Places

Strawberry Fields

While they’re still in season, we went out to the Strawberry Farm in Tai Po and picked some strawberries. They were deliciously ripe and organic and we ended up with two full boxes! I made a healthy strawberry cordial with fresh basil and black peppercorns. Serve these up for guests mixed with sparkling mineral water – they also look very pretty at any gathering and kids especially love the taste. See recipe below.

Directions: We drove to the Strawberry Farm which is next door to the Tai Mei Tuk BBQ King on the right hand side off Ting Kok Road in Tai Po District (look for the big yellow sign showing strawberry picking on the right hand side just after the BBQ King). If you want to go by MTR then the closest MTR stop is Tai Po Market on the East Rail Line. From there, take KMB bus 75k or a green New Territories taxi. There are plenty of signs so it is easy to find.

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All about organics

Word spreads fast when a new delicatessen enters the organic vegan scene. In a no-through road in Sai Ying Pun, right next door to Peggy Chan’s restaurant Grassroots Pantry, is Chan’s latest venture Prune Organic Deli and Workshop. Chan’s delicious vegetarian menu is nourishing and yummy, and now devotees of Grassroots Pantry can learn a lot about cooking vegetables with maximum taste and style. It was just as much the need for more space to hold the increasing demand on their food products, as well as to allow a flow of casual foot traffic through the neighbourhood that saw Prune eventuate. “We are now able to serve an incredibly nourishing breakfast menu which is personally my favourite meal of the day,” Peggy says.

Prune is a warm and earthy environment which is packed most mornings of the week with people devouring all sorts of healthy things such as home-made oats, raw Bircher muesli, and invigorating juices and smoothies with reassuring names like The Enricher and The Cleanse. There’s always bags of smoked tahini kale chips, seasonal jams, gluten-free and vegan fresh baked goods plus home-made tomato sauce, and there are workshops here that involve many dishes with a vegetarian twist, preparation of raw food and its benefits, plus practical household kitchen advice. Peggy also invites guest chefs and hosts gardening and holistic workshops.

Prune Organic Deli and Workshop, 14 Fuk Sau Lane, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong. Tel: (+852) 2873 3353.

I’mperfect Xchange

Walk into Oil Street Art Space, North Point, and you’ll find I’mperfect Xchange. We live in a culture absorbed with the attainment of perfection. For designers, Hung Lam and Eddy Yu, their project called I’mperfect is doing a lot of good through creative collaborations that focus on the acceptance of imperfection. Which raises communal awareness related to the link between sustainable uses of resources and the living of a simple, more harmonious life. I’mperfect Xchange has a barter system when it comes to their transactions. Bring a can of food, or safely sealed produce, and this will get you an edible plant, such as basil or thyme. In addition, at Oil, the in-house organic farmer is great for collecting gardening knowledge. All food collected is taken directly to those in the community who are in need.

Flower Market

The Flower Market in Mongkok, Kowloon, is definitely one of our favourite places in Hong Kong. There are small boutiques opening up, and right now the markets are overflowing with Christmas trees, hyacinth buds, poinsettia, ivy, Christmas bush and bright, inexpensive Christmas ornaments. If your Christmas table is in need of a makeover, this should be your first point of call. Sum Kee Yuen has super stylish mini pine trees that would look beautiful on a table. Create bunting, or make your own stars for each little tree as perfect place settings for your Xmas day guests.

HK Honey/Shanghai Street Studios

When creative director of HK Honey Michael Leung moved into his apartment where he also runs Shanghai Street Studios in Yau Mai Tai, Kowloon, he embraced, rather than discarded, everything that was left from the previous tenant. For Michael, the detritus played a huge role in turning this three-stair walk-up into a constructive, warm and friendly space. Michael definitely lives with a “this is me and this is who I am” attitude, which is refreshing in a city of finance and newness. With a passion for bees and urban agriculture, Michael can take you through the first steps of making candles from natural beeswax at his classes. He will even take you on a guided tour of Yau Mai Tai ( his beehive is located on a nearby garden rooftop and that’s definitely impressive). The candles Michael crafts are available to buy at lifestyle store Kapok in Hong Kong as well. In the summer of 2011 Michael moved to New York for three months to work on the world’s largest rooftop farm Brooklyn Grange. His experience there inspired him to explore urban agriculture in a community-based way in Hong Kong hence his decision to start HK Farm. The first rooftop garden was created on an industrial building in Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon. There they grow local and organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, do compost and harvest local honey.

Sau Wa Fong Street

Sau Wa Fong Street is a street with style and spirit and there’s always some new store or restaurant opening up and creating a buzz. There are some people who just have an eye. Susan Man of Manks, was brillant when she opened the original Manks on Elgin Street, Central, in the late-80s. It had a kind of dreamy, relaxing atmosphere – I used to wander from floor to floor just looking at all these incredible things: light fixtures sourced from Sweden and Finland from the 1960s, unusual tables, Bedarmeier style hall chairs from Sweden, works of art and antiques that were never seen in Hong Kong before. Her beloved Shih Tzu’s dogs, Dumpling and Noodle were pretty cute too, staying put on her lap most times. Now there are two Manks stores run by Susan and her husband Paul Fung, the Sau Wa Fong Street store is housed in a 1960s old building and the second one is at The Factory in Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen. Here you will find Scandinavian modern design furniture, art and decorative pieces – think Panton and Hans Jakobsen – plus European antiques circa 1880 -1970. Man and Fung pick up extra special antiques and source anything beautiful style-wise, and they are always happy to work on bridal registries too.

G/F 36 Sau Wa Fong Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2522 5115

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Lanterns

It’s that September-moving-into-slightly-cooler-October feeling in Hong Kong and you don’t have to look too far to see Mid-Autumn Festival beauty. It’s everywhere. During this festival the lanterns in Victoria Park make dusk even more spectacular. If you don’t like crowds too much arrive earlier to secure a place. The organisers plan the event around a different theme every year.

When it comes to lanterns, which make great gifts for friends, take a stroll to Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon and check out Loong Kee Stationary & Paper Store and while you are there pop over to Fuk Wing Street. It’s a lot of looking up up up, but the mild neck strain is worth it. I like to buy a new lantern every year and doing this has given me a much-admired collection. We have used them on shoots for magazines, too. Staying around Central? Check out the collection at 9 Peel Street. There’s quite a range – oversized bright pink, orange goldfish-shaped, elegant red and gold coloured silk ones, and dusty pink paper ones, just to name a few of our favourites.

The Crafties

The latest social and constructive venture we love is The Crafties on Des Voeux Road, Sheung Wan where you can learn everything from sewing, knitting and crocheting to quilting, using a loom, beading a necklace or making your own leather goods. Their drop-in crotchet classes take place on the first Thursday of every month. The focus is on creating a sense of community which craft is perfect for. So if you have a project in mind, possess the skills to teach a class or just need a space to work in (you can hire a table or corner) get in touch with Sky Chow on +852 3461 1368. For more information go to their website www.thecrafties.hk

We love hand-made products and you can find a good selection at The Crafties. Check out baby blankets knitted by Kimberley Knits. For jewellery, lovely leather goods and for bibs and baby shoes see To whit To whooo. For some vintage inspiration Vic & Lily are sourcing some reasonably priced special pieces from all around the globe. Creative director Maggie Chan from Liliput Tales works and sells her quirky mossariums here as well.

Ceramics

I love the naturalness of ceramics and Hong Kong produces some of the most beautiful in the world – and they remind me of my mum patiently sculpting for hours then glazing and firing her pottery years ago when she still had her kiln. The use of this traditional craft form has endured the centuries – but I can see that the days of a wonderful Chinese ceramic store jam-packed with treasures covered in dust and grime on every corner, are sadly over. Staunton Street, Central, was always a favourite haunt of mine. I’d end up with a big box of plates cups and vases and unable to walk home.

Yuet Tung ChinaWorks is filled with old-world charm. There is an enormous variety – everything from dinnerware, egg cups, milk jugs, ornamental pieces and platters, to cake plates and cake stands. But the best thing is Yuet Tung still makes everything by hand – there is a kiln at the back of the warehouse and four artisans work on private orders for clients, hotels or stores. You can make a piece your own by requesting specific details on the design or even more fun is to design your own dinner service by showing the artists a picture of what you want – and then you walk away with a lasting piece you’ve personally invested in.

Units 1-3, 3/F, Kowloon Bay Industrial Centre, 15 Wang Hoi Rd, Kowloon Bay. Tel: +852 2796 1125.

Kowloon City Thai area

Head out to Kowloon City. Also known as Little Thailand, it’s a buzzy, eclectic hotspot for amazing food and history lessons all on the edge of the Kowloon Walled City Park. The Thai community relocated to Kowloon City in the nineties from Central on Hong Kong Island when redevelopment took over. You can source wonderful Thai delicacies here – everything from curry pastes, fruit, freshly made coconut juices and desserts, to beauty products and Thai orchids.

Check out In Love Thai Healthy for coconut oils and creams, shampoos and conditioners and an exquisitely scented range of Thai beauty products. D2, G/F, 52D Nga Tsin Wai Rd, Kowloon City. Tel: +852 3487 2406. For fresh herbs, pre-made curries and Thai sweets go straight to Ban ThaiThai, G/F 52B Nga Tsin Wai Rd, Kowloon City. Tel: +852 2382 5599. If you are looking for fresh fruits such as pomegranates, mangoes and pineapples the best streets are South Wall Road and Nga Tsin Wai Road. The area makes your mouth water for Thai cuisine. Here’s a couple of recipes we’ve added below for you from Belinda.

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