Eating and traveling. Traveling and Eating. The more I travel, the more I learn about food, the more I love to eat. I love everything about it – the background on where it came from, the smells, the preparations, and of course the flavors rolling around in my mouth. It’s been an ongoing learning process for years now as my taste buds and waistline continue to battle it out.
When I’ve traveled on a budget I’ve had to let go of the idea of being able to try lots of ‘hip’ restaurants or pricey ‘in’ places and just enjoy cheap street food eats which, as I’ve mentioned are often even more tasty and authentic.
Culinary Hong Kong
But this visit to Hong Kong was completely different. I was being treated to some of the best food around – even going on what was dubbed a “Culinary Journey” at the Island Shangri-La Hong Kong. Or what I like to call the best restaurant crawl…ever. We indulged in seven different courses at the hotel’s six different restaurants in one night – starting with flutes of Veuve Clicquot and an amuse bouche in the lobby bar and ending with dessert and live music at the Lobster Bar and Grill with amazing morsels of sushi, savory dim sum, succulent rack of lamb, and fresh seafood, in between.
Between the eating and drinking with every course, it was a decadent night to say the least. I loved every course – and by the end I was stuffed, sated, and sleepy. I loved the fact that all I had to do is take the elevator up fifty floors or so to my plush room and climb into my thick king-sized bed and doze into a fat and happy slumber.
Renowned as the culinary capital of Asia, Hong Kong has more than 11,000 restaurants, according to the Tourism Board. Many of these offer some of the best Cantonese and regional Chinese food in the world. Local must-try dishes are dim sum (tasty Chinese ‘tapas’ or ‘snacks’ including dumplings served steamed in bamboo baskets) and amazingly fresh seafood.
Disclosure: My trip to Hong Kong was provided by the folks at Cathay Pacific & Shangri-La Hotels. All views, writing, and photos are my own.
Hong Kong Served Up Two Ways: Budget vs. Luxury
I love food. I love to travel. This looks like heaven! Stuffing yourself then sleeping in a fluffy bed-ahhh. Pure bliss. Kinda like me stuffing my face at the food stalls in Chiang Mai, then finishing off with a banana/raisin honey pancake and coming back to my cozy apartment and passing out happy, knowing I could do the whole thing all over again tomorrow. Traveling and eating is so much fun right?
Sounds like we'd get along! 🙂
Those foodie photos have me hungry!! Delicious post, though probably best not to read before lunch; I didn't make it to Hong Kong and had some so-so eating in China, but these photos have me sold that perhaps I should give it another shot when I head back that way 🙂
Thanks Shannon! We were spoiled!
And here I thought the food court at my local shopping mall was a culinary Mecca! You have so much to teach and I have so much to learn. Take it a little slower though, would you? Where are the best cheese fries in the world?
Ha ha! That I can't teach you, Kevin. Not much cheese happening in Asia!
Wow, these pictures are fantastic! I love the food in HK!!!
Thanks Andi! I was lucky to eat well and not have to think…just chow!
Gorgeous photos! It all looks delicious!
Thanks Joya!
Wow – that does sound like the best restaurant crawl ever!
Sherry…I was so stuffed and tired after…I barely ate dessert. Wine parings with everything knocked me out! Good thing the bed was so amazing!
OMG- yum! I want to eat dim sum now!!
Thanks Jade!!
The restaurant crawl was in the hotel? I’m not sure how I feel about that… I definitely would have said “no.” But then I saw your photos. Very nice. They may have just changed my mind. And Hong Kong is always a great city to visit. I stayed on the Kowloon side before. It was way cheaper. But now that I’m a successful writing (above the poverty line, baby!), I think I need to go and check it out again. This time with a slightly less restrictive budget. Thanks for pointing out the Shangri-La Hotel there in Hong Kong. (though I continue to have issues with your other sponsor, Cathay Pacific. We have a history.)
Thanks for the mouth-watering post.
Hey Daniel! Yeah…the crawl was specifically created by the Shangri-La since they have so much to offer. Glad the photos piqued your interest. I would LOVE a crawl outside too of course. Next time you’ll have to take me!