Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [129]
TOP DECK Map International $$$
2552 3331; www.cafedecogroup.com; Top fl Jumbo Kingdom, Shum Wan Pier Dr, Wong Chuk Hang; 6-11.30pm Tue-Thu, 6pm-1am Sat, 9am-11.30pm Sun & public holidays
Resort-style awnings meet a garish red-and-green Chinese pagoda on the rooftop of Jumbo Kingdom. The decor is trippy at Top Deck, but the harbour is drop-dead gorgeous and there’s free-flowing champagne at the Sunday brunch ($350; 11.30am to 4.30pm).
JUMBO KINGDOM FLOATING RESTAURANT Map Cantonese $$
2553 9111; www.jumbo.com.hk; Shum Wan Pier Dr, Wong Chuk Hang; lunch $60-200; 11am-11.30pm Mon-Sat, 7am-11.30pm Sun
The larger of two floating restaurants moored in Aberdeen Harbour, the Jumbo has interiors that look like Beijing’s Imperial Palace crossbred with Macau’s Casino Lisboa – a flamboyant spectacle so kitsch it’s fun. The food is overpriced but fairly good. There’s free transport for diners from the pier on Aberdeen Promenade.
SHAN LOON TSE KEE FISH BALL
Map Noodles $
2552 3809; 80-82 Old Main St; noodles per bowl $20-72; 10am-6pm
This stall started from a nearby cave (shan loon) decades ago and it has since grown into a busy restaurant. The signature fish balls are al dente and they are great eaten with ho fan (flat rice noodles).
AP LEI CHAU MARKET COOKED FOOD CENTRE Map Dai Pai Dong, Seafood $
1st fl, Ap Lei Chau Municipal Services Bldg, 8 Hung Shing St; minibus 36X from Lee Garden Rd, Causeway Bay, or from Aberdeen Promenade by sampan
Sharing a building with a market, six dai pai dong operators cook up a storm in sleepy Ap Lei Chau. Pak Kee ( 2555 2984; 6-11.30pm) and Chu Kee ( 2555 2052; 6pm-midnight) both offer simple but tasty dishes in the $40 to $60 range, and affordable seafood selections. You can also buy seafood from the wet market downstairs and pay them to cook it for you the way you want. Every evening, fishermen and dragon boaters come here for the cheap beer (large bottle $12 to $22) and the food. If you don’t mind plastic stools and alpha males trying to out-talk each other, this is the place to go for local flair. It’s a stone’s throw from the Hung Shing shrine Click here.
Stanley
Far-flung Stanley is reachable by bus 6, 6A, 6X or 260 from Exchange Square ( Map), Central.
LUCY’S Map International $$
2813 9055; 64 Stanley Main St; noon-3pm, 7-10pm Mon-Fri, noon-4pm, 6.30-10pm Sat, noon-4pm, 6-9.30pm Sun
This cool oasis within Stanley Market has been around for much longer than most of its neighbours. The menu changes frequently as fresh produce and inspiration arrive. A set dinner of two/three courses for $250/290 is available from Sunday to Thursday only.
SHU ZHAI Map Chinese $$
2813 0123; 80 Stanley Main St, Stanley; noon-10pm Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm Sat & Sun
There’s more gimmick than grace to this breezy restaurant that resembles an ancient repository for works of literature, but the hand-shredded fish ($100) and the dim sum ($25 to $35) are not bad. There is a door connecting the restaurant to a branch of Dymocks bookshops.
PIZZA EXPRESS Map Pizza, International $
2813 7363; 90 Stanley Main St; meals $100-200; 11.30am-11pm
Despite its pedestrian name, this pizza place offers more palatable fare and better service than many of its more exotic-sounding neighbours.
TOBY INN Map Cantonese $
2813 2880; U1-U2, 126 Stanley Main St; meals $80-150; 5.30am-10.30pm
This modest eatery is the neighbourhood restaurant of Stanley, with elderly people dropping in for dim sum at the crack of dawn, dragon boaters stopping by for seafood after practice, and families coming in for simple dishes throughout the day.
Shek O
SHEK O CHINESE & THAI SEAFOOD
Map Thai, Cantonese $
2809 4426; 303 Shek O Village; lunch from $50, dinner from $80; 11.30am-10pm; 9 from MTR Shau Kei Wan (exit A3)
This hybrid of a place is hardly authentic in