Food & Wine

My Most Beautiful Meal in Hong Kong

high-end dim sum in hong kong

[trip style = food + urban]

If you want to devour ALL the dim sum, Hong Kong is the place to let your taste buds do the exploring. Home to mom-and-pop shops, and a swath of sophisticated restaurants where families go to celebrate or tycoons dine to impress, the food-obsessed city is your best bet for tasting the traditional Cantonese meal. 

Having dined on dim sum from street to three-star Michelin-chic, I thought I'd found my all-stars. Then I sat down for a two-star Michelin feast and preferred it in every way.    

The fact that I'm writing about dim sum being my most beautiful meaI in Hong Kong is a next-level achievement for this once-picky eater. In addition to tasting menus featuring rabbit-stuffed ravioli, or lamb prepared in an oven dug into the Sahara Desert, the myriad of dishes in a dim sum feast remind me how far I've come from crackers and cheese. While I don't indulge in golden frog legs with spicy salt on a regular basis, my travels have taught that experiencing a place through its traditional food gives you a seat at its cultural table, both literally and figuratively. With this, here's a first-hand account of my seat at Yan Toh Heen, one of Hong Kong's most beloved Cantonese restaurants, called the "best for dim sum virgins" by CNN.

From design, to food, to the rarely-seen kitchen, I give you: My most beautiful meal in Hong Kong.

Talk about an entrance. Before you even enter Yan Toh Heen, custom jade gates made from the restaurant's original gemstone tableware make for a wow-factor arrival.

Talk about an entrance. Before you even enter Yan Toh Heen, custom jade gates made from the restaurant's original gemstone tableware make for a wow-factor arrival.

The harbor-view dining room is draped in soft cream linens, mother-of-pearl, and wood accents, which provide a plush backdrop to the main star: The dim sum {historically a snack food for tired and weary travelers}.

The harbor-view dining room is draped in soft cream linens, mother-of-pearl, and wood accents, which provide a plush backdrop to the main star: The dim sum {historically a snack food for tired and weary travelers}.

Sharpening his knife and practicing the art of Cantonese cooking since the age of 14 in renowed Hong Kong dim sum kitchens, Executive Chef Lau Yiu Fai {left} is “the” guy you want folding, frying, and obsessing over your steamed pork and p…

Sharpening his knife and practicing the art of Cantonese cooking since the age of 14 in renowed Hong Kong dim sum kitchens, Executive Chef Lau Yiu Fai {left} is “the” guy you want folding, frying, and obsessing over your steamed pork and prawn dumplings.

The Executive Chef also doubles as a knowledgeable {and hilarious} dim sum teacher. Call the InterContinental Hong Kong to book a dim sum-making class at Yan Toh Heen.

The Executive Chef also doubles as a knowledgeable {and hilarious} dim sum teacher. Call the InterContinental Hong Kong to book a dim sum-making class at Yan Toh Heen.

Fun with dim sum: Making a crab with asparagus pinchers.

Fun with dim sum: Making a crab with asparagus pinchers.

More fun with dim sum, this time, a fish and a bunny. 

More fun with dim sum, this time, a fish and a bunny. 

Every place setting is decorated with custom jade tableware, so substantial, it's hard to lift.

Every place setting is decorated with custom jade tableware, so substantial, it's hard to lift.

The pièce de resistance: Peking duck, carved and served on a trolley, tableside.

The pièce de resistance: Peking duck, carved and served on a trolley, tableside.

Peking Duck is a revered Chinese dish. The traditional preparation, involving many hours, leaves the skin crispy and the meat succulent. Here, the crispy skin is served atop thin pancakes along with crudités such as green papaya, cucumber, red …

Peking Duck is a revered Chinese dish. The traditional preparation, involving many hours, leaves the skin crispy and the meat succulent. Here, the crispy skin is served atop thin pancakes along with crudités such as green papaya, cucumber, red chili, and pineapple, as well as a selection of signature sauces. Deeeeeeelish.

From top: Roasted duck-stuffed taro bun, crispy spring roll with shredded chicken, and steamed mushroom and black truffle dumpling.  

From top: Roasted duck-stuffed taro bun, crispy spring roll with shredded chicken, and steamed mushroom and black truffle dumpling.  

Wok-fried vegetables served in an edible wheat-flour basket.

Wok-fried vegetables served in an edible wheat-flour basket.

Chilled on-the-spot mango cream with pomelo.

Chilled on-the-spot mango cream with pomelo.

A view of the dim sum prep kitchen. 

A view of the dim sum prep kitchen. 

Eating my intricate meal and seeing the kitchen in action, I've gleaned that dim sum chefs who labor over each piece with a surgical attention to detail, are food savants. 

Eating my intricate meal and seeing the kitchen in action, I've gleaned that dim sum chefs who labor over each piece with a surgical attention to detail, are food savants. 

How to Order Dim Sum
1. If you're a newbie, order the chef's tasting menu—typically a "highlight reel"—so it's a smart bet.
2. Plan ahead: Signatures such as Peking Duck or Barbecued Suckling Pig, often require advanced notice. 
3. Many dim sum restaurants serve their dishes from a trolley that passes by each table. When there's a menu it is often presented in categories {steamed, fried, noodle, specialty dishes, dessert} for easy ordering. 
4. Don't keep a dish to yourself, dim sum is a sharing meal.
5. Always start with tea. High-end dim sum restaurants have tea sommeliers to pair your sips with your selections.

Other Dispatches in this Series
6 Hong Kong Hints {that will make you want to book a ticket ASAP}
Flying Well :: Cathay Pacific's Revolutionary A350
Style Inspiration :: The Pier Business + First Class Lounges in Hong Kong
First Look :: Cathay Pacific's GORGEOUS New Lounge at YVR
Hong Kong :: Instagram Diary
Cathay Pacific Vancouver to Hong Kong

[photos by @tripstyler, except jade gates and interior shot provided by the InterContinental Hong Kong, where I stayed and dined as a guest. As with all Trip Styler dispatches involving partners, I ONLY talk about best-in-class travel experiences. This is one of them.]

6 Hong Kong Hints {that will make you want to book a ticket ASAP}

7 need-to-know tips for visiting hong kong

[trip style = luxury + food + active]

Each time I visit Hong Kong, I’m captivated by its yin-yang magnetism. At once a metropolis counting some of the world’s top hotels and restaurants, and an equatorial escape rimmed by lush hills and sugary beaches, the Pearl of the Orient has an irresistible pull {just ask my passport}.

To take full advantage of its unique tower-meets-tropical lifestyle, I’ve rounded up six Hong Kong hints {aka: trip styled tips} to add some sizzle to your visit. 

Stay ON Victoria Harbour

Where to stay in hong kong Closest Hotel to the Water

In this city of skyscrapers, many hotels offer an outlook, but only one stay can boast about its position perched—quite literally—over Victoria Harbour. With half of the hotel built on stilts, saying the 503-room InterContinental Hong Kong has iconic views is an understatement. From two-thirds of the rooms, as well as most restaurants in the foodie-centric hotel, the vista is 100 percent sea and skyline. Couple this panoramic perspective with in-room smartphones featuring city-wide connectivity {probably my favorite amenity EVER since I hot-spotted off the phone's WiFi while I explored}, 24-hour butler service, WiFi, and poolside tai chi classes with Master William Ng {photo below}, and you may not want to return home once you check-in.

Misty morning tai chi with Master William, a gentle soul I met on one of my previous trips and again in April. Trust me: Book a class with this legend pre-arrival. He will drop more wisdom in five minutes than you could glean in five days at home....

Misty morning tai chi with Master William, a gentle soul I met on one of my previous trips and again in April. Trust me: Book a class with this legend pre-arrival. He will drop more wisdom in five minutes than you could glean in five days at home....

Do Dim Sum

Where to go for dim sum in Hong Kong

When visiting Hong Kong, you’d be at a culinary loss if you didn’t do dim sum. Meaning “to touch the heart,” the small bites were originally created as a snack food for travelers. Today, dim sum is a central part of local culture and family celebrations. Spanning cheap to chic, hundreds of dim sum restaurants are scattered around town, from the once-cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, Tim Ho Wan, to the gorgeous and local hero-helmed, Yan Toh Heen. Here, Executive Chef Lau Yiu Fai is “the” guy you want folding, frying, and obsessing over your steamed pork and prawn dumplings or Peking duck—and not just because he’s yielded two Michelin stars and five stars by Forbes Travel Guide for the restaurant. Practicing the art of Cantonese cooking in famous Hong Kong kitchens since the age of 14 {and living in Vancouver for half a decade}, Chef proves that with passion and skill you can reach the stars. Stay tuned for more dim sum photos and an ordering guide, because they are too delicious to keep to myself!
 

Head to the Hills  

Hiking in hong kong

Each time I fly into Hong Kong I’m struck by the greenery and rolling hills. Turns out, the destination's iconic cityscape photos only show a small part of its landscape: Just 25 percent of the metropolis is a concrete jungle, while 40 percent of the surrounding land is dedicated to country parks and nature reserves {some of which include gorgeous sandy beaches}. As a result, hiking is a common local pastime. If you have a friend in town, head to the hills with them; if you don't, contact Sam the Local, a bespoke tour company offering personalized activities by in-the-know residents.
 

Eat at these Palate-Pleasers

RECH by Alain Ducasse

A number of best-in-class restaurants make their international debuts in Hong Kong. As one of the world’s major landing pads for celeb-status chefs—hello: Nobu, Gordon Ramsay, and Jamie Oliver—two more tastemakers are making their mark.

At night, don’t miss the just-opened (February 2017) Rech by Alain Ducasse, lead by one of the world’s most celebrated chefs with double digit Michelin stars. As the first international outpost of the famed Paris seafood institution, Rech’s ocean-focused cuisine is enhanced by its mouth-watering location perched over Victoria Harbour. Here, the exquisite dining experience epitomizes contemporary gourmet with specialties such as Alain Ducasse’s private-label Champagne; pan-seared sole hand-picked from a small catch of fisherman in France, a whole wheel of Camembert made by the Mons {France's famous cheesemaking family}; and the XL éclair crafted with chocolate from Ducasse’s own confectionary.

Potato Head Hong Kong
PHHK

If your tastes skew a little more boho, check out Potato Head Hong Kong transplanted from Bali's high-design hotspot, Potato Head Beach Club. Making its urban home in Hong Kong's dynamic Sai Ying Pun neighborhood in 2016, this low-key space combining a coffee bar, shop filled with Bali finds, ‘70s-style audio room, an all-day dining space teeming with tropical greenery, and the Balinese eatery Kaum, makes for a sure-thing escape within the Hong Kong cityscape.
 

Sip in the Sky

Drinks with a view in Hong Kong
seeva hong kong

With more than 8,000 towers huddled into Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient has numerous locations for a sky-high sip. One not-to-miss nest is SEVVA: 13,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor bliss where haute-couture cocktails and cuisine are served to international influencers. Once you reach the 25th-floor entrance, head straight to the wraparound terrace where the city’s hues and heartbeat are on full display. 
 

See the "Real" Light Bright

Hong Kong Symphony of Lights tips

At 8 p.m. every night Hong Kong’s already sparkling skyline ups itself a notch with a free light show featuring a “cast” of more than 40 buildings. Reflecting over the calm waters of Victoria Harbour, A Symphony of Lights (crowned the “World's Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show” by Guinness World Records) pairs lights and laser beams with music in a 13-minute ode to the city’s spirit. The best part: All you have to do is show up to witness the Pearl of the Orient’s wow-factor.

Other Dispatches in this Series
My Most Beautiful Meal in Hong Kong
Flying Well :: Cathay Pacific's Revolutionary A350
Style Inspiration :: The Pier Business + First Class Lounges in Hong Kong
First Look :: Cathay Pacific's GORGEOUS New Lounge at YVR
Hong Kong :: Instagram Diary
Cathay Pacific Vancouver to Hong Kong

[This article is adapted form a post I wrote in the Expedia Viewfinder Travel Blog. Photos by @TripStyler and InterContinental Hong Kong, taken while exploring Hong Kong in partnership with the hotel, Cathay Pacific (who offers 17 flights weekly between Vancouver and Hong Kong), and on my own.]  

Flying Well :: Cathay Pacific's Revolutionary A350

cathay pacific A350 Vancouver to Hong Kong

[trip style = luxury + steal + urban]

Landing in Canada for its first scheduled flight last month, Cathay Pacific's newest jetliner, the state-of-the-art Airbus A350, brings flying to new heights. Last week I boarded the ace airliner in Vancouver enroute to Hong Kong to get acclimated with the latest in wellness and luxury at 40,000 feet.

After jet-setting in this revolutionary aircraft—which felt more like a chauffeured Rolls Royce than a 280-seat aircraft—I felt refreshed, which is not something I can say after most aviation experiences.  

Wellness
Wellness and flying aren't topics that typically go together. Time spent in a capsule above the clouds often results in dry skin, red-rimmed eyes, and swelled hands and feet—unless you fly aboard the industry's leader in inflight innovation.

On Cathay Pacific's specially designed A350-900, which adds three flights per week to the carrier's Vancouver to Hong Kong route, my skin didn't crinkle like scrunched tissue paper due to greater air humidification. My wedding ring, which is always hard to remove after flying, slid off with ease thanks to smarter cabin pressurization that reduces inflammation and fatigue. And my eyes were bright instead of bloodshot thanks to panoramic windows and a lighting system capable of emitting more than 16 million hues to pamper my peepers and reduce jet lag.

The A350 Experience
As someone who has logged thousands of miles around the world on almost every conceivable aircraft currently used in commercial aviation, I prefer this type of jet by an {air}mile!

A series of subtle and staggering differences enhance the overall Cathay Pacific A350 experience, starting with the engines. I wasn't kidding when I mentioned the inflight ambiance is akin to rolling in a Rolls. A set of Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines power the airplane, reduce rattle and contribute to this couture capsule's 25 percent greater fuel efficiency over its peers.

And then there's the jetliner's sky-high handling. From the moment you roll down the runway, the wheels seem to float, and that's before the plane even lifts off. At cloud-level the cabin is so quiet you could meditate. Landing is surprisingly effortless, like a figure skater who gently glides from airborne to arrival.

I scored a window seat at the edge of the wing, a position I was tickled pink about knowing the wing surface is the largest single piece of carbon fibre structure ever produced for civil aviation, with flaps capable of morphing their shape midair to improve fuel efficiency.

From my perch in pod 21k, I wined, dined and signed-off so I could sleep in the sky. Wrapped in a blanket made from recycled materials, I didn't even try to take advantage of the onboard WiFi to work or connect with the outside world. I was happy in my cocoon basking in the experience of feeling better inflight, and about flying in a Rolls chauffeured by Jeeves—I mean, Captain Graham.

Walking to my flight from the Cathay Pacific lounge in Vancouver

Walking to my flight from the Cathay Pacific lounge in Vancouver

My business class pod with a lie-flat bed that stretches to 75"

My business class pod with a lie-flat bed that stretches to 75"

My personal TV: big and high-def touch-screens are found in all cabin classes

My personal TV: big and high-def touch-screens are found in all cabin classes

From where I lounge aboard the A350

From where I lounge aboard the A350

Counting sheep with ease due to the A350 being one of the quietest aircrafts in its class 

Counting sheep with ease due to the A350 being one of the quietest aircrafts in its class 

One of my breakfast courses, complete with an illy cappuccino

One of my breakfast courses, complete with an illy cappuccino

Dinner part one: Smoked salmon and crabmeat with bread and greens

Dinner part one: Smoked salmon and crabmeat with bread and greens

Dinner part two: Rigatoni pasta topped with olives and parmesan

Dinner part two: Rigatoni pasta topped with olives and parmesan

Dessert: International cheese selection with grapes and quince jam paired with Port

Dessert: International cheese selection with grapes and quince jam paired with Port

Cathay Pacific A350 Details
- The Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900 carries a total of 280 passengers: 38 Business, 28 Premium Economy, 214 Economy Class.
- Cathay Pacific currently has 13 of this aircraft type in operation, with dozens more on order.
- The A350 adds three flights weekly {Tues, Thurs, Sat} to Cathay Pacific's Vancouver to Hong Kong daily, nonstop offerings. 
- All cabin classes: The aircraft's extra-wide body offers more space and greater comfort, panoramic windows, LED mood lighting and hand lotion in every lavatory!
- Business Class: In addition to the fully flat bed and greater stowage space, travelers can personalize their pod with “Do Not Disturb” and “Wake-up Call” functions.
- Premium Economy Class: Ergonomically designed seats with integrated leg rests have dedicated tablet holders, power outlets and USB ports. 
Economy Class: In addition to Cathay's proprietary six-way headrest, each seat comes equipped with tablet holders and power plug-ins.

Other Dispatches in this Series
My Most Beautiful Meal in Hong Kong
6 Hong Kong Hints {that will make you want to book a ticket ASAP} 
Style Inspiration :: The Pier Business + First Class Lounges in Hong Kong
First Look :: Cathay Pacific's GORGEOUS New Lounge at YVR
Hong Kong :: Instagram Diary
Cathay Pacific Vancouver to Hong Kong

[Photos by @tripstyler, except lead, taken as a guest of Cathay Pacific, one of my favorite airlines] 

Hong Kong :: Instagram Diary

Hong Kong Diaries

[trip style = luxury + food]

Hanging on the edge of Asia, Hong Kong is both a world hub and a destination that transcends "top 10" or "world's best" lists. At the cusp of culinary, cultural and cool-factor, the trendsetting city is in a class of its own.

I *just* returned from the city of skyscrapers last night, and before I highlight trip styling throughout the neon-lit streets, as well as my flight aboard Cathay Pacific's A350-900—a latest-gen aircraft adding three flights per week to Cathay's Vancouver to Hong Kong nonstop route—I could't wait to share some initial details:

Bird's eye view of Hong Kong. #LifeWellTravelled #A350

A post shared by Trish (Trip Styler) (@tripstyler) on

Hiking in the jungle-tropical hues of Hong Kong. #LifeWellTravelled

A post shared by Trish (Trip Styler) (@tripstyler) on

Stacked city. #LifeWellTravelled

A post shared by Trish (Trip Styler) (@tripstyler) on

Rooftop bar bliss on the edge of Hong Kong. #LifeWellTravelled

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Design inspiration, c/o the Tea Room in The Pier Business Class Lounge in Hong Kong. #LifeWellTravelled

A post shared by Trish (Trip Styler) (@tripstyler) on

That Travel Meal :: 5-Ingredient Sour Cream Ice Cream

5-ingredient sour cream ice cream

[trip style = food + wine]

Making, eating AND writing about this sweet AND savory ice cream has been on my to-do list for almost three years. It's that simple, silky and satisfying. 

I originally came across sour cream ice cream in Araxi restaurant at Cornucopia {Whistler's celebration of food + drink} during a seven-course food and wine pairing meal. Everything about the harvest-fresh menu was memorable, yet strangely, the dish that made my taste buds dance was an accompaniment. 

The cool treat became a topic of conversation, and I learned from the veteran food and cookbook author sitting next to me how easy sour cream ice cream is to make—seriously, prep takes five minutes! 

I've spent the last two weeks researching and tweaking this Trip Styler recipe to mimic what I tasted three years ago. Here is the delicious result for the latest "bite" in our That Travel Meal series. Bon Appétit!

Sour Cream Ice Cream Recipe {serves 6}
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup sugar
- Juice from half a lemon OR 1/3 a grapefruit
- Pinch of Maldon Sea Salt 

Instructions
Whisk sour cream and half-and-half together. Add in sugar and lemon. Blend well. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and churn for 25-30 minutes. Serve and top with a pinch of sea salt or a fresh basil leaf. Store, sealed, in the freezer for up to three days.