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Monday, December 31, 2018

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

My husband thought it odd that I made reservations at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Just because it's a French restaurant in Hong Kong? I loved Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas, so why not?


L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon is located at 15 Queen's Road in Central.


If you want to have the 4-course prix fixe, you have to sit at the counter. Otherwise, there are a few tables in the restaurant. You'll be offered bottle water but you can ask for tap water. The bottled water was HK$98 ($12.50) per 750 ml.


The bread basket is my favorite thing at Joel Robuchon. It included bacon baguette, mini baguette brioche, chestnut bread, comte breadcroissant, croissant roll, saffron bread, spinach bread, tomato bread and walnut bread. My favorites were the bacon baguette and comte bread. Amazing!


The 4-course prix fixe was HK$1230 ($157). We were served an amuse bouche--Foie Gras Cream with Chicken Stock Gelee, Corn Veloute and Popcorn.


The first course was Le Caviar Imperial--King Crab Meat with Sologne Imperial Caviar. The white dollops were Cauliflower Cream and Chlorophyll.


2nd course was Pan-Fried French Red Mullet Filet with Bouillabaise. I forgot to get a picture of it.


The 3rd course was Free Range Quail with Foie Gras, served with Mashed Potatoes. The mashed potato was the most amazing thing--loaded with butter and smooth as silk.


Dessert was Coconut Vacherin with Mango & Passion Fruit Tartare & Lime.


Mignardise of Lemon Macaron, Vanilla Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Madeleines,


We even got a sweet treat to take home.


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Sunday, December 30, 2018

Big Buddha

The Big Buddha was completed in 1993 and is the largest bronze sitting buddha in the world. It is the 2nd largest sitting buddha of any construction.



There are 268 steps leading to the Buddha. You can walk around the platform at the base of the Buddha to get a 360 degree view of Lantau Island. Inside the Buddha, there are 3 floors. The bottom floor is open to all but the upper levels are only accessible with a meal ticket to the Po Lin Monastery.


The Buddha's right hand is raised, symbolizing protection.


The swastika on the back of the Buddha is a symbol of divinity and spirituality in East Asian religions. Too bad it was hijacked by the Nazis and became associated with evil.


Surrounding the Buddha are 6 smaller statues--the "Offering of the Six Devas." The offerings are flower, fruit, incense, music, ointment and light.


There is a nice view of the Po Lin Monastery from the Buddha platform.


It's possible to walk around the monastery but you cannot enter the buildings.



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Saturday, December 29, 2018

Lantau Island and Ngong Ping

The Big Buddha is located on Lantau Island.


Take the MTR to the Tung Chung station then board the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car. It's the fastest way to get to the Buddha but lines can get long on weekends. The lighting for the Buddha is better in the afternoon.

Alternatives to get to the Buddha include taking a bus for the 50-minute ride (HK$17) or a taxi for 25 minutes (estimated HK$200).


Up to 8 passengers are loaded into each car.


It's a 25 minute ride to the top and the view is beautiful.


You have the option of taking a "Standard" or a "Crystal" car, which has a glass bottom. It's HK$290 ($37) to take Crystal one way and Standard the other way. A Standard ride roundtrip costs HK$235. You may purchase your tickets online for a discount but you have to make the purchase at least a day in advance. I wanted to make sure we had a clear day before venturing out to the Buddha so I didn't take advantage of the online discount.


View of the Buddha on the ride up.


You'll arrive in Ngong Ping Village, a Disney-esque main street with shops, restaurants and entertainment--live shows, virtual reality and "5-D movies."


In the center of the village is a Bodhi tree. You're encouraged to write a wish and tie it on the tree. The higher you tie your wish, the more likely it is to come true.


Walk through the end of the village to see the Big Buddha.


At the end of the village, the gate leads to a path. At the end of the path, there are picnic tables where you can have a nice view of the Buddha.


The path is flanked by 12 Divine Generals. They symbolize animals from the Chinese zodiac.


Sacred cows from the Po Lin Monastery roam freely.



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Friday, December 28, 2018

Bafang Dumpling

On the way to the Big Buddha, we picked up dumplings to have a picnic lunch.


Bafang Dumpling is a Taiwanese fast food take-away located in the lower level of the Fu Tung Plaza near the Tung Chung MTR. There are also locations all over Hong Kong.


I ordered the pork & cabbage pan fried dumpling set (10 dumplings each) with wonton soup and with fish ball soup. Each set was HK$38 ($4.85). The dumplings were quite good. The soups were a little bland but still tasty. You can also get the dumplings boiled.



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Thursday, December 27, 2018

Hong Kong Museums

Hong Kong has several museums, mostly on the Kowloon peninsula. They are free on Wednesdays.


The Space Museum is the golfball building on the waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. Admission is HK$10. In my opinion, it's not worth admission unless it's raining and you need something to do. The museum has 2 exhibition halls and a planetarium. One exhibit is devoted to the cosmos and the other is devoted to space exploration. There are many hands-on and interactive exhibits so kids may find them interesting. The planetarium is not part of free Wednesday. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.


The Hong Kong Museum of History is free everyday. This is worthwhile if you are spending more than 2 days in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Story exhibit takes you from pre-historic times to 1997 when Hong Kong was returned to China. There are also exhibits on life and culture through the ages. Inside, the air conditioning is run at full blast so bring a sweater.



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Wednesday, December 26, 2018

The Market



The Market at the Hotel Icon in Hong Kong serves a lunch buffet for HK$368 ($47), plus a 10% service charge. It's an opportunity to try lots of different Asian dishes, including durian.


You can start with the fresh fruit although I admit the fruit wasn't too exciting. There wasn't anything exotic in the line-up.


There's a section for cold cuts and cheese & cracker.


The seafood bisque was delicious. There was also a congee (rice porridge) station.


Sushi station with hand rolls and nigiri sushi.


Seafood station with mussels, crawfish, clams, shrimp, king crab and stone crab claws. The crab was watery.


There were Chinese dishes, Thai dishes (including satays)


and Indian dishes. There were also noodle stations. 


Pizza


Grilled ribeye, lamb chops and root vegetables.


There were many options for dessert, including ice cream, sorbet, panna cotta, cakes, tarts and macarons. There was an entire section devoted to durian. I tried one and couldn't get rid of the taste for the rest of the day. I am definitely not a durian fan. 

Was lunch worth $50. I would say not.  There are lots of better things to eat in Hong Kong.



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Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Chi Lin Nunnery & Nan Lian Garden

The Chi Lin Nunnery is located 1 MTR stop away at Diamond Hill. It's a Buddhist complex dating from the 1930s.


The wooden complex 


Lotus Pond Garden


Cross the footbridge to reach the Nan Lian Garden.




Don't miss the smooth rocks from China displayed in a pavilion.



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Monday, December 24, 2018

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Complex

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin is a Taoist temple complex located in northeast Kowloon peninsula. Built in 1973, it dedicated to the healer Wong Tai Sin.

Take the MTR to the Wong Tai Sin station. The temple is located a short walk from the MTR.


The entrance is very gaudy.


There is so much smoke from all the incense being burned.


The temple is surrounded by high rise apartments.




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