If there is a café that gained popularity primarily through social media, it has to be Via Tokyo in Hong Kong – I got to know about the place after seeing numerous Instagram posts about its amazing matcha soft serve and the cafe repeatedly winning OpenRice’s Best Restaurant Awards (voted by users). I only got to try it after two trips to Hong Kong.
The original store at Causeway Bay is located at the corner of a residential building about 10 minutes walk from Causeway Bay MTR station. Via Tokyo is opened by restaurateur Kosei Kamatani, also the owner of Ramen Jo and even a shisha bar.
The dessert café specialises in Japanese soft serve ice cream and pastries made with Kyoto matcha powder (finely milled green tea) and 3.6 Hokkaido milk (a brand of premium milk from Japan with 3.6% butterfat recognized for its creamy rich texture and hint of vanilla essence).
The cafe offers three main flavours of soft serve (Vanilla, Matcha and Houjicha) in addition to seasonal flavours. Naturally the matcha flavour is the most popular. In order to encourage guests to try other flavours, the cafe doesn’t serve matcha flavour on Wednesdays. A very interesting marketing strategy indeed.
The best times to visit is during odd hours (I visited at 3pm). Otherwise get ready to queue.
What would you have today? :)
Since it was my first time, I went for the 3-flavour waffle cup (Vanilla, Matcha and a seasonal Black Sesame flavour) served with shiratama, red bean paste and a candied chestnut. The taste wasn’t overpowering, and the texture was firm and smooth. I was initially worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish 3 servings all by myself, but obviously my fear was unfounded lol.
The cafe serves tea-based cakes as well. There is a larger cake selection at their Tsim Sha Tsui outlet, which also serves kakigori (shaved ice dessert).
If you are looking for a dessert place in Hong Kong, Via Tokyo would be a good choice for some soft serve ice cream. Another Japanese dessert place that you can also try is Sweets House Cha Cha. Itadakimasu!
Via Tokyo Causeway Bay
Address: Shop nos. 1A-1B, G/F., Leishun Court, 106-126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
銅鑼灣禮頓道106-126號禮信大廈地下1A-1B號舖
Nearest Train Station: Causebay MTR Exit F1, walk down Jardine’s Bazaar towards Pennington St, then Leighton Road. About 10 mins walk
Tel: +852 28951116
Opening Hours: 11:00AM – 10:30PM (Sun-Thurs), 11:00AM – 11:00PM (Fri-Sat)
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/viatokyocafe
Via Tokyo Tsim Sha Tsui
Address: G/F, 29 Cameron Road Kowloon Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀金馬倫道29號A地舖
Nearest Train Station: Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Exit B2. About 4 mins walk
Tel: +852 2385 6388
Opening Hours: 12:00PM – 11:00PM (Sun – Thurs), 12:00PM – 11:30PM (Fri – Sat)
Located at Tai Po 大埔 in the New Territories 新界, Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees 林村許願樹 are one of the most popular shrines in Hong Kong and featured in many Hong Kong dramas. Lam Chuen is especially crowded during the Lunar New Year when everyone flocks to the trees to make their wishes for the coming year. So no doubt I was full of anticipation to visit the place and make a drama wish for myself.
How did the wishing custom start in Lam Tsuen? In the past, fishermen would throw paper josses to every Tai Pak Kung (earth god) tree on their way to the New Territories, wishing that this would bring them good luck and protection. When a dying fisherman who sought a miracle from the tree got his wish granted in the 1960s, worshippers started flocking there and the wishing custom was set. Another version says that there was a worshipper whose son was very slow in learning. After he had wished upon the tree, his son completely changed and made incredible academic improvement.
There are actually two Pak Kung trees in in Fong Ma Po. One is the Wishing Tree near the entrance of the village and the other is a banyan tree farther away.
There is also an area with statues bearing the 12 zodiac animals. Looks like a scene out of a sci-fi movie where some galactic beams will start to shoot down anytime, and an immortal appears. And I faint there and then :D
This, is NOT a usual sight at all – we got the tree all to ourselves! It has been raining cats & dogs so there was no visitors, and the rain was just stopping as we arrived (now I call that luck).
Even the dog wants a wish :) (I wish it would stop raining!) lol
So what do I do? Get a wishing card tied to an orange from one of the sellers around, write your wishes on the card and toss the wish up on the tree. The higher the wishing card lands on the tree and stays there, the more likely your wish will come true. Believe me, it’s harder than you think. People may try to sell you incense sticks, candles and lanterns too (this is the touristy part). You do not need to feel pressured to buy.
Talk about advancement – wishes now come in a checklist! LOL Just tick the wishes that apply. I was tempted to be greedy and tick ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Off to make my wishes!
If you had the same suspicion as I did looking at the tree, you are probably right. It’s an artificial tree. The original wishing tree was a camphor tree which was accidentally burnt down by the huge pile of offerings left by visitors. It was then replaced by a bauhinia, which collapsed due to the excessive burden of offerings. The banyan tree which was then planted suffered the same fate in 2005 when the weight of the oranges caused branches to fall off. This practice was then replaced by hanging your wishes to wooden wishing boards according to your Chinese Zodiac sign instead. I guess visitors must have found this alternative not as exciting, hence this artificial tree was erected so they can continue tossing their wishes up.
Wooden wishing boards similar to those in Japanese temples You write your wishes on a piece of yellow joss paper, roll it up and hang the “宝碟 bou dip” on the wishing board bearing your Chinese Zodiac sign.
This is the poor Banyan tree currently undergoing rehabilitation. I call this “abuse by oranges.”
It’s like a very, very old lady with so many poles to prop her up. So poor thing! Human desires sometimes can be overpowering, and become a destructive force.
While you are there, do go try the handmade beancurd store just across the road from the entrance. You can also visit the nearby Tin Hau Temple which was built in the late 18th century, or continue the day’s journey to Yuen Lang 元朗 (via Bus 64K or the private minibuses) where there’s more yummy food and sights.
Ryan BB is certainly excited to eat beancurd :) Hong Kongers eat their beancurd with orange coconut sugar. It’s so addictive, I now buy that to eat with my beancurd now.
Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees
Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, New Territories
Tel: +852 2638 3678
Opening Hours: 9:30AM to 5:30PM
Email: lamlukwing@hotmail.com
Website: www.lamtsuen.com
Getting There 1) Take the East Rail line to Tai Po Market station and take Exit A1. Hop on KMB bus route 64K or 65K (bus fare about HKD5-7) or minibus 25K and alight at Fong Ma Po Bus Stop (12 stops). Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees (林村) are across the road.
2) Take the Tsuen Wan Line to Tai Wo Station and take Exit A. Take Bus No 64K or minibus 25K and alight at Fong Ma Po Bus Stop. Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees (林村) are across the road.
3) Take the Tsuen Wan Line to Tai Wo Station and take Exit A. Take a taxi :)
After laying dormant for almost 14 years, the former Police Married Quarters (PMQ) on Hollywood Road has found new life as Hong Kong’s latest creative hub for local designers of diverse disciplines. The 18,000sqm former heritage site houses 130 units rented out to selected locally based creative talents from the fields of design, fashion and art at a discounted rate for a maximum lease of two years, to allow them to create their own viable businesses. More established brands such as Bread and Butter and Vivienne Tam are also present on the ground and first floor to lend some clout.
PMQ is also home to five restaurants including Aberdeen Street Social by Jason Atherton & Yenn Wong, and Spanish fine dining restaurant Vasco featuring Paolo Casagrande from two- Michelin star Barcelonan restaurant Lasarte. There are 15 pop-up spaces, 6 units for international ‘designers in residence’ to work from and a huge 6,000sqm exhibition space called the Cube which will host fashion and art events. Be sure to visit the night market run by the organisers of Island East Markets every Friday and weekend nights featuring street food from the city’s most cutting edge eateries, creations by local craftspeople and music from top musicians and DJs. I popped by Hong Kong’s newest creative spot for a look during its soft opening in May. It officially opens in late June 2014. As far as I could see from the 30% of the shops open during the soft opening – it’s a shopping haven for people who appreciate one-of-a-kind product offerings (like me), and I have no doubt it will be a hip place to hangout during the weekend evenings. Pen it down in your itinerary on your next trip to Hong Kong.
The site on Aberdeen Road where PMQ sits also deserves mentioning for its rich cultural heritage – it was built way back in 1889 as the Central School. The school was severely damaged during World War II and was demolished in 1948 to make way for building the Former Police Married Quarters (and where its current name PMQ was derived). After the Former Police Married Quarters were vacated in 2000, it remained empty for years amid a mire of indecision on its next usage. It was definitely a costly (in)decision as the market price of the building was estimated at $2,500m to $3,000m. The government eventually launched the ‘Conserving Central’ plan in 2009 to preserve eight key heritage sites in Central including PMQ. A $100m bid by the Musketeers Foundation (a group of 3 anonymous local businessmen who support culture and education) to turn the site into a creative hub for designers was accepted, and voila – PMQ is born.
It’s heartening to see efforts have been made to maintain and enhance the original features of the site, such as these granite steps and rubble retaining wall which have existed since the opening of the Central School in 1889.
PMQ consists of an adjacent pair of 7-floor buildings constructed in 1951. Architecturally, the design of the two quarters blocks reflects the architecture of the modern movement. For me, I couldn’t wait to start shopping.
I was quite intrigued by these old-school postboxes on the ground floor.
Some of the shops include the super famous HK lifestyle store Goods of Desire, industrial-based accessories POMCH, Crafted in Hong Kong by Kapok, Coney & Co, multi-label fashion boutique The Refinery by curated by well-known British blogger Elizabeth Lau, Smoth and Norbu which crafts spectacles out of yak and buffalo horn and even 513 Paint Shop, a designer paint shop.
It’s not a place only for the arty-farty, the tourists, but local families too! The children looked so happy playing, I felt tempted to join in.
These dim sum candles are just SO CUTE, they look so real!
Exquisite ceramics which look good enough to eat
Eco-friendly offerings
I want bespoke creative agency Delication‘s “Jungles in a Bottle”.
Very interesting home decor
I was so tempted to get these photo frames modeled after traditional Hong Kong signboards
A very good souvenir to get from Hong Kong
On top of local talents, established names like Bread and Butter also set up shop on the ground floor.
Even Giordano here looks better
There’s a landscaped garden on the 4th level rooftop!
Looks like a nice place to chill out :)
A few units have been set aside to showcase the rich heritage of the site. The Central Government School was the first government school to teach a Western curriculum. Dr Sun Yat-sen and Macau casino king Stanley Ho were some of the students who studied there.
3D model of the school
In order to boost police recruitment, following an influx of Chinese immigrants after the Chinese Civil War, the Police Married Quarters was built in 1951 to provide accommodation for married rank and file officers to enhance the morale of junior police officers. Current and ex-Chief Executives CY Leung and Donald Tsang both lived there at one point.
One of the units was refurbished to the original living space, and the video of past PMQ residents reminiscing about living there was intriguing. It was full of warmth, and you could tell they really enjoyed living there as a big community.
You can view the foundations of the old Victoria College via an underground tunnel in the central courtyard.
Taking a break from retail therapy to admire the architecture of the building
Ok, now back to shopping!
OMG I love these!
Some fine-looking leathercraft
Open Quote.
Be sure to check out Chocolate Rain, a popular local brand featuring cute, whimsical characters on the ground floor
Cuteness overload
In love with these porcelain-inspired necklaces
Whether for fashion, food or art, do drop by Hong Kong’s latest address for creativity during your next visit.
Getting there:
1) MTR Sheung Wan Station Exit E2. Walk through the Grand Millennium Plaza to reach Bonham Strand. Cross the road and turn left onto Wellington Street and walk for around two minutes. Turn onto Aberdeen Street and walk for around three minutes to reach PMQ.
2) MTR Central Station Exit C. Walk along Dex Voeux Road to the Hang Seng Bank Headquarters, which is linked to the Central–Mid-Levels Escalator. Take the escalator to Staunton Street and turn right. Walk for about three minutes to reach PMQ. The whole walk takes about 15 minutes.
Spotted this photography studio while street-walking along the very ‘colourful’ Mong Kok area…I wonder who goes there to get their photos taken…would you have your photo taken by a Tarzan Studio? My thoughts are running wild… ;p
If there is a café that gained popularity primarily through social media, it has to be Via Tokyo in Hong Kong – I got to know about the place after seeing numerous Instagram posts about its amazing matcha soft serve and the cafe repeatedly winning OpenRice’s Best Restaurant Awards (voted by users). I only got to try it after two trips to Hong Kong.
The original store at Causeway Bay is located at the corner of a residential building about 10 minutes walk from Causeway Bay MTR station. Via Tokyo is opened by restaurateur Kosei Kamatani, also the owner of Ramen Jo and even a shisha bar.
The dessert café specialises in Japanese soft serve ice cream and pastries made with Kyoto matcha powder (finely milled green tea) and 3.6 Hokkaido milk (a brand of premium milk from Japan with 3.6% butterfat recognized for its creamy rich texture and hint of vanilla essence).
The cafe offers three main flavours of soft serve (Vanilla, Matcha and Houjicha) in addition to seasonal flavours. Naturally the matcha flavour is the most popular. In order to encourage guests to try other flavours, the cafe doesn’t serve matcha flavour on Wednesdays. A very interesting marketing strategy indeed.
The best times to visit is during odd hours (I visited at 3pm). Otherwise get ready to queue.
What would you have today? :)
The cafe serves tea-based cakes as well. There is a larger cake selection at their Tsim Sha Tsui outlet, which also serves kakigori (shaved ice dessert).
If you are looking for a dessert place in Hong Kong, Via Tokyo would be a good choice for some soft serve ice cream. Another Japanese dessert place that you can also try is Sweets House Cha Cha. Itadakimasu!
spunktitud3 