It's been almost exactly one month since I returned from my work trip in Shanghai and Beijing, and life has been chock full o' fun since then. It's shaping up to be an epic of a summer, and the second act
—which should entail a visit to Hong Kong from my good friend Maddie, two weddings on two continents only a fortnight apart, and an anticipated sojourn gallivanting around the United Kingdom—might even be more sleepless than the first.
Before finding out, I'd like to look back on the four weeks that have passed since the Mainland reverie. Technically, that was still the tail end of June, but it was a memorable finale to the month. My first full day back was one of the last Wednesday races in Happy Valley, and the nature of the June sunset meant that it was still light out during the earliest races, providing a rare opportunity to ascend to the sixth floor of the clubhouse to look out over the neighboring towers filtered through the soft light of dusk.
Another great event saw the month out in tipsy fashion: an installment of Cottage Vineyards' always memorable wine dinners. You may recall that last June, Courtney and I
zipped over to Macau for an amazing feast that paired Cantonese food alongside French and American wines. It was one of the highlights of 2017 for me, and I've kept in regular touch with Ada, who organizes the meals. Frustratingly, most of this year's iterations have been poorly-timed to fit in my own schedule. But when I read about a late June dinner that combined Chinese cuisine, balsamic vinegar and the wines of two Italian vineyards (with the owners of both in attendance), I knew I wanted to be a part of it!
It was a fabulous meal, and I had the pleasure of being seated just beside one of the garrulous winemakers himself. My friend Yvonne joined, as we feasted on roast pork, fried harpoon fish and other stellar dishes, all washed down with tasty wines and the stories of their making.
Yvonne and I may have both walked out of the restaurant on our own two feet—which is more than poor Courtney can say after last year's dinner when she was pushed through the lobby of the Four Seasons in a wheelchair—but it was an informative, charming, tipsy evening, to be sure, and I look forward to many more installments of Ada's impeccably-coordinated repasts in the future!
The 1st of July is a public holiday in Hong Kong, but since it fell on a Sunday this year, we actually got the Monday off from work. Shockingly, on the 2nd of July, I exited my apartment around 12:30pm to join some friends for brunch, to discover that an enormous tree across the street had toppled. Fredric and I walk along that sidewalk daily, as do countless others, so it was a true miracle that nobody was hurt when its thirty foot tall drunk slammed across the road and pavement.
Although the Fourth of July is not a holiday here, I still took the opportunity to indulge in an enormous burger and milk shake from Shake 'Em Buns for lunch, followed by another visit to Happy Valley Racetrack and Wan Chai revelry that evening.
Around this time, my buddy Brennan was back in town for a few nights, with his brother Reed and their pal Justin, and after a leisurely Friday lunch at Tuk Tuk Thai, we took an hour or so to explore the newly-opened Former Central Police Station Compound, now known as Tai Kwun. The historic jail blocks, police quarters, prison yards and parade grounds have been lovingly restored, and a jumble of historic exhibits, cafes, art galleries and bars have taken over. It was incredible to wander around the grounds, which have been shuttered for years during the restoration. One of the modern art exhibits involved attendants marking the height of visitors in felt-tip marker along a white wall. See if you can spot my name in the photograph below!
My friends Maxime and Céline invited me to Kennedy Town one Sunday morning because they had found a dim sum place around the corner from their flat that they thought I would love. As it turns out, they know me very well. I've probably had dim sum close to a thousand times by this point, at all manner of eateries ranging from tiny holes in the wall to ritzy dining rooms, from classic institutions to modern newcomers. Yet, somehow, that morning, Max and Céline treated me to the finest dim sum I've yet found in Hong Kong, at a place I'll be returning to again... very soon!
That afternoon, I caught the jetfoil to Macau, for a successfully unsuccessful jaunt around our neighboring SAR. You see, I had a three objectives for this visit, two of which I accomplished admirably, and one of which simply wasn't in the cards.
You may have read about the recent closure of Macau's Canidrome, Asia's only legal dog racing track. Although I've spent many-a-day at horse racing tracks across the globe, I'm not entirely embarrassed to admit that I've never attended a dog race. As a dog lover, I don't really like the idea of a canidrome, yet I still have a sort of curiosity to witness a race firsthand. At the same time, I don't want to contribute in any way to a dog's suffering or abuse.
So, when I read that the Macau Canidrome, Yat Yuen, was closing on 21 July 2018, I thought I had stumbled upon a way to satiate my curiosity without compromising my morals. Since the track was closing anyway, I reasoned, there was no way my visit would aide a corrupt system, yet I'd still get to witness a few races.
That was objective number one. Number two was to finally feast on Burmese cuisine in the Three Lamps District. And number three was to locate a classic Macau ice cream parlor called Lai Kei Sorvetes, which has been dishing out frozen sweets since the 1940s.
So, at around 3pm that Sunday, I made my way to the former Portuguese colony about thirty miles away from Hong Kong. A taxi deposited me in Senado Square, as I briskly wandered the black-and-white wavy tiled sidewalks up towards the Ruins of Saint Paul's. From there, I can find my way to one of my favorite neighborhoods in town, the Saint Lazarus Quarter, among Macau's most charming and least visited distrits, and where I knew Lai Kei Sorvetes was located.
Surprisingly, I found the place in a heartbeat, and I was soon seated in its retro dining area, with a scoop of sesame ice cream and another of peanut ice cream dropped in front of me. Historic signs and memorabilia line the walls of the bright room, and friendly staff and laughing patrons added to the atmosphere. The ice cream, as I'm sure you can imagine, was utterly fantastic. I will be back here again.
From Lai Kee, I easily followed signs to the Three Lamps District, and I also located the quartet of Burmese restaurants recommended by an article I had found online. My number one choice, alas, was concealed behind a firm metal gate. The article mentioned that their famous specialty was pig's brain curry, and I was strangely intrigued to sample to dish. I was hungry, but hopeful, that the place might open at 6pm, so I wandered around the colorful district, and sampled some fantastic shuimai from a street stall.
A few moments' exploration took me to Macau's Red Market, and in an instant, I realized that I had been to this quarter once before, back in 2012, when I had just purchased my new Olympus Pen, and took it to Macau to test it out. The Red Market just might be the most photogenic market I've ever been to, with its art deco style and in-your-face butchers. I thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering the place before retracing my steps back to the Three Lamps District to see if the restaurant had lifted its gate.
When it became clear that for whatever reason, this particular establishment would not be opening that night, I opted for my second choice, where I had an unbelievably tasty coconut and chicken noodle soup, with a Burmese style milk tea. The charming venue, with twinkling lights and photographs of local celebrities, was a true find, and the food was utterly delicious.
I'm always so bent on feasting on Portuguese or Macanese style food when I find myself in Macau, but I'm glad I expanded my horizons this trip. I'll be back in the Three Lamps District soon, and hopefully pig's brain curry is in my future.
Then I just followed the signs to the Canidrome, and got there in about ten minutes. I was amazing at my good fortune, and sat down across the street from the track, waiting for the gates to open and the neon sign to illuminate. It did not.
I encircled the massive enclosure, even entering a part that was opened, where men were gathered watching and betting on soccer. The skies darkened, and I began to get the sense I could have researched this a little better. As it turns out that there would be no races that night. You see, although the race track was "closing" on 21 July, that simply meant that was the date the owners had to vacate the premises. The last races had actually been run about a week earlier.
I still decided to linger for awhile, even after reality set in. I enjoyed watching the locals gamble in front of the track, as motorcycles and busses zipped past. Knowing the track will soon face the wrecking ball, I simply tried to soak it up and imagine what it must have been like in its prime. When its gone for good, I know even having seen it like this will be a nostalgic memory.
Consoling myself with the fact that I had achieved two out of my three goals, I wandered back to Saint Paul's, and plopped down at my favorite wine bar, Macau Soul, where I enjoyed a half bottle of Portuguese white wine while I chatted with Jacky and David, the convivial owners of this little gem. So, in the end, I didn't make it to the dog races, but I certainly had a successfully unsuccessful visit to Macau.
My friends Lou and Kathy had a little baby girl, whom they named Liberty! Although she was born a few days after the Fourth of July, she's still a gorgeous bundle of joy. As fate would have it, although Lou and Kathy live in Tsueng Kwan O, over in Kowloon, Liberty was born in the Hong Kong Santatorium, around the corner from my pad in Happy Valley. So on Wednesday night after work, I stopped by Ponti's Wine Cellar, bought a bottle of bubbles and headed up to the maternity ward to congratulate my friends and meet their little darling.
That night was also the last race meeting of the season, so after saying goodbye to Kathy, Lou and little Liberty, I met my colleague Mike and other friends at the races for one last grand Wednesday under Happy Valley's bright lights. As you can probably imagine, a night in Wan Chai was hot on its heels, and I actually wound up in Central for further revelry before finally heading home.
As is usual this time of year, there has been a fair dose of precipitation. Luckily, I have quite the impressive umbrella collection in my apartment, so it hasn't stopped Antoine and I from lingering on the roof over a few bottles of red or a barbecue dinner. When the heavens are about to open up, we just choose one of our assorted brollies, unfurl it towards the skies, and continue the party.
There've been quite a few big nights this summer, to be honest. A few Saturdays ago, Max and Céline visited me in Happy Valley, because I had tried an amazing Sichuan restaurant in the local cooked food center, and wanted to share it with them. A new friend, Omar, joined, and after Max and Céline went home, Omar and I went to Happy Alley, a local coffee shop-cum-bar with Steigl, an Austrian beer, on draft.
The baristas-cum-bartenders at Happy Alley are incredibly friendly, and we had such a good time with Natalie, Dayson and Gabriella that evening, that after closing time, we all hopped the tram to Central, for drinks in LKF and SoHo, followed by further imbibing in Wan Chai before an early morning breakfast at the Flying Pan and a tram ride back to the Valley in the morning light. I'm not sure how Dayson managed to open the shop on time and stay awake all day, but, somehow, he did!
Of course, as you know, the World Cup infected a significant portion of this summer with "football fever." While I was in China, I got to watch a lot of the earlier games, but back in Hong Kong, the late nature of many of the matches due to the time difference made it harder for me to watch. I was desperately hoping for an England-France final, as two of my colleagues, Mike and Carlo were so excited about the potential for football to "come home" to England. Still, once it became clear France would face off against Croatia, it wasn't really hard for me to decide the team I was rooting for.
Naturally, I wound up at an enormous viewing party at Hung Hom's Kerry Hotel, with literally thousands of Frenchmen. And as you can probably guess, we partied until the wee small hours of the morning after their decisive victory.
My friend Kris was also back in town, and so the day after the World Cup final, we met for another fantastic dim sum, this dime for dinner at Dim Dim Sum, a short distance from my apartment in Happy Valley.
The next evening, I flew to Bangkok for a few days working out of our Thailand office. The reason for the trip, if I'm completely honest, is because my friends Romain and Janet were getting married in Phuket over the weekend. When I mentioned to my directors that I'd be in Thailand anyway, they figures we might as well combine a little work trip alongside the celebration. So I got to spend three days in Bangkok—including a phenomenal Thursday night out with my colleagues—before hopping down to the famous Thai island on Friday afternoon.
Phuket was absolutely gorgeous, and Romain and Janet's wedding was among the most beautiful I've been fortune enough at witness. The Marriott Resort and Spa on Nai Yang Beach was pure heaven, and my upgraded room opened onto my own garden with a private cabana and personal access to the pool.
The food was stellar, and the party unforgettable. And I made so many new friends that I can't wait to hang out with back in Hong Kong. And, of course, seeing the joy in Romain and Janet's eyes made me so happy to be there.
Monday afternoon, I was back in Bangkok again, where I filled the next two days and nights. It's always a true pleasure to spend time with the people in the Bangkok office, and, as always, I'm already looking forward to my next visit.
I arrived back in Hong Kong on Wednesday night, with plenty of goodies from duty free (think dried mango and mangosteen cream cookies), and ready for a snuggle with Fredric. Jumping right back in to Hong Kong life, I enjoyed a memorable breakfast at the Hong Kong Football Club yesterday morning, courtesy of my colleague Carlo, who is a member. And now, I'm about to run out to meet friends for a Saturday night Peking duck dinner, as July winds to a close, and the curtain opens on the "second act" of summer 2018.
