Hong Kong 2010 Day 1: Harbour City, Heritage 1881, Paul Lafayet French Pastries & Avenue of Star

For our trip itinerary, please click here.

boarding onto a ‘Van仔’ (Van Zai)

Shopping is an integral part of travel so we just have to make our way to Tsim Tsa Tsui to indulge in some retail therapy. With Harbour City, Heritage 1881, SOGO and the many retailers along Peking Road, Nathan Road and Cameron Road all located within a radius of few hundred meters, Tsim Tsa Tsui is truly a shopper’s paradise.

sexy car wash?

Harbour City

Harbour City is the biggest shopping mall in Hong Kong. Having to learn our painful lesson of spending way too much time and moolah in there last year; I tried to avoid the mall like the plague. With my favourite food hall City Super and various other mid range clothing lines in there,  I raise my hand in the pledge that shopping in Harbour City can be dangerous.

And so we made a detour to Heritage 1881, a Former Marine Police Headquarters that has recently been rejuvenated and re-integrated as a high-end shopping site.

Heritage 1881 is such a beautiful place to spend a cool day walking around and not buying anything, simply because I can’t afford anything from these big name – Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Piaget, etc.

The building is designed to a unique Victorian Colonial architectural style so it is a good place to cam-whore!

K11 mall

After walking for about 2 hours or so, we found a place to rest our weary feet – Paul Lafayet at K11 mall.

Having only opened its doors in February 2010, Paul Lafayet by Tony Younes has enjoyed great success and popularity. Known as THE place to go for French pastries, Paul Lafayet takes pride in their creations – they use only high quality of imported ingredients with no artificial flavourings or preservatives.

The window displays with all the beautiful colorful cakes and macarons had an instant appeal. It was so enticing that we press our nose against the glass eagerly, we picked our dessert selection for the day.

Creme Brulee is also one of their best-sellers that one shouldn’t miss. Upon placing order, the staff caramelised it with a blowtorch in front of us. The Creme Brulee with perfect caramelized top was so smooth, rich and creamy! Oh I love creme brulee and I love how they made it with real vanilla beans, not vanilla essence!You can actually bring home the clay ramekin too. But for whatever weird reason it is, we did not!

Chocolate Blueberry Dome came next. Layered with blueberry, chocolate mousse and thin sponge cake and coated with a chocolate shell, it was out of this world! I love the sweet and tangy combination that blueberries add to the cake, very refreshing!

*All their cakes are priced at HK$40 per piece and macarons at HK$15 per piece.

We by tradition pare the coffee with the end of our lovely meal (if that counts as meal). =)

Paul Lafayet Patisserie Francaise
Website : http://www.paullafayet.com/
Address : G23, G/F, K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Branch : G13, G/F, Windsor House, 311 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 3586 9621/ 3586 9631, 3421 1982
Opens daily from 1230 noon to 11pm

When in Hong Kong, one thing you must not miss is the beautiful Hong Kong night view. Take a tram up to the peak or go to the Avenue of Stars located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. More than 100 actors – both living and dead – were honored along the Avenue of Stars.

One can enjoy A Symphony of Lights along the Avenue of Stars every night at 8pm. This spectacular multimedia show, named the world’s largest permanent light and sound show by Guinness World Records, combines lights and narration while featuring more than 40 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour. The facades of buildings are decked out in lights that, at the flick of a switch, glow in a myriad of colours depicting Hong Kong’s dynamic pulse. The show lasted for about 10 minutes and it was spectacular!

One of the perks of traveling to Hong Kong late last year is that it coincides with the BIG SOGO SALES! Longchamp le pliage handbag for RM 230, CK jeans for RM 250, SK II skin care at 30% off and many many more! The shopping can be very rewarding and exciting if you manage to beat the crowd, which we did!

Hui Lao Shan’s mango dessert for supper

Our haul of the day =)