This was published 7 years ago
Things to see and do in Hong Kong's Sheung Wan and Central: Wet markets, noodles, cafes, antiques and more
By Penny Watson
Where Wyndham Street meets Hollywood Road, open-fronted bars and casual eateries spill onto the pavement.
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Hollywood Road is Hong Kong's second oldest street where merchant sailors once came to sell their antiques and old wares from Mainland China.
Today it mixes antiques with shops, eateries and bars, but it also serves as the backbone for exploring two precincts that expertly juggle trendy and traditional.
J. Boroski is a self-styled cocktails concierge (you pick the spirit, they do the rest) with an anonymous entry. Credit: Michael Perini
Central's incense-emitting shrines, wet markets and cheap noodle joints still get a look-in next to glittering office buildings, high-end shops and loud drinking establishments. Neighbouring Sheung have set up home next to the vertiginous residential blocks, low-rise 1950s terraces and colonial architecture that give this area its nostalgic character.
To best cover the terrain, take the winding and pretty walk along Hollywood Road and navigate north or south to these pockets of intrigue.
Hollywood Road (from Central to Sheung Wan)
Sheung Wan is full of micro-cool cafes, artisan shops and emerging design stores.
Where Wyndham Street meets Hollywood Road, open-fronted bars and casual eateries spill onto the pavement. Nearby Iron Fairies is a fantastically iron-themed restaurant-bar by Aussie design extraordinaire Ashley Sutton, and J. Boroski is a self-styled cocktails concierge (you pick the spirit, they do the rest) with an anonymous entry. Quinary bar's "multi-sensory" cut-glass cocktails include an earl grey caviar martini. Wine barrel tables at French La Cabane call for Bordeaux with charcuterie and cheese. Hong Kong-born homewares store G.O.D is partial to local retro design making it ideal for souvenirs (think Chairman Mao boxer shorts). The imposing Former Police Station Compound, a mix of Victorian, Greek revival and contemporary cubist architecture, is to open later this year as Tai Kwun Heritage and Arts hub. Shrouded in incense smoke, tranquil Man Mo Temple (126 Hollywood Rd) is a shrine to two deities: Literature (Man) and War (Mo).
Ming vases can be ogled at Liang Yi Museum along Antique Row on Hollywood's Road east end, but for something a little chintzier, Upper Lascar Row (aka Cat Street Market) has trinkets and treasures of the factory-made variety. Snack on pineapple buns and contemporary dim sum at Man Mo Café or up the budget at Bibo, a French restaurant decked out in art by Banksy. New Tate Dining Room has a tasting menu featuring Japanese techniques and culinary artistry. For something more local, For Kee's (200 Hollywood Rd) pork chop rolls and milk tea are legendary. Mosaic-tiled Italian gurus 208 Duechento Otto and Chachawan , dedicated to Isaan cuisine from northwest Thailand, are industry stayers and players. Bayta, at the end of the road, are natural wine and traceable produce aficionados.
Soho (Shelley, Elgin, Peel, Aberdeen streets)
PMQ is a heritage building turned beehive of designers, jewellers, artisans and cool local brands.
Up Shelley Street, a ride on the Midlevels escalator (the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world) shows-off this lively and crowded eating and drinking grid of streets South of Hollywood Road. For a slice of Italy, Posto Pubblico is a bustling osteria that champions organic and natural ingredients while The Globe is a Brit gastropub with nine beers on tap (including local Typhoon Eastern Lightning). Peel Street is technically in Soho but it feels more like a cooler quirkier neighbour, with venues reflecting edgier tastes such as characteristically Italian enoteca 121BC, industrially chic Vietnamese eatery Chôm Chôm, neon-lit Parisian brasserie La Vache and, on the border of Sheung Wan, Little Bao, home to those deliciously fluffy white buns. Amsterdam Street has similarly undergone a transformation thanks to PMQ (Police Married Quarters), a heritage building turned beehive of designers, jewellers, artisans and casually cool local brands including Kapok. Hot Brit chef Jason Atherton's Aberdeen Street Social does bar bites including lobster roll. Clothing, bags and shoes shop ABoutique and quirky Mushroom are both local retailers.
Noho (Peel, Graham, Gauge, Gough and surrounds)
Central's wet markets have long confounded tourists, the flapping fish, 100-year-old eggs, tubs of tofu and baskets of dried squid are a vision of old against a backdrop of glass, metal and concrete. Vendors have been plying their different trades in Peel, Graham and Gage streets since 1841. Gough Street was the first of Hong Kong's boutique streets, and still retains stalwarts like French children's toy and clothes shop Petite Bazaar. Sheer, a luxury lingerie shop, and gift shop Woaw are newcomers. Lunchtime queues are a tip off to the whereabouts of famed old-school noodle soup shop Kau Kee. Off Gough, L-shaped Kau U Fong hides World's 50 Best restaurant debutante Ronin and intimate whiskey bar Ginger behind anonymous doors. Scrupulous rendering of traditional Chinese cuisine is the go at Michelin-starred The Chairman.
Staunton Street in Central Hong Kong.
Around Bridges Street
A stroll down Bridges Street is an eye on some eclectic local architecture, including the red brick Chinese YMCA building, the 1950s Bauhaus style market, and the lurid green Church of Christ in China. On trend whiskey bar Lof 10 Distillery is a minimalist space down a sneaky side alley. Homesick expats feast on eggs benny and flat whites at Aussie-owned Oolaa, which has windows that open onto the street. Across the narrow road, Select 18's stylish seconds clothing and accessories make it a rare fashionista find. Cocktail bar and iconic yakitori restaurant Yardbird still serves the Korean Fried Chicken and Yardbird Caesar that gave it massive street-cred on opening. Down steeply stepped and delightfully old Ladder Street, Square Street is a mix of coffin shops, undertakers and (therefore lower rent) artisanal shops including eponymous Squarestreet, a Scando place doing canvas sneakers, leathergoods and watches. Back up Ladder Street and over Bridges Street Hong Kong Museum of Medical Science, is a history-boffin's pit stop in a century-old building. At its base, Caine Lane Garden's tropical greenery make it an inner-city oasis of tranquillity.
Tai Ping Shan and surrounds
The Museum of Medical Science, is a history-boffin's pit stop in a century-old building.
Buildings with names beginning with 'Po' (meaning 'treasure' in Chinese) have granted this area the cheeky nickname Poho, but Tai Ping Shan Street sticks as well. Along with neighbouring Kat Cheong Street, these pedestrianised cobbled streets effortlessly blend edgy and ancient. Pak Sing Ancestral Hall (42 Tai Ping Shan St) houses dozens of spiral incense coils and thousands of wooden ancestor tables. Masala chai latte and green tea cheesecakes are favourites at chilled-out teahouse Teakha. The golden piggy atop Reserva Iberica, hints at its upscale gourmet Spanish fare. Home décor shops Amelie and Tulips high-end collectibles contrast with In Between's more esoteric finds. Respected art guru Cat Street Gallery was one of the first in Hong Kong with a contemporary art focus. Lomography is dedicated to devotees of the iconic analog Lomo cameras. Wonderfully artisanal Brothers Leathercraft sells wallets, totes and tools. French-Japanese artisan patisserie Po's Atelier has a corner spot on Po Hing Fong and adjoining Café Deadend rocks a Thai-spiced chicken "bunwich" and similar delicious small bites.
Mana! a heavenly peaceful café dishes out plant-based flats and vegan coffee. It pioneered this kind of food in Hong Kong. Look for the old stamp shop on Pound Lane to uncover the Wong Kar-Wai inspired nostalgia of Mrs Pound, a Chinese-Malaysian restaurant-bar.
Jervois Street, Bonham Strand, Wing Lok St and surrounds
Traditional Chinese shops and commercial trading make this cluster of streets and intersections an intriguing place to wander. Strung along Wing Lok St, Bonham Strand West and Des Voeux Rd West, the ginseng-scented Chinese medicine and dried seafood streets are a lovingly cultural and culinary eye-opener. Skeletal seahorses, jars of shark fin, deer antlers, sea cucumber, Chinese sausage and aromatic salted fish known as haam yue are all for the taking. Contemporary-looking Dim Sum Square is known for traditional dishes including chickens feet and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, but you can also load up on prawn dumplings. Bruce Lee wore t-shirts from Lee Kung Man Knitting Factory, a tiny old Chinese shop selling retro heavy cotton underwear and socks. After all these years Barista Jam still does one the best Aussie coffees in Hong Kong. ABC Kitchen treats guests to traditional European duck confit and linguine vongole in a fantastically incongruous indoor Chinese food market. Pate, cheese and all things gastronomically French can be found at Monsieur Chatte. 99 Bonham is a sophisticated, Italian-designed boutique bolthole hotel where you can rest your weary head after all that walking.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information on things to do in Hong Kong visit – discoverhongkong.com/au
SELF GUIDED WALKING TRAILS
Five new self-guided walking trails are now available in Hong Kong's Central district. It's part of a new program titled, Old Town Central, aimed at highlighting the area's heritage, architecture, culture, dining scene and unique lifestyle. Travellers can choose from a selection of five walks, including Time Traveller, Crazy for Art, Tasting Hong Kong, Treasure Hunt and Something for Everyone. Guides will be distributed at all HKTB Visitor Centres and an online version is available on the HKTB website.
GETTING THERE
Cathay Pacific is a five-star airline, renowned for its outstanding service and modern fleet. Their philosophy of a Life Well Travelled is at the heart of everything they do; from its award-winning lounges to inspired inflight dining, the airline consistently enhances their product and services to deliver an unparalleled travel experience.
Out of Australia, Cathay Pacific has over 70 flights a week to Hong Kong from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Cairns. All flights provide excellent connections to over 170 destinations worldwide via their hub in Hong Kong. All Australian flights offer three classes of travel – Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class.
For more information or to book, visit: cathaypacific.com.au
This article brought to you by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
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