
I’m now quite hungry after all your delicious meal pics. Gorgeous pair of Louboutins, too!
That fruit stand is mesmerising. I love the look of that violet drink – how pretty. Great that you were able to stock up on shoes. I love hotels too – why go camping! xx
I do love to imagine myself going to amazing hotels, but these days it just doesn’t happen.
I recently tried booking my whole family into a gorgeous Melbourne hotel but couldn’t get a room anywhere because there are 5 of us. Boring old serviced apartments it is then.:-(
I’m kind of in love with the Buffet at your hotel though. Simply amazing!
Oh, Lorraine, this entire post makes me want to swoon. I laugh that you chose the buffet due to time constraints–I would still be in front of the fruit station, or perhaps the pastries. All of the food in this post looks amazing. Though I have visited HK so many times (used to take the Star Ferry for 10cents from Kowloon side near a favorite hotel behind the Peninsula that is not longer there), I realize that there is just so very much I don’t know about Chinese food. So very much.
Oh I never get tired of a good hotel. I also love to check out all the facilities too … including the view! Love this one!
What a cool post – I loved reading it and seeing the photos – I felt like I was there….
I too just love hotels and checking on every detail. What an amazing trip! I have never been to Hong Kong but it looks amazing!! And all that delicious food. Wow!
I love hotels! Wish we had ordered the pork ribs instead of the lamb ribs. I waited for 40 minutes to get into that Loubatin store, what we will do for shoes.
My oh my oh my! What an amazing day! Shoes, cocktails, chocolate, shopping…. But you still can’t beat that Yum cha for breakfast
A perfect guide to how to eat your way across Hong Kong.
I do believe the nightly light show is to ensure that all holidaymakers are sitting in rooftop bars spending money on alcohol and watching the show.
That’s certainly what we did last time.
Loved your post – I am a hotel fiend (in my dreams). Being as poor as a church mouse is not very helpful in supplementing hotel adventures. So I can revel in your delightful experiences and imagine I am there too. I particularly enjoy the scenic panoramic shots of Hong Kong Harbour. Truly beautiful. I really appreciate the ‘foodie’ insight and cultural knowledge you share in a story. Do you think you will ever include some video vision in your reports???
Hi Kris-thank you so much
I would dearly love to put in video into posts but we need to find a way to do this easily. At the moment, editing video is so time consuming but it doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. It just means that I’ve just got to find a way to do it 
Never stayed in a hotel quite like this one! How amazing!
My sister and I are looking forward to meeting you in my home town on Tuesday for the Food Writing Workshop. Thanks in advance!
Swoon! Now i’m desperate to go to Hong Kong. Dumplings for brekky, that starter platter, the violet drink (is that the prettiest drink ever??), the soft shell crab rolls… the shopping!!!
Started clapping and laughing the moment I saw that chandelier! Recognized the Mandarin and knew I was in for a treat
! Has it been one ever!! Beautiful food throughout, love the photos! Mandarin always has been extra good for food [they used to have an absolutely wonderful Chinese reataurant almost atop the building]. But the dish I would most like to have in front of me now is the exquisitely plated scallop and clam one from the ‘Hutong’. And, oh those Honkers lights: have to have another look tonight! Thanks 
!
I’ve never been to Hong Kong but your tour certainly makes me want to. It does seem magical. The food sounds fabulous… and I want some osmanthus jelly of my own!
HI Marcellina-I’m looking forward to meeting you and your sister on Tuesday!
THIS IS TOO MUCH!
*whimpers*
now, you got me too excited about my hk trip! and the trip is next year~
sounds like an interesting trip – I love the look of the violet drink and I am hoping you do replicate the sesame coated asparagus
I have now just decided that Hong Kong is the very next place on my “to visit” list.
I got my first pair of CL’s in March, they are so gorgeous! Now I just have to figure out if I’m going to get them pre-soled or not.
WOW , I’m gonna have to become and influential blogger so I can get all this free stuff too , only chance I’ll ever have of staying at the Mandarin Oriental.
I’m not normally much of a drinks-other-than-water-person, but I’d so be won over by the two different types of fresh apple juice! And oh, there are so many desserts in this world that I’m yet to conquer…
Absoutely delicious!!! I’m salivating!!
I’d be hard pressed to leave the hotel after that amazing breakfast. Wow, fresh-squeezed apple juice is something you never see. And that fruit display just made my jaw drop.
Fabulous photos as always, Lorraine. I want to stay at this hotel and try everything!
omg! the assorted starter platter & the western dessert platter looks so scrumptious!
ahhh overseas posts makes me want to travel so much!
the violet drink looks so pretty
I can’t believe I was just there 8 weeks ago
it feels so long ago and I never thought I’d miss HK so much but lol after seeing your photos and reading your post Lorraine ~ I realise how much I miss the hustle and bustle in HK and all my friends and family there but most importantly hehe is the FOOD 
especially HOTEL FOOD LOL i don’t really think the food here in Australian hotels are up to the standards of Asia hehe
The breakfast at Mandarin Oriental looks divine and yumcha YUM YUM
And i’m definitely a hotel fiend I LOVE HOTELS
I would love to work and live in a hotel hehe ~
I felt like I was legit there with you! You share your experiences and amazing times so well
Thank you!
Cheers
CCU
everything looks so beautiful! i usually stay at langham but i think i’ll stay at the mandarin oriental when i’m next in hk
I, too, am a hotel lover and adore checking out all the details of the room. I’m already excited about our honeymoon villa in a few weeks!
Lovely post about HK – I’ve never been there but salivated over all those beautiful dishes. Vietnamese drip coffee is one of my favorites, too.
Fantastic. Super jealous.
Great post! i love HK and cant wait to move there shortly! not long to go…..
Now I’m really jealous Lorraine! I too an a huge fan of the elusive red soled shoe! I’m saving my pennies so I can buy myself a pair for my next benchmark birthday next year.
Yes, I am a hotel fiend too, and I too rate the hotel by the bathroom. Your trip sounds absolutely wonderful.
Sounds like you had some seriously scrumptious fun in Hong Kong! You definitely grabbed my attention with the dimsum breakfast.
Wow! What a fantastic way to experience Hong Kong! *so envious* I loved riding on the ferry across the harbour, but I don’t think I’ve eaten at the fab places you visited, an eye opener for the next visit!!!
I love Hong Kong, all that wonderful food and fabulous hotels. You look as if you had a great time. GG
I love my stays in Hong Kong, there is so much to see and do there, and the food I’d great.
Nice post on HK Lorraine. We are headed back there at the tail end of our round the world trip(NYC, London, Zurich, Neuchatel and then HK). We first visited Hutong 3 years ago and went to Rice Paper last year. Dinner at Hutong was fabulous and the lamb ribs are so delicious. We also had razor clams for the first time there. Still undecided as to where to hang our hats yet as R is thinking the Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental is on the list or we may just go to our regular Harbour Plaa Metropolis, which over the past 7 years has become like our HK home. Great to have a few extra addresses for places to eat this time.
Forgot to add that as many time as we have been to HK we never get tired of Star Ferry from Kowloon to HK Island. We have only taken the train once and caught a cab 4 times(had to rush from Macau terminal back to our hotel and then back to the Four seasons in peak hour). As we are planning on Stanley Market this time we will be taking our first HK bus.
Oh yes indeed I am. I have to say the Mandarin Orientals that I’ve stayed in would have to be the best. They think of absolutely everything!
We are off to HKG for Christmas – now I am totally inspired! Can’t wait to visit the Vietnamese restaurant in Harbour City…its been too long since we were there…
We’ve just spent a month in USA and Malaysia. You have to visit the Pan Pacific Hotel at Kuala Lumpur – so swish to quote my cousin. The buffet breakfast is to die for. We started our US journey staying in backpackers in California, to save money. For a treat in Chicago we stayed in the opulent Palmer House Hilton on East Monroe Street. When we save our room for $165/night for a king size, hubby cancelled our back packers for our last night in LA and changed it to the Sheraton Gateway, $125/night for a king sized room. Hubby says I have now ruined him for any room below 4 star.
We were just in HK and stayed at the Langham (just across the road from One Peking)
Hutong was our first dinner and a few nights later we went to Aqua Spirit. What an amazing view.
Absolutely loved HK and cant wait to go back. Another highlight was the bar at the top of the Ritz Carlton. 103 floor high and a spectacular fit out. Oh and we got to witness a very sweet marriage proposal.
Have loved your posts about HK. Will be back again soon.
x
I’m really hungry now- love
har gau & egg tarts, could eat these any time if the day.
Heh, I love to check out hotels as well! Lobbies, rooms and the pool because I love to swim!
Awww, how I miss HK! Haven’t been there for about four years now and what I’d miss the most is the Food! So much yummy stuff..
Lived in HK for 12 wonderful years and every time I go back it feels like I am returning home. And now you have made me homesick! And I only just got back last week!! Dim sum and shopping are two of my favourite HK experiences.
Your Louboutins are to die for
I can’t wait till I decide that my freak height needs some more cms and go and get myself that pair. Till then, flats it is…
Now, wondering, will you ever try baking any of your cakes in a rice cooker? I manage to always make my cakes in my rice cooker, but your cakes seem a bit more complicated than White Wings mix and bake type, would you ever want to try making one of your gorgeous and wonderful looking cakes in a rice cooker so poor souls like me with a dodgy oven which never produced a proper cake can actually make something more than just store bought cake mix?
Store bought cake mix have never failed in my rice cooker of about, 15 years? So not the fancy ones with a ‘cake’ function
moist and definitely no rice smell 
What a wonderful food you got there in Hong Kong.. I will definitely visit them all when I go to Hong Kong again someday
I love Hong Kong, in fact I am there now, although my fun was curtailed by breaking my ankle on day 4 so have spent the rest of my trip in hospital & on my friends couch. I used to live here though and can tell you that hotels & restaurants don’t tend to cook eggs and egg dishes soft due to avian flu risk, and pineapple buns are named for their appearance not their ingredients.
Sigh!!!! Everything looks delicious and beautiful and I so wish I am your husband (LOL) or your kid, or any kind of person who can tag along… maybe a friend too? =D Awesome writing, and you give me an opportunity to travel with you. You have such an amazing power and skills!
I am continually blown away by your posts. You include all the extra details that I am interested in as I have always yet another question from another angle. Lovely shots always.Cheers,Lorraine & well done.
Oh dear, this was hard to read!
I sailed into HK on a ship today and couldn’t get off it because of immigration
I could almost smell the delicious food In these pictures…
Wow – hard to know where to start. Your attention to detail is amazing Lorraine – your posts are so thorough. Love the pics and I do enjoy going to HK, although I must say I never seem to go to these sort of places!
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