All posts filed under: Travel

Machu Picchu, Peru: The 2D/1N Inca Trail (Full Review)

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I must’ve seen at least a hundred photographs which look exactly like this one I took of Machu Picchu before I booked my flight from Hong Kong to Lima. This sight itself would’ve been impressive enough to make the 30-hour long journey worthwhile. But even though my newest wide-angle camera lens can frame these Inca ruins pretty well, capturing this New7Wonders of the World in still motion, or even describing it, could not do justice to the experience of being in the presence of this magical site among the Andes mountains 2500m above sea level. Even if your Instagram feed is also spammed with these shots, visiting Machu Picchu in Peru could not be overrated. Admittedly, despite the Peruvian government’s effort to limit visitors per day, it still does get quite crowded at certain times of the day. This is why I strongly recommend doing one of the treks and visiting the site over two days.   Acclimatising in Cuzco/Altitude Sickness We flew from Lima to Cuzco and had about 48 hours to acclimatise to …

Weird Dishes to Try on your Next Trip to Europe

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As I hesitantly tried guinea pig and alpaca meat in Peru, a friend asked me, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? I still don’t dare to try fried scorpions in Beijing or Bangkok, but I suppose Japanese shirako (cod sperm) is probably the weirdest on my list. There’s always some strange type of food, a local ‘delicacy’, in different cuisines around the world. I can’t even count the number of times foreigners have found century eggs in Hong Kong revolting, while it can almost be my comfort food when placed in a bowl of congee. However, I definitely didn’t expect there to be such a list for European foods, until foodie/traveller, Elizabeth, shared the below with me… Which would you dare to try? (The below article was not written by me, and doesn’t represent my experiences of the dishes) 1. Sardinia’s casu marzu If you’re not a fan of strong cheese, you may want to steer clear of this one. Casu marzu, translated to rotten cheese in English, is Sardinia’s famed pecorino cheese that lives up to …

Solo Travel in Porto and Lisbon

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It was a pleasant 3:30pm as I stepped out of the metro at Baixa-Chiado, downtown Lisbon. Never had I felt so instantaneously in love with a city. I had just flown in from Porto and had already experienced a little bit of Portugal’s charm – colourful houses, steep hills and cobbled streets. But it was the addition of sunshine and bustle of people that makes Lisbon easily my favourite city in Europe. It helped that all the Portuguese people I met on my trip were friendly, open and so proud of their country. The genuine happiness and excitement they felt when I told them I was in Europe just to visit Portugal, was priceless and just so warming. Travelling alone in Portugal That made travelling alone in Portugal so easy. It was so pleasant and I never once felt alone, which was quite different from my first solo trip to the south of Taiwan. There was something I really enjoyed about standing on the busy streets of Lisbon and devouring three scoops of Chiado (milk and rum), pistachio …

Fine Dining Redefined in Hong Kong

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When L’Estrange London first approached me for my recommendations on fine dining restaurants in Hong Kong, I blanked. Amber? Caprice? What other fine dining restaurants do I know? I couldn’t possibly bring myself to recommend places I didn’t even personally love, but I honestly have barely visited “fine dining” restaurants in the past 2-3 years. Thankfully, the important detail emerged as they were looking for excellent quality restaurants I feel comfortable in. Shifting dining trends in Hong Kong These thoughts of mine are anecdotal of the major shift in dining trends in Hong Kong, and around the world, towards more laid back spots which are still able to deliver top quality food. This was also exactly why I loved Tapisco so much, during my recent visit to Lisbon. The thing is, I used to fantasise about being taken to Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants at hotels for my birthday. But to suggest this today would have even my closest friends cringe at the thought of having to act so uncomfortably formal. Check out the full article …

Tapisco, Lisbon: The Best of Modern Portuguese Fine Dining

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Dining experiences are very personal and often subjective. With only three days in Lisbon, and endless lists of restaurants, I was starting to feel exhausted at the thought of deciding where to eat next. Except for a handful of wine bars, the typical recommendations were not speaking to me. For example, even though more than five people suggested Ramiro in the span of 24 hours (I’m sure it’s excellent), I just wasn’t in the mood for prawns, crabs and clams, no matter how big, fresh and juicy they were. Then I came across Tapisco and it was almost like I had a eureka moment. It wasn’t on any ‘Restaurants you must visit in Lisbon’ lists, but I stumbled across it when browsing photos on Instagram. This is usually my process of restaurant research – it’s painstakingly inefficient, but often accurately helps me find what I know I would personally enjoy. Striking the perfect balance I was immediately sold by the laid back bright vibes of Tapisco and photos of its squid ink paella. They had comfortable …

Cafe at Hyatt Regency: A Seafood Lover’s Buffet

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Dinner buffets are sometimes shunned for their subpar quality of food. But growing up with younger siblings, it was almost a ritual for any of our family celebrations. So no matter how un-classy loving buffets may seem, they do secretly have a place in my heart. They tend to be an especially apt choice when there are kids in your group, but the selection at Cafe 咖啡廳 of Hyatt Regency (K11, Tsim Sha Tsui) will impress adults equally as much, if not even more. They have the most extensive variety of choices I’ve seen in Hong Kong, and more importantly, the quality of their food was impressive. Poached Lobster *must order* With so much on offer at this buffet, it’s impossible to get through even just their seafood offerings. They served chilled crab legs, prawns, crabs and mussels; they also had grilled scallops, oysters and tandoori tiger prawns. But the one thing you can’t miss is their poached lobster. Not only was it fresh and prepared-to-order, it was also cooked perfectly. The texture was crisp …

Scarlett: Gerard Poulard’s Unmissable Cheese Collection (until 31 May 2017)

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I was charmed by Scarlett’s inviting vibes on my first visit (for lunch) – it’s one of the rare places in Tsim Sha Tsui which isn’t overly fancy or un-ambiently casual. Their wines by the glass are about HK$60-70 which is decent value considering the quality, and if you’re early enough, they have a buy-one-get-one-free deal from 3-7pm. So it’s also pretty ideal for pre-dinner drinks. 2017 Collection of Fromages de France This time I also made it a mission to visit Scarlett because they were housing 30 varieties of France’s official Cheese Ambassador Gerard Poulard’s 2017 Collection of Fromages de France. I do love a platter of cheese to go with my red wine, so it seemed like the perfect weekday indulgence and experience for me. Gerard Poulard is purportedly a renowned fine cheese expert. Each year, he selects a variety of cow’s and goat’s cheeses from boutique farms in France. He then travels around the world to present this collection at different fine dining restaurants. Selection of 9 Cheeses – HK$385 Honestly, we could not comprehend a single name …