Tokyo: Snoopy Museum

A family-friendly, fun place to visit

A friend and I have a mutual love of Snoopy. Mine goes back to when I was a child, reading the Peanuts comic strips and watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. The comics and characters reflected how kids felt at the time -- and they still hold up today! Snoopy projected our fantasies, from being able to dance to being the World War I Flying Ace shooting down the Red Baron. Oh and observations about cats and dogs were so true.

So when my friend told me about the Snoopy Museum in Tokyo I had to go visit. It is the only satellite museum affiliated with the Charles M Schultz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.

One of the first Snoopy comic strips by Schultz

The Snoopy Museum Tokyo opened in 2016 and was located in Roppongi, but closed two years later and re-opened in the outskirts of Tokyo in Minami-machida Grandberry Park, a kind of outlet store outdoor shopping area in 2019. Just last February it finished renovations.

It takes about an hour to get to Grandberry Park, southwest of Tokyo, but once you get there you can see how appealing it is for families, with lots of outlet shops -- tax free for tourists -- and activities for children to do, as well as the Snoopy Museum.

There are Snoopy statues along the way to point you in the right direction, but soon you will come across a giant Snoopy with his mouth open, indicating the entrance to the museum. We got tickets online in advance, and in exchange we received paper tickets that were each Peanuts comic strips and two stickers too.

From there we were invited to go up to the third floor and work our way down. There are some rooms where we couldn't take pictures, as they were photographs of Charles Schultz as a child or family pictures, but other than that lots of large-scale comic strips that were reproduced.

Snoopy trying to hit a golf ball with an audience

There were also sections dedicated to each character, and themes like homework, the school bus, and baseball, introducing these from an American perspective. There was also a room with a massive sleeping Snoopy, and up on the rooftop garden lots of Snoopys watching one trying to hit a golf ball. 

Some of the comic strips were animated which was fun, like Charlie Brown watching TV, and Snoopy trying to get his attention and sleeping on top of his head; Charlie Brown gets annoyed and walks to the door, outside and flings Snoopy onto his red dog house to sleep.

Interestingly not much about A Charlie Brown Christmas, though a lot of jazz was played in the museum which made it relaxing to be in there.

And of course the other best part of the museum was the gift shop! All kinds of merchandise were available, but strangely no children's T-shirts, but lots of stuffed Snoopys, plastic folders, stickers, cookies, notebooks, key rings and so on.

Giant sleeping Snoopy... you can't touch though

If that wasn't enough, just outside the museum was the Snoopy Cafe where we had cups of latte in ceramic cups on plates that could be purchased in the cafe. The most popular item seemed to be the Charlie Brown milkshake, with a chocolate wave around the inside of the tall glass.

It was a fun trip down memory lane, but also impressive to see how Schultz's comics still stand the test of time!

Snoopy Museum Tokyo

Tsuruma 3-1-4, Machida-shi

Tokyo

Tokyo: Artist Ryuichi Sakamoto Revered

Many people lined up to see this exhibition

Today was the last day of the Ryuichi Sakamoto: Seeing Sound, Hearing Time exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and we managed to see it on the second last day. We had gotten tickets in advance so we were able to walk past the massive queue of people who were patiently waiting. They were mostly young people, and a few with young children and a handful of elderly.

My first introduction to the Japanese artist Sakamoto when he composed the soundtrack for The Last Emperor that came out in 1987. I was impressed by his work, and he indeed won an Academy Award for Best Original Score, the first Japanese composer to do so. 

Patterns made by vibrations

Other films he worked on include Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky, Little Buddha, and The Revenant. Sakamoto didn't look down on anything -- he also composed music for video games and anime. 

The next time I learned more about him was in 2019 when the restaurant Araki opened in Heritage 1881 in Tsim Sha Tsui. Funded by Richard Li, the Japanese restaurant was helmed by chef Mitsushiro Araki, who made the entire dining experience a performance.

As guests filed into the restaurant, he was already there, deftly breaking down a giant chunk of tuna.

I later learned that the wooden countertop in the restaurant was gifted to Araki by Sakamoto.

In 2014 Sakamoto was diagnosed with throat cancer, and took a year long break, which led to cancer going into remission. However, in early 2021 he was diagnosed with rectal cancer, though he continued to work, even giving what was to be his final performance, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus in 2023 before he died that year on March 28.

So we attended the exhibition almost two years to the day of his death, which explains why so many people were at the museum. It seems the Japanese still revere him and want to continue paying their respects to him, much like how Hongkongers try to commemorate Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing's death on April 1.

Fog created by the water of immortality

The exhibition, Seeing Sound, Hearing Time, demonstrates Sakamoto's interest in combining music with technology, film and art and see where it goes. There were a few exhibits we were not allowed to film, but they seemed Daoist in nature.

Perhaps he was acutely aware of how much time he had left; one was a "film" where a poem was read out that suggested that life is like a dream. Another was a long horizontal video that showed lots of lines that eventually revealed a photograph, or a moving image of waves crashing onto rocks.

A small room had several photographs and videos group together that looked like an apartment -- was it Sakamoto's? But no one was there, though the kettle was on the stove, hot water boiling, the wind blowing leaves in another video, photographs of his music studio.

Meanwhile a large dark room had large square plexiglass suspended from the ceiling with water and smoke that was projected on the floor that showed different patterns of vibrations according to the music or sounds. 

Another room had a deconstructed piano that played random notes. But the final exhibit showed him performing at the piano when he was younger, and it is projected so that it looks like he is playing a real piano in front of us, the keys pressed down. It is as he wants us to remember him, younger, vibrant and expressive.

Sakamoto playing the piano

There was one exhibit that was interactive with visitors in the courtyard of the museum. At 20-minute intervals, people could interact with "fog", jets of water blown into the air to create "smoke", but really it's water.

The "fog" is the water of immortality, that is supposed to weave together with Sakamoto's music... the fog can be overwhelming, as at times you can't see anything, but you will be able to see people right in front of you. A few seconds later the fog subsides a bit, but the jets spray more water into the air again. For Hongkongers it could trigger the feeling of looking at tear gas, but it's not at all.

At the end, visitors can return inside and use paper towels to wipe themselves down if they so wish. How Japanese.

I'm glad I was able to see this exhibition, to learn more about Sakamoto and see how the Japanese still love him as an artist and want to be closer to him whenever possible.

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Seeing Sound, Hearing Time

Contemporary Museum of Art Tokyo

4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku

Tokyo

TeamLab's Immersive Art Experience

Golden-coloured fish swim around the room

Yesterday morning we woke up relatively early to get to teamLab Borderless in Azabudai Hills, located in a swanky undulating building designed by Heatherwick Studios.

One could tell they were in the right vicinity with so many foreigners trying to figure out where teamLab Borderless was, as the signage only said "Digital art museum". But take the escalator down into the basement and around the corner painted on the ceiling was "teamLab Borderless".

Art is projected around the walls and floors

All visitors had to place all their belongings (except their phones) into lockers, including umbrellas, as it's quite dark inside and would be near impossible to find things. 

That's because teamLab is a collective that brings together art and technology that goes beyond a frame or wall. Images are projected on walls and floors, while mirrors are used extensively to give the impression of going on and on, or maximising special effects.

Visitors are told there is no specific route, and are encouraged to revisit rooms over and over as they will change completely over time. It's a completely immersive visual and audio experience that can overwhelm the senses and one can't but help try to record videos of everything. 

At the start there is a fun procession of mostly frogs on their hind legs, walking, with the odd rabbit. The frogs bring blessings and protect travellers, ensuring their safe return. Frogs are also related to prosperity. They were a recurring motif in some of the rooms.

Spheres give a feeling of limitlessness

Not all the projections were interactive, but fun nonetheless. One fun room had amateur drawings of sea life and it turned out to be contributions from visitors themselves. They were scanned and then projected on the walls moving around and if you "touched" them, they would move away. People were lining up to have a chance to draw something. Some put their names on the fish or whatever sea creature they drew so that they could easily identify them.

Another room was completely immersive, like being in a fantasy underwater scene, with a school of golden carp swimming in and around sea plants. My friend felt a bit dizzy, while I was transfixed by how fantastic it felt to be inside this other world.

We stopped for a tea break... one of the rooms is a tea house and so we ordered two cups of barley tea. We were ushered into a dark room where we sat in chairs that we easily slipped into sideways and then waited for the staff to prepare our drinks. She first came out with a glass bowl and then returned later to fill it with the tea that had an oat taste. But wait -- flowers were projected into the bowl and the petals began spreading behind the bowl and onto the table. Again more content you had to commemorate on video and post on social media.

Sea creatures drawn by visitors projected on walls

It's quite amazing that teamLab has several projects in Japan, like Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, as well as in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Macau, and Miami. It probably get more fun to create as technology improves, though a lot of accurate set-up and production needs to be made to ensure a flawless execution.

A lot of manpower is needed just to control crowds or ensure visitors are OK, and all the staff speak English.

It's probably become a prestige thing to be able to say you have visited specific teamLab projects, though if you have had the chance to see one, then you can see what all the fuss is about. It's not what art purists may think is art, but it is certainly art for the masses that is extremely popular, beautiful and fun.

teamLab Borderless

Mori Building Digital Art Museum

Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza B1

5-9 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Shocking Myanmar Earthquake Hits Bangkok

A building under construction in Bangkok came crashing down

At around midday in central Myanmar, there was a shocking 7.7 magnitude earthquake that was felt as far away as Bangkok. It was horrific to see the initial videos coming out of the Thai capital, such as a tall office building that was being constructed came crashing down, water pouring from the top floor of the InterContinental Bangkok from the rooftop swimming pool, and a construction crane collapse and crash to the ground.

As I was just there over two weeks ago I immediately contacted people I knew in Bangkok. One told me that she and her colleagues had evacuated from their office building and were waiting outside. She said they were in complete shock.

Water pouring from rooftop pool during the quake

Chef Tonn, whose two restaurants I had visited, the Michelin-starred Le Du and highly acclaimed Nusara, posted a message on Instagram saying: "We are safe now in Bangkok. It was the biggest earthquake we experienced in our lifetime. Hope everyone is safe. We still [sic] on high alert for aftershocks. Thank you for all overwhelming messages and love. Me and my family ok for now."

He had just returned from Seoul where he attended the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards, where Le Du was ranked no. 20 and Nusara at no. 6.

My friend and I were thinking we were so lucky we were not in Bangkok during the earthquake -- imagine what it would have been like being on the top floor of the Empire Centre where Le Du Kaan, a bar/restaurant and Chinese restaurant K by Vicky Cheng are located.

Not to mention being on the 77th floor of Mahanakhorn which was reportedly swaying during the earthquake!

However there are some silver linings... an American chef I know who has three restaurants in Bangkok told me that because people cannot return to their hotels or condos in tall buildings, his dining establishments are packed tonight. Wonder if they will have to stay the night in his restaurants too!

So far around 117 people are missing, five confirmed dead in Bangkok, while the military government in Myanmar says 144 people have died, and 732 injured.

Hope survivors will be found, and that aftershocks won't be too severe...

Wonton Noodle Snack

A snack-sized bowl of wonton noodles

Yesterday when I was in Central for a morning coffee, I realised I should also go hit up Mak's Noodles for some authentic wonton noodles.

The place opens at 11am and when I went in, most of the tables were already occupied by tourists or locals keen on either an early lunch or in my case a snack.

Mak's Noodles has had a renovation

It had been a while since I last visited so the place so it looks more upscale with white walls and green trim, wooden furniture with glass tabletops. Long gone are the copies of newspaper and magazine clippings of Mak's Noodles that were so old. Instead under the glass tabletop were copies of the menu and some nice pictures.

The menu is divided into "Noodles" and "Stirred Noodles"... stirred noodles means mixed noodles, as in the noodles and condiments combined together.

While the noodles with shrimp roe is very good, I got the classic bowl of wonton noodles.

The cooks out in front used to face the cashier, but now their cooking stations are facing the outside windows on Wellington Street to create a bit of action to attract customers.

After several minutes, my bowl arrived the way they always serve wonton noodles -- a large clump of egg noodles on top covering four precious wontons underneath.

The cooks face the outside street

The wontons are filled with one whole shrimp and are fresh and crunchy. Meanwhile the egg noodle strands are so thin! Were they this thin before? They also had a wonderful springy texture.

The bowl of wonton noodles cost HK$50 (US$6.43) which is on the expensive side, but they are the real deal, the way they should be cooked and presented. 

Mak's Noodles

G/F, 77 Wellington Street

Central

+852 2854 3810

Picasso's Tenuous Link with Asia

Zeng Fanzhi's portrait of Picasso

I managed to squeeze in some time this afternoon to go to M+ in West Kowloon to see the Picasso exhibit called "Picasso for Asia: A Conversation" that's on until mid-July.

Tanaami Keiichi's interpretations of Picasso's art

The Spanish artist was a giant in the art world and has influenced so many following behind him, that this show not only showcases his work and how it evolved in his different periods, but also how other artists have been inspired by him.

More than 60 of Picasso's works were loaned from Musee national Picasso-Paris, which holds the largest and most significant collection of his art, and they are compared and contrasted with around 130 pieces of art by 30 Asian artists.

The opening painting is a portrait of Picasso by Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi painted in 2011. It depicts Picasso as very intense with large eyes his hands muscular, and casually holding a cigarette in his right hand. 

Picasso's study of a horse for Guernica

The show is a good introduction to Picasso for those not familiar with his work. It first explains he learned to paint from his father, Jose Ruiz y Blasco, who was an art teacher and painter. Blasco quickly saw his son's artistic talent and helped him develop it.

In addition, the exhibition briefly addresses Picasso's detrimental relationships with women he considered his muses; he identified with the story of Pygmalion, a sculptor in Greek mythology who carved a statue of a woman so perfect that she came to life. He also identified with the Minotaur also in Greek mythology a character with a man's body and a bull's head, that was at times vulnerable or blind, or sexually charged and violent.

There are paintings that show his sketches for his masterpiece Guernica, and paintings of doves that soon became the global symbol of peace. The exhibition even points out that China used Picasso's paintings of doves on stamps and other propaganda.

The start of Picasso's Blue Period

Picasso's Blue Period from 1901 to 1904 is explained -- he was depressed following the suicide of his close friend, artist Carles Casagemas. Picasso expressed his sorry by painting him in Portrait of a Man. There are also works from Picasso's cubism period, how he began to see things in shapes that became more and more abstract.

One of the rooms invites visitors to sit down and watch videos of Picasso freely painting on glass, a vase of flowers, a bull, or a dove. At one point he stops and looks at the viewer before walking away. It's fun watching him painting quickly and easily, very sure of himself and carefree.

The show also demonstrates how Picasso was greatly influenced by masters before him, and shows his interpretations of paintings by other artists, like Francisco Goya and Edouard Manet. In that way the exhibition wants to show that Picasso wasn't just considered a master, but always an apprentice wanting to learn more from others.

Meanwhile Picasso's link with Asia is tenuous -- he made one painting that was related to the Korean War called Massacre in Korea, where one can easily see how he has made direct associations to Goya's work, The Third of May1808, and Manet's paintings depicting the execution of Emperor Maximilian.

Picasso painting a vase for the viewer

Nevertheless, while a few of the Asian artists' work are directly related to Picasso, others aren't so much, which makes the associations to him not quite credible...

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia -- A Conversation

Until July 13, 2025

M+

Hong Kong's Challenging Times

Hong Kong is facing challenging times these days

Last year when I visited Hong Kong, it was eerily quiet as a lot of people had left the city for Easter break. 

This time around it looked busier, but looking at the shopping malls it is sad to see how empty they are, as the shops are empty. Not a single customer inside. The shop staff are looking at their phones or looking very bored. This is the state of retail these days.

Times Square mall was quiet just after 6pm

Case in point: this afternoon I wandered around Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, steps away from the Star Ferry. It used to be the place mainlanders shopped in, with queues in front of Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dior. While there were people wandering around window shopping, hardly anyone was buying anything, even mainland visitors.

No locals are buying because they are worried about their financial situation. A few days ago a friend told me that his manager and mid-level managers were let go -- immediately. His immediately boss had no idea she would be sacked and after seeing the human resources manager, went to her desk to pack up her stuff and left.

Another who had an inkling of what was going to happen, said farewell to colleagues, took their purse with them and they didn't see them again. People at work purposely keep only a few items in the office just in case they will be axed.

Meanwhile those left behind must pick up the pieces and take on even more work, for the same amount of pay, or a pay cut even, as times are tough. 

Sunset light reflects on ICC building

The media industry is rapidly unravelling thanks to artificial intelligence. The Hong Kong Standard sacked all of their sub editors, people who check stories for grammar and make sure it is factually correct. They have all been replaced by AI. Currently AI can rewrite stories, but not necessarily with the information intact and must be looked over to ensure the facts are still there...

Editors are even using AI to rewrite stories for them -- the job they are supposed to be doing! Do they want to be out of a job themselves? It's so bizarre and crazy that this is happening so fast. My friends joked they will have to turn to basket weaving to sustain themselves financially.

Meanwhile millennials are challenging to work with, unable to follow instructions or have the passion to work hard. Two friends told me they are literally babysitting the staff they work with, following up to make sure they finish their assignments, and they do so at odd hours -- like 3am or 5pm, or don't consider how their work will be perceived outside of the company. But they can't be fired otherwise my friends will have to do even more work.

It feels like schools are downsizing by the month, as teachers continue to quit and leave, and about the same proportion of students; this has resulted in lowering qualifications for teachers, in particular NET or native English teachers, while the same goes for the police, who have pretty much done away with stringent physical tests.

How can Hong Kong survive like this? It's hard to be optimistic for the city when you see the difficulties and no light at the end of the tunnel. 

But when looked at another way, a friend who moved with her two daughters from Beijing to Hong Kong a year ago, they love being here, despite the challenges of having to learn Cantonese and English. They enjoy eating different kinds of cuisines, like the fact there are hardly any queues for rides at Hong Kong Disneyland, and they are exposed to different kinds of opinions.

Nevertheless does the government have ideas on how to navigate the city through these challenging times? It's time to think outside the box to stimulate the economy and bring back visitors who splurge, not ones who follow advice on Xiaohongshu to spend the least amount of money...

 

Long Walk Along the Harbourfront

Gorgeous day for a walk and admire the Hong Kong skyline

This morning my friend and I did the 11.5km walk from North Point to Kennedy Town in just over two hours. It was a great way to walk off an accumulation of calories and see the city the way I used to see it when I lived in Hong Kong.

It was already sunny and hot at just after 8.30am when we set off, and luckily we had slathered on sunscreen and wore a hat. We walked past North Point, seeing people make use of seating areas to eat a snack, look at their phones or read the newspaper, and Fortress Hill before going to Tin Hau and Causeway Bay, walking around the Police Officers' Club.

Construction for the route in Sai Ying Pun

In Wan Chai there was a running race going on -- the My Boy 3K Family Run, based off of a comic strip character. We saw many people dressed in blue T-shirts with medals around their necks and then the actual race route along the Wan Chai waterfront. 

When we got to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre it was great to see the familiar sight of Victoria Harbour and both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. I was not able to spot any cats by the rocks though. 

Meanwhile there is construction extending from the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong so that people can walk from the hotel across an overpass to reach the walking path which will be fantastic once it's done; guests won't be confused as to how to get there and be able to enjoy the skyline by the harbourfront.

Pretty soon we arrived in Central, and spotted a military ship docked; I was surprised there were no People's Liberation Army soldiers out in front of the gates guarding the ship...

Military ship docked in Central

At the Ferry Piers there were the usual crowds hanging around waiting for friends or family before boarding together to go to the outlying islands and it wasn't as packed as it used to be pre-pandemic.

Shun Tak in Sheung Wan was basically the same, though with more pollution from the Turbocat ferries. I don't miss the noise pollution and the gasoline smell.

Soon after we arrived in Sai Ying Pun, and at Dr Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Park there were people exercising, children playing, and walking like us. But after passing the sports centre the route was diverted with lots of construction along what used to be the boardwalk.

My friend noted that not much seemed to have been completed since the last time he walked by this area. Alas will have to see how it looks the next time.

Finally we reached Shek Tong Tsui where we saw the former Instagram Pier that has been blocked off for years from public access, and soon enough we arrived at Kennedy Town.

The coffee shop Arabica is still very popular with mainland tourists thanks to Xiaohongshu, and across the street, many were trying to get a shot of themselves with Victoria Harbour in the background. There were more people taking pictures with the line of Banyan trees on Forbes Street. It is quite the miracle how the seeds for these trees landed in between the rocks of the stone wall and managed to cling on and grow into trees. 

Banyan trees are a tourist attraction in K-Town

It was heartening to see most of the restaurants and shops are still around.

Cheap Eats in Sai Ying Pun

Large clams steamed with vermicelli and spring onions on top

I met up with my ex-colleagues for dinner the other day. One of them arranged for us to eat at a dai pai dong in a government-run cooked food centre and the food we ate was fantastic, perfect for a casual group of people.

The restaurant is called Daisy's and it's a no-frills place where diners sit on plastic chairs around a round table with flimsy plastic on top. But the food is top notch.

Another round of the crispy deboned chicken 

One of the highlights was the deboned -- yes deboned -- crispy chicken. The skin was so crunchy, while the meat was tender and juicy. Another was giant clams topped with vermicelli and spring onions. Some people were hesitant about eating the large orange reproductive gland, claiming it tasted mealy. But it's part of the scallop!

Other dishes included an omelette with preserved vegetable, Chinese kale stir-fried with garlic, prawns stir-fried in salted egg yolk, another salted egg yolk with squid, string beans stir-fried with minced pork and chillis, and fish with tofu in a claypot.

In general all the dishes were pretty good and including several bottles of Tsing Tao, the meal came to HK$250 per person.

We had the added entertainment of playing with two cats who wore tops to keep warm! In general they are quite friendly.

One cat mans the stall Daisy's

My former colleague likes Daisy's, not only because it's across from where he lives, but also because it is gay-friendly, pointing out a rainbow sign in a corner of the restaurant.

Daisy's

Centre Street Market between First and Second Street

Sai Ying Pun

2547 5899

Whatsapp +852 6891 1362

Bakehouse Bakes up Success Story

Chef Gregoire Michaud with Bakehouse's famous egg tarts

Bakehouse is an extremely popular bakery that sells loaves of sourdough bread, pastries, cookies, sandwiches and doughnuts. Its most famous product is the sourdough egg tart, similar to the pastel de nata with its caramelised egg custard.

It was started 2018 by Swiss Gregoire Michaud, who quit his job as executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. He first set up a wholesale business in 2013 supplying bread to hotels and restaurants before opening the retail bakery Bakehouse.

There are queues daily at the various locations

For someone who covers the food business it's been fascinating to watch Bakehouse grow from its first shop in Wan Chai to now having seven locations around Hong Kong.

A few days ago I caught up with Michaud and he continues to have a very humble attitude towards building his business and brand, and knowing full well that consistency is key.

The last time I talked to him was during the Covid-19 pandemic and he was having a hard time despite long lines at Bakehouse; the wholesale side of his business had completely plunged because hotels and restaurants did not order any bread, as hardly any customers dined out.

While retail sales at Bakehouse were doing very well, it was just barely enough to get by those few years. After the pandemic was over and borders reopened, sales bounced back very quickly.

Michaud said that the second most popular location after Wan Chai is Tsim Sha Tsui, with mainland customers passing through the area via the high-speed rail and thanks to Xiaohongshu, these visitors will go to Bakehouse and pickup not one box of egg tarts (six per box), but eight -- yes eight boxes of egg tarts. 

The flaky egg tarts are made with sourdough

But then someone on Xiaohongshu posted that if they wanted to skip the lines in Tsim Sha Tsui they should go to the Causeway Bay location.

There are even people in Taiwan who fly to Hong Kong specifically to stand in line at Bakehouse to buy the egg tarts and then get back on the next flight to deliver them to people who have ordered them online.

Some local residents have given up lining up for the prized egg tarts, saying because Bakehouse is trying to keep up with demand, quality has dropped...

Last year it was reported Bakehouse sold a whopping 18,000 to 20,000 egg tarts per day. At HK$12.50 each, that's a cool HK$91.25 million annually.

Quite amazing considering Michaud and his team were experimenting with some leftover sourdough dough to make egg tarts.

And they really are delicious. 

Challenging Times for Fine-Dining Restaurants

Diners are spoiled for choice when it comes to restaurants

Hong Kong's restaurant scene has changed completely in the last year or so. 

Even though the city has 95 restaurants with a Michelin star rating this year, customers aren't necessarily interested in shelling out for the gourmet experience.

In particular fine-dining restaurants are having a hard time attracting diners who are willing to subject themselves to set menus; they would rather like to have the power to choose what they eat and not let a chef dictate what is placed in front of them.

Originally set menus were an opportunity for the restaurant to showcase multiple dishes so that diners would not be limited to say appetiser, main and dessert. It is also a good way for restaurants to control their food and labour costs when they know exactly what they are serving.

But now perhaps customers are tired of being told what to eat and want to decide for themselves what is going into their stomachs. If there is no flexibility, they would rather dine elsewhere, and in Hong Kong, there is a lot of choice.

Some fine dining restaurants managed to pivot quickly, while others are still stuck in their set menu mode. For example, a French restaurant like Caprice in the Four Seasons Hong Kong, which has three Michelin stars may still appeal to diners who want that exceptional dining experience, but a one-star restaurant may not have enough -- ahem -- star power to be able to determine what customers will eat.

And those with no stars at all have learned to be extremely nimble and take whatever business they can get. Some have been lucky with a steady stream of customers, while others have some good days, and some bad ones, resulting in just breaking even.

In the meantime the restaurants that are opening in Hong Kong these days are mid-price range ones that appeal to budget-conscious diners. It is these places where there is a high chance that people will dine here more frequently, rather than just for special occasions like birthdays and Valentine's Day.

So is it still worth gunning for Michelin stars? It's something chefs and owners are grappling with, as restaurants struggle to attract diners when over a million people go to the mainland on the weekends.

The shakedown continues and we'll have to see who lands on their feet on the other side of this challenging financial climate.

Wok Hei at a Hong Kong Dai Pai Dong

Two chefs cooking with wok hei at dai pai dong Oi Man Sang

In Chinese cooking, particularly Cantonese, people talk about how good a dish is by the "wok hei", literally "the breath of the wok".

It involves intense heat or fire, that heats up the wok so much that ingredients are cooked and caramelised in less than a minute, resulting in a slight char or hint of smokiness that adds another layer to the flavour of the dish.

Baked casserole, stir fried beef ribs, razor clams

Most Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong have wok stations to create wok hei, but may not be able to get that intense heat that can be found in dai pai dongs, or open-air food stall. One of them is Oi Man Sang in the Sham Shui Po area, more specifically around Prince Edward district.

Dai pai dong literally means "big license stall", and they began proliferating after World War II. But decades later in a bid to clean up the streets for hygienic reasons, the government restricted the number of dai pai dongs, relocating many of them in government-run cooked food markets. 

The numbers of dai pai dongs dwindled further when the authorities only allowed owners to pass on the license to family members. 

Which brings us to Oi Man Sang, which has been around since 1956, making it one of the oldest in Hong Kong. 

Typhoon shelter crab with garlic and spices

Typically there is a massive line of people waiting for tables -- no reservations are taken -- and diners are literally eating on the sidewalk while the mobile kitchen is on the street, with two big gas burners fuelled by kerosene. As chef Lucas Sin likes to say, they use jet fuel to cook.

This was my first time to Oi Man Sang and was excited to try the food that I had read and heard so much about. We got a table set up on the sidewalk, metres away from the open-air kitchen and watched two chefs deftly manipulate the woks as they were heated up by the roaring fire underneath.

Another good thing about eating here is that there is no corkage, so we brought a bottle of sake to try with the food. 

The first dish to arrive at the table was baked fish intestines with liver in egg casserole, and here it was topped with thin slices of you tiao or savoury Chinese doughnut for a contrasting texture. This was done well, fluffy from the eggs combined with the offal.

Stir-fried cabbage with minced pork and shrimp

Next was stir-fried small razor clams, which you don't see often. The narrow strips of sweet clam meat were about two to three inches long, cooked with a tiny bit of spice, and roughly chopped onion and peppers.

We also ordered stir-fried beef ribs, very tender and attached to the bone, together with onion and peppers again, and typhoon shelter crab, which is cooked with a lot of minced garlic and spices. The meat itself was sweet, though quite messy to eat.

A favourite was stir-fried cabbage with minced pork and dried shrimps in a clay pot. The cabbage soaked up the salty flavours, and in the sizzling pot stayed warm for quite a while. 

Stir-fried prawns is considered a popular dish, though again a bit messy to eat, though the prawns were very large, meaty and sweet.

While most of these dishes demonstrated wok hei, perhaps the only dish that was disappointing with the yeung chow fried rice; the individual rice while plump, were not cooked well enough in the wok to have the wok hei flavour.

Large meaty prawns served at Oi Man Sang

Nevertheless, we were quite satisfied with our dinner. I ventured over to the kitchen to take a look and indeed the two chefs there cooked dishes in seconds thanks to the intense fire on the stove. 

At one point there was a lot of banging -- the fire was so hot that it had warped the wok and the chef had to hammer it back into shape!

The evening we went there weren't many people waiting in line, which some attribute to not many tourists coming. We hope Oi Man Sang and other dai pai dongs continue their tradition for years to come, though who in the next generation is willing to work with such heat day in, day out?

Oi Man Sang

Shop B-C, G/F, 1 Shek Kip Mei Street, Sham Shui Po

+852 2393 9315

An Enjoyable Walking Route at North Point

Under the highway overpass is a place for people to exercise

In the last few years I lived in Hong Kong, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, my friend and I did a lot of walking along the harbour. It was a way of decompressing and also feeling like we accomplished something, counting the number of kilometres with some sweat. I also wore down a few pairs of runners.

Towards the end we could walk from Kennedy Town to Sai Wan Ho on a path hugging the shoreline, though there were some sections where we had no choice but to walk inland before the path continued again along the harbour front.

A colourful path directing cyclists and pedestrians

Recently another section opened up -- right by my hotel in North Point. Called the East Coast Park Precinct, the path going west is under the highway overpass which is interesting. It's jazzed up with bright colours, some exercise machines, motorbike hills for kids and a really tame climbing hill.

There are two paths that periodically converge or separate; one of which juts out periodically so people can take pictures of the harbour or stand or walk and enjoy the view.

This morning I checked out the path and saw a number of seniors taking advantage of the path, some young professionals using the route to walk to work in the car-free zone, some squeezing in a run before work, or walking their dogs.

I walked to Fortress Hill, the next district west of North Point and did a loop around the giant vent shaft which is part of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, before turning back.

In the end I walked about 4km and broke in a bit of a sweat even though it was a chilly 15 degrees.

A mini hill to climb on the left for kids

What a great way to start off the day, seeing this development continue to piece together the shoreline so that people will eventually be able to walk all the way around Hong Kong Island -- if they so wish!

Macau: Two Sides of the Former Portuguese Enclave

Many people at the Ruins of St Paul's in Macau

On Sunday morning I made a trip to Macau to visit relatives. I bought ferry tickets the day before to ensure I could get on the high-speed ferries. 

Tickets on the weekend are HK$190 each, and for first class it's HK$329 each; ages ago the return ticket would be worth more, but now they are the same price. Perhaps it's because there are now two high-speed ferry companies, and there are other ways to get to and from Macau, like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.

African chicken with pickles and potato wedges

It was a beautiful clear and cool day when I went, but very windy, which resulted in a slightly bumpy one-hour ride. The water kept splashing on the windows as if the ferry was going through a car wash or a rainstorm for the whole trip.

We made it safe and sound to the other side and unloaded off onto the Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal, a massive building that has a low capacity; which means passengers have to walk a long way to get to immigration and then out.

My relatives picked me up and we went upstairs to get to the Macau Light Rapid Transit, which is relatively new and few people ride it. It's a pleasant way to get around even though the speed may seem slow. It has convenient stops near all the major hotels, though not many people know about this public transit line or find it a hassle to get to the platform. 

At the end of the line -- right across from Hengqin in Zhuhai -- we got off and wandered a bit, passing by the Tin Hau temple before getting to Restaurante Litoral, a Portuguese dining establishment which has a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin guide.

Freshly made almond cookies with mandarin peel

We tucked into a big meal of bacalhau, or salted cod cakes, African chicken topped with a sauce that includes shredded coconut and caramelised onions that are browned under a broiler, stir-fried mixed vegetables, and a plate of grilled short ribs. 

Then we attempted to walk off the calories we had just consumed by walking around. We went to a side street to find a shop that sells handmade almond cookies, featuring ground almonds that are pressed into molds and baked.

My relatives were surprised to find the shop had a very short line -- typically the queue goes down the street. We didn't have to wait too long to get into the tiny shop and buy four boxes of these almond cookies that cost HK$85 each! That's because they are handmade, and not churned out by machines. You can even see men in an open-air shop making them with old equipment, the cookies left to cool on round bamboo trays.

As we walked down streets mostly catering to locals, my relatives were also concerned to see a lot of shop fronts that were closed, the shutters down. Either it was because it was a Sunday, or the business had shuttered. My relatives said if a business was not related to tourism, it would be very challenging for it to keep going.

Streets packed with visitors

This contrasted to when we got closer to the Ruins of St Paul's, where there swarms of tourists -- both mainland and Taiwanese. The streets leading up to remnants of the facade of a 17th century church are filled with shops selling all kinds of snacks, like the aforementioned almond cookies that are mass produced, beef and pork jerky, Portuguese egg tarts, egg rolls, and wife cakes. 

There were so many people at the Ruins of St Paul's that we quickly took a picture at the bottom of the stairs and then left via another street.

Macau is anxiously tracking the number of visitors to the city: in January there were over 3.64 million visitors, the vast majority were same-day tourists at 2.15 million, and only 1.49 million staying overnight. 

While the total number of tourists has gone up 27.4 percent year-on-year, most visitors only stay for the day. Those from the mainland can very easily cross the border into Zhuhai to stay the night where it is cheaper before re-entering Macau if they wanted to visit again.

This is a very similar situation in Hong Kong, where hotel rates are also expensive and again quite easy to go back to the mainland to Shenzhen to stay for the night, though most visitors are from Shenzhen and Guangzhou. It's a tough dilemma to solve, particularly for hotels eager to have more people staying in their rooms.

The Grand Lisboa in the distance

We managed to catch a cab along a small street and my relatives suggested I get to the ferry terminal and then they could continue on in the same taxi to get home. They said because cabs were so hard to come by that they didn't want to risk not being able to get another one if they got out and saw me off at the ferry terminal.

Bangkok: Chinese Scared of Traveling to Thailand

After Wang's release, he said he hoped to return to Thailand

In Bangkok there was a lot of chatter about how a lot of mainland Chinese tourists are not going to Thailand because of fears of being abducted and taken to scam centres near the border with Myanmar. 

Victims are lured to Thailand by promises of jobs, like the Chinese actor Wang Xing, who thought he was being casted by a major entertainment company. But once they arrive, they are whisked to these scam centres where they are forced to find victims through Whatsapp and other digital platforms and try to scam as much money from them as possible.

15.6 percent drop in Chinese tourists to Thailand

When Wang's situation and eventual release came to light, the Chinese government warned its citizens about the perils of traveling to Thailand, which led to a drop of about 15.6 percent of Chinese tourists in January.

But these warnings are not new -- as far back as 2022 there were rumours that going to Thailand would result in people getting trafficked to Myanmar and losing their kidneys. A year later the blockbuster No More Bets was a fictional account of Chinese tourists forced to work in scam centres.

Nevertheless Wang's story has resulted in lots of Chinese cancelling trips to Thailand and going instead to Japan and Malaysia. 

This is frustrating for Thailand, as it depends on Chinese tourists to help the country recover from Covid. In 2024, more than 6.2 million tourists to Thailand were from China, followed by Malaysians at 4.5 million and Indians at 1.9 million.

Although the Thai government has tried to reassure Chinese tourists that the country is safe to travel, around 10,000 trips from China were cancelled during the Lunar New Year.

After such a negative story about being lured to scam centres, it's not easy to get these millions of Chinese tourists to reconsider traveling to Thailand. 

Scam centres along the Thai-Myanmar border

But perhaps some common sense would help -- stick to touristy spots and avoid wandering in dodgy areas, advice that is universal for all places you are not familiar with.

One expat pointed out he finds Bangkok and Thailand very safe, and doesn't understand how Chinese people could be so easily spooked; but incessant coverage in state media has led them to believe Thailand is a dangerous place without doing research or critical thinking.

However, Beijing may have an ulterior motive to keep its citizens from traveling in general -- to boost the domestic economy by spending at home.

Interestingly most of these scam centres are run by Chinese gangs, though Beijing now has to step in to clamp down on these illegal operations. 

While these scam centres may not be entirely eliminated, the Thai and Chinese governments need to show they are shutting these places down, otherwise the number of Chinese tourists coming to Thailand will slow to a tiny trickle.