Michelin Star-Studded Dinner in Toronto

Boulud giving diners more white wine sauce

I had some outstanding meals in Toronto, which has changed my perception of the city that I lived in from 2001-2002. The diet was mostly hamburgers, steaks, and ham, oh and lots of potatoes. 

A lot has changed in over 25 years for sure, and the Michelin Guide and North America's 50 Best have helped the city develop a more sophisticated palate.

Duck pate en croute served like a cake slice

At the beginning of my trip, I was lucky to attend a four-hands collaboration featuring superstar celebrity chef Daniel Boulud with chef Guillaume Gailliot, who helms the three Michelin-starred Caprice in the Four Seasons Hong Kong.

They presented a stellar six-course dinner that was classic French at Cafe Boulud in the Four Seasons Toronto. Galliot cooked the first three dishes. Veloute de petits pois or green pea soup with a dollop of krystal caviar was a taste of spring, the peas so fresh and seasoned with brininess from the caviar.

The tarte de canard was a riff off of pate en croute. Instead of making the duck terrine in long rectangular molds, Galliot presented it like a giant round cake, studded with pistachio on the exterior. The "cake" was paraded around the dining room before it was sliced up and served with strawberries, and spiced caramel. It was delicious, though quite rich.

Lobster with white asparagus and morels

For the third dish, the chef from the Loire Valley presented one of his signatures, lobster tail with white asparagus, stuffed morel mushroom comte and white wine sauce. Boulud even came by to each diner to pour more of the beautiful white wine sauce on their plates.

Then it was the master chef's turn in the kitchen and Boulud's baked black cod was so light, coated with breadcrumbs for a slight crunch, and accompanied with purple potato and sorrel coulis.

The other main course was a tender lamb saddle with gravy, a dollop of vegetable custard and spring garlic jus. While the lamb was fantastic, the rest of the dish seemed a bit lost in terms of presentation.

Nevertheless, dessert was exquisite, a delicate raspberry rhubarb treat with olive oil whipped ganache on top of a semolina cake, accompanied with refreshing rhubarb ice cream and raspberry jam. 

Black cod with a tart sauce, and purple potato

It was great to see Galliot who I have known for about 15 years and watched him grow and evolve, his dishes more sophisticated and indulgent. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Boulud when he did a four-hands dinner with chef Richard Ekkebus in September 2013 at Amber. Back then Boulud already had ambitions of opening a restaurant in Hong Kong, but the location and timing weren't right.

But a few months ago he finally opened Terrace Boulud in the space formerly occupied by Sevva in Prince's Building. It's a very big space, but Boulud would probably be the only celebrity chef to be able to fill it. The kitchen is helmed by chef Aurelie Altemaire, who I interviewed several years ago when she worked in a French restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, and she later moved to Felix in the Peninsula Hong Kong.

She is a Joel Robuchon apprentice, having worked under him for 10 years, so she has experience leading a brigade. I hope she succeeds.

Galliot meeting diners in Toronto

In the meantime she is helping Boulud fulfil his dream of opening in Hong Kong. He recalled working in Hong Kong in the early 1980s and watching the HSBC headquarters in Central being built, and now from his restaurant he can still gaze at it. A full circle moment? We'll see.

Hong Kong's A Symphony of Lights Bids Farewell

The 15-minute light show at the HKCEC

I was surprised to discover Hong Kong's 8pm "A Symphony of Lights" show has been running for 22 years! No wonder it was... not good.

At the appointed time, there's lasers and lights shining from various rooftops from buildings in Central, Admiralty and Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, and in Tsim Sha Tsui and West Kowloon on Kowloon side for about 15 minutes. There's music that goes with it, but you can only hear it if you are near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and the Avenue of Stars.  

The lasers created a Star Wars effect

During the Covid-19 pandemic, after dinner, I would walk from Kennedy Town to get to the Convention Centre on time so that I could listen to the music. That's how exciting my evenings were, since restaurants were closed by 6pm. Bars, movie theatres, karaoke lounges had all shut down. 

While the lights and lasers give a kind of Star Wars effect, it gets old, really fast.

So it was a relief to hear the light show will finally get revamped.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said the new show will feature 3D projections and various themes.

"Over the past 20 years, A Symphony of Lights has been optimised and updated many times, but relying solely on laser performances from buildings has become somewhat insufficient," she said.

"After gathering feedback over the past year, we have decided not to allocate resources for major modifications to it."

But A Symphony of Lights won't be slinking away right away -- Law promises there will be special farewell events to mark the end of the show that started back in 2004.

She suggested the new light show would be theme-based, such as Halloween and Mid-Autumn Festival to maximise effect, and would not be shown daily to encourage people to come out to watch it.

Good intentions, we will be keen on seeing what the government comes up with...

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

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.

Wind-Swept Parade of HK Athletes

HK fans wave to their Olympic athletes on the parade route

The other day fans got to cheer Hong Kong athletes who competed in the Olympics in Paris in a whirlwind parade across town.

It started at 10.15am in Sha Tin and then they were at the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower by 11am, followed by Central Pier by 11.35 and Tamar Park 10 minutes later.

Fok hastily fixing his hair with a comb

The athletes, accompanied by Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, president of the Hong Kong Sports Federation and Olympic Committee sat on the open top deck of a double-decker bus.

How did they get from Sha Tin to Tsim Sha Tsui so fast?

It was quite the roller coaster ride.

Footage of the top deck shows the bus barreling at full speed along the highway as Fok, sitting in the front row, has his comb-over hair flying all over. It's quite the sight.

Once they arrive, he quickly whips out his comb to comb down his hair. Lucky for him he came prepared!

Of all the Olympic athletes who won medals, the ones from Hong Kong gained the most monetarily.

Kong (front) and Haughey waving flags

Gold medallists were awarded HK$6 million (US$768,000), silver US$384,000, and US$192,000 for bronze. Singapore was close behind with US$745,000 for gold, US$373,000 for silver, and US$186,000 for winning a bronze.

Hong Kong had its best ever Olympics with fencer Cheung Ka-long defending his title with a second gold, and fellow fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai winning gold in the women's epee individual event, and swimmer Siobhan Haughey clinching a bronze in the women's 200-metre freestyle. 

Pure Fitness Behind on Rent Payments

Pure Fitness is behind on rent in the location I worked out at

When I lived in Hong Kong I used to be a member of a gym at the ICBC Building in Central. It was not the most convenient location, but I was motivated to go because it was the only gym in the city that had a pool. It was a small, 20m pool, but better than public ones that were extremely crowded with people having varying swimming abilities.

At least here the water was pretty clean, and fewer people in general. I also met some nice people there.

The small but nice pool in Central

The gym changed hands while I was there, and became Pure Fitness, raising the membership prices for us existing members. 

But the start of the Covid-19 pandemic led to numerous infections in the gym because not enough precautions were taken and eventually gyms were closed for months on end. In that period I began walking along the harbourfront about 10K every night and even further on the weekends, though I did miss swimming a lot.

When the gym finally reopened, I only went to swim a few more times because I was leaving Hong Kong.

A friend told me today that Pure Fitness was slapped with a lawsuit from the landlord of the ICBC building location for allegedly not paying the full rent amount for a few months, about HK$13.6 million.

It also doesn't help that lots of foreign companies have left Hong Kong, along with them their employees, many of who were expats who joined Pure Fitness. The pandemic also resulted in people finding alternative ways to get fit without having to pay expensive membership fees...

Saying Goodbye to Sevva

This stunning dining room will close its doors

Socialite and Sevva hostess with the mostess Bonnae Gokson looked different today. Then I realised she hadn't used eyeliner to accentuate her eyes. Instead she wore sunglasses indoors donning a thin sweater and jeans as she sat inside her restaurant, surveying who walked by her.

At one point she leaned over and whispered, "Do you know who is sitting behind you? She owns Lee Gardens."

One of the best views of the city at Sevva

The top floor restaurant and bar in Prince's Building in Central that has one of the best skyline views of the city is closing on April 17 after 16 years, and many fans of the place have been booking reservations to eat and drink there one last time. 

Gokson says she was forced to close after Hong Kong Land claimed it was looking to freshen up the space with a new food concept. And given the current challenging economic climate, she has decided the time is not right to reopen elsewhere or do something else. 

So now practically everything in the restaurant is for sale, from the cutlery and glasses to the light fixtures and wine. She said people have even asked her if she is selling the wall full of plants is for sale. 

Sevva was the place to see and be seen, with a list of celebrities from Pharrell Williams, Jennifer Lopez to David Beckham, Sting, Bill Clinton and Robert De Niro having visited the restaurant when they came through Hong Kong.

Vik Muniz's artwork graces the dining room

During the 16 years in business, Gokson organised numerous events such as drag queen Courtney Act, and musician Alfredo Rodriguez. She also invited Nikki Yanofsky, a singer from Montreal to perform, and another time chef David Hawksworth from Vancouver to cook.

When I asked Gokson what she would miss most about Sevva, she said the people, meaning her staff. Many of them are loyal employees for years.

Before I left I asked her if I could have a last tour around the place and she obliged. One of my favourite art pieces is the meticulously designed collage by Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, an homage to Edouard Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergere. It will have a new owner.

And that ceiling with so many strands of coloured glass decorated with flowers... Gokson had spent a lot of money and time renovating the place in 2019 to bring back customers, but then the protests disrupted business for many months, then the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gorgeous colourful chandeliers

Yet Gokson persevered, but was eventually stopped by the landlord from continuing to deliver good food, service and a classy ambience for her guests, many of them socialites who are wondering where they can hang out now.

"Jimmy's Kitchen!" she said and laughed.

After Sevva closes on April 17, everything will be taken down and then stripped to bare concrete to hand over to the next tenant. Gokson explained this could only be done at night, which will take three nights and cost millions of dollars.

What a way to go.

MTR is Hong Kong's Pride and Joy

The Tuen Ma line is very efficient

The MTR system continues to grow in Hong Kong, and I experienced first hand how convenient it is to commute from the New Territories to Central in minutes.

This morning I went to Yuen Long to visit a friend who has a 15-month-old boy and another baby three months old. She made it easier for me by suggesting we meet in Yoho Mall, which is attached to the Yuen Long MTR station.

It took me just under an hour to get there from North Point by going to Admiralty, then taking the East Rail to Hung Hom, and changing to the Tuen Ma line, the longest line on the MTR network. 

But going back to Central, it only took 30 minutes, by going from Yuen Long to Nam Cheong then to Hong Kong station. I was very impressed. Not only that I got to my lunch appointment on time despite helping my friend with her kids, and even holding onto the older one by the hand as he walked a bit in the mall.

This MTR line enables people to live in cheaper areas and commute into work in Central or Tsim Sha Tsui East within 30 minutes. Where else in the world can you find such an efficient public transport system?

This is Hong Kong's strength -- being able to transport people quickly and efficiently. This MTR system is not trumpeted enough, the envy of every other major city in the world.

New MTR Station Brings Shenzhen Closer

One of the newest stations in the MTR system

This afternoon my friend and I intended to walk from Central to North Point, to help me digest a big lunch I had just eaten. However, by the time we got to the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre we could see dark clouds looming over us, and periodic muted claps of thunder.

When we arrived at the Wan Chai ferry pier, we felt rain drops on our heads and decided to bail and get to the relatively new Exhibition Centre MTR station. This was being built when I left Hong Kong two years ago so it was interesting to finally see it open.

Lots of space for people to move in the station

It is on the East Rail line, which means starts from Admiralty all the way to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau. In other words, there is now no need to go to Hung Hom to get to Shenzhen -- you can easily start the journey from Admiralty.

Talk about making it easier to get across the border...

Again at lunch there was discussion about going to Shenzhen. A great deal is getting glasses made there -- in half an hour -- at HK$200 per pair for not too complicated prescriptions.

Since it's so chea, people get more than one pair made.

Not only can you pick them up to go home, but also have the option of someone bringing these glasses to you in Hong Kong.

Even Costco in Shenzhen has a delivery service where if you buy your items in the morning, they can be delivered to you by the late afternoon.

This line goes all the way to Shenzhen

How can Hong Kong compete with that? And just a very convenient ride away on the East Rail line, the second stop being Exhibition Centre.

New Street Signs Stir Controversy

The calligraphic style of Wen Yue Type in Central

Some Hong Kong residents have taken pictures of recently installed street signs in a new font that has them riled up, and understandably so.

There are around 60 new street signs in three select locations that are, according to the Highways Department, a bid to beautify the city's streetscape.

The three districts are: the Outlying Islands Ferry Pier in Central, Tai Wai MTR station, and Lo Tak Court in Tsuen Wan.

Experts say the font hard to read for long periods

Called Wen Yue Type, the font inspired by the Ming dynasty, was designed by a mainland Chinese company that is meant to convey a sense of rhythm with its calligraphic features as it has thick and thin lines.

"The font aims to infuse a rich cultural ambience into the landscape and atmosphere of the community. It is well-proportioned, and its overall design is consistent with existing nameplates, effectively providing street information to the public," said a statement from the Highways Department to a media query.

Hong Kong currently uses the Avector Chinese TrueType Font (Hong Kong), which a design academic says may seem boring, but it's clear and straightforward.

Brian Kwok Sze-hang, associate professor at the School of Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University says the new font is more decorative and that it "can be tiring to read for an extended period".

In addition he questioned how the font would infuse cultural ambience.

"When we talk about culture, it should be linked to the history of the city or neighbourhood. Changing the font on a street nameplate does not necessarily instil cultural awareness. While they may have selected a font to represent the culture, they have applied it to the wrong subject," Kwok said.

The current font is straightforward 

Meanwhile Gary Yau, founder of the Road Research Society, wondered if the new font had adequate traditional Chinese characters for some street names with advanced characters.

"I question whether this classic font, mainly applied in simplified Chinese, can truly represent Hong Kong's distinctive features," he said, noting there are fonts designed for Hong Kong that use traditional characters.

The Highways Department added there were no immediately plans to have the new street nameplate designs throughout the entire city. 

Then why do it? And why these three locations?

It's a mystery that has more nays than yeas.

Cronut King Leaves Hong Kong

Ansel at the Harbour City store in Dec 2019

Another eatery is shutting down in Hong Kong after four years in business. Called Dang Wen Li, it is the Chinese name for star pastry chef Dominique Ansel, best known for his creation of the cronut, a cross between a donut and croissant.

However, unlike his bakery in New York City where a new flavour is unveiled each month, Dang Wen Li only had the cronut available once a year in Hong Kong.

The classic pastries and HK-inspired cakes

Ansel came for the opening of the first location in Harbour City in December 2019, a fun small cafe that was very Instagram-friendly and was easy to get to from the Star Ferry in Tsim Sha Tsui. Most memorable was the hot chocolate with the marshmallow flower that "blossomed" as soon as it was placed in the hot drink.

The dessert creations were linked very closely to Hong Kong, with a cake that was shaped like the lemon tea juice box, but is actually Earl Grey bergamot cake, a "pineapple bun" that was actually a coconut pineapple passionfruit cake, and a raspberry mousse Japanese cheesecake that looks like a package of haw flakes.

In explaining the Hong Kong-inspired cakes, Ansel said he wanted to create "pastries that are inspired by the cultures and traditions of Hong Kong". 

However, they seemed quite gimmicky and I wondered how long they would last. In the beginning there were long lines at the store and the one at IFC that quickly opened soon after. And then a lot of money was poured into the flagship store on Queen's Road Central with its high ceiling and lots of seating.

Guava mousse cake for Christmas 2020

To entice people to stay longer, the newest location offered savoury dishes, including sandwiches and even a char siu egg croissant, and borscht soup. But people really came for the desserts.

One Christmas I ordered a guava mousse cake that had gorgeous red swirls much like a massive peppermint candy. Sadly it was only offered for one year. 

The gimmicky products continued to grow, and would include pecan and apple pies for Thanksgiving, and even a rectangular loaf of bread that was made with layers like a croissant and seasoned with sea salt. 

Meanwhile the viennoiserie (traditional pastries) did quite well, from croissants to pain au chocolat.

After I left Hong Kong, there are only two locations now -- the one in Central and another in Pacific Place in Admiralty.

Dang Wen Li is encouraging anyone holding its vouchers to use them before it closes at the end of January. It's too bad the bakery didn't even last for Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day... it's the cruel reality of business that it's got to cut its losses.

One wonders how the local partner, Upper East Holdings is doing. It also brought Sugarfina, Lady M and Tiffany Cafe to Hong Kong.

Harvey Nichols Bows Out of Landmark After 18 Years

Harvey Nichols bows out of Landmark shopping mall

After 18 years, high-end luxury retailer Harvey Nichols will be vacating its space in Hong Kong's Landmark shopping mall at the end of March, citing weak consumer sentiment.

Owned by Hong Kong-based Dickson Concepts (International), Harvey Nichols will be leaving the 60,000 sq ft of space over five floors empty, though it will continue to have a presence in Pacific Place in Admiralty, according to Dickson Poon group executive chairman.

Poon (left) cites weak consumer sentiment

"Consumer sentiment remains weak", while mainland Chinese tourists in the city are "no longer focused on shopping as they used to be before the pandemic," he said, citing weaker-than-expected retail spending during Golden Week holidays in May and October.

The closure of Harvey Nichols in Central is yet another blow to Hong Kong's retail sector, which has also seen Sogo department store shut its doors in Tsim Sha Tsui in March.

It is interesting to note that Landmark, owned by Hong Kong Land, has vastly diversified its portfolio with more of its office space converted into restaurants.

One new concept is called Forty-Five in Gloucester Tower featuring four restaurants, including the newly-opened Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic and a private club. 

It's gotten to the point where the restaurants in Landmark are now competing amongst themselves for customers, which doesn't bode well for the sustainability of the dining establishments there.

Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic in Landmark

But back to the impending departure of Harvey Nichols. It's a hard pill for Poon to swallow, having prided himself on buying the British retailer and bringing it to Hong Kong, and now it can't keep going in Central.

It's also a sign that people are looking for something other than material goods to make themselves happy, which is a good thing, or their spending power has weakened immensely. Time will tell which one it is.

Fine Dining Struggles in Hong Kong

Ecriture's minimalist style with maximalist views of the city

The big news the other day was hearing that two Michelin-star restaurant Ecriture in Hong Kong's Central district suddenly shuttered. Executive chef Maxime Gilbert posted the news on Instagram.

"Yes. It is a bit of a shock. I am still shocked," he told a Hong Kong newspaper, but did not elaborate further.

Executive chef Gilbert is shocked at the closure

The restaurant group Le Comptoir that is behind Ecriture didn't reply to reporters' inquiries.

However, there were rumours in the industry that the restaurant hadn't paid its staff for months, and that Le Comptoir hadn't paid rent for a year -- sounds extreme, as any landlord would have locked them out months earlier if that happened.

One would imagine suppliers haven't been paid in full either.

This comes as other restaurants like Haku, that had finally moved from Harbour City to IFC with a stunning view has also closed, along with Rosita, a joint venture by chefs Ricardo Chaneton and Agustin Balbi.

Fine dining restaurants are having sluggish business these days, with expat bankers leaving Hong Kong, and mainlanders preferring to eat fishball noodles than foie gras.

Ecriture was best known for its indulgent caviar tart -- a large tart covered with uni and topped with caviar and gold leaf. It was dripping with decadence and every other table had an order of it when this tart was unveiled.

Ecriture's infamous and decadent caviar tart

Gilbert's other stunning dish was line-caught turbot that was wrapped in chunks in seaweed and then poached in dashi. 

He just finished a promotion at Amber in the Landmark Mandarin, where chef Richard Ekkebus invited back several alumnae chefs to come back and cook.

It's yet another bid to entice diners back to Amber -- for a short period of time.

And then what?

It's a tough call -- chefs want to do fine dining and chase Michelin stars, but at the moment people are watching their wallets and just want to eat cheaply.

During the pandemic, there was literally a captive audience. But now that restrictions are lifted, people are dying to travel and going back to their old ways again. However, no one's coming to Hong Kong...

Picture of the Day: Yellow Distraction

Two giant ducks that duck a significant anniversary

Today is the fourth anniversary of the first massive anti-extradition march, where some 1 million people came out to protest. They dressed in white, mourning the end of Hong Kong if the extradition bill was passed, while walking in the humid heat from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to Central.

But today there are no protests in the city, where the rules changed overnight with the national security law in place in 2020 and as a result no dissent is allowed.

When 1M people wore white to protest in 2019

To distract people from the anniversary, there are not one, but two cute giant ducks bobbing in Victoria Harbour.

The pair of ducks at 18 metres tall are bigger than the one that came 10 years ago at 16.5 metres.

Whooweeeee.

As if to rub it in further, in a press release, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman gushed, "Double duck is double luck", in a nod to the Hong Kong government's bid to invite people to the city with its "Happy Hong Kong" campaign.

However are people really happy?

If they were, they wouldn't be leaving in droves, as evidenced by the increasing numbers of Hongkongers migrating elsewhere and the birthrate has dropped.

It's gotten so bad that five schools are facing closure because they don't have enough students or teachers. 

In any event, as Hong Kong celebrates the arrival of the ducks, may we point out their bright yellow colour has significance for some people?

Remembering Gor Gor 20 Years On

Lots of flowers for Cheung outside Mandarin Oriental (J Pang)

It is a relief to see there are crowds of people outside the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong in Central as they place their bouquets of flowers and messages for "Gor Gor" -- Cantopop star Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, who died 20 years ago today.

I say it's a relief because last year it was such a shock to see aggressive-looking police in civilian clothing verbally warning people not to gather near the hotel and they weren't even allowed to leave their flowers there to pay their respects to the singer who committed suicide there.

Paper cranes the theme this year (photo:J Pang)

Last year I worried that this would be the new normal, but this year it seems lots of people have turned out and the flower arrangements even more elaborate. There's even a white tree branch that is covered with red and white paper cranes strung over its branches. 

Another has a poster with a painting of Cheung with wings, and the artwork is attached to red roses in the shape of a heart, and white feathered wings on each side. Just as decadent are two giant red hearts made of red roses and in the middle of each one is the Chinese character 哥 or "gor", "older brother".

This morning CBC Radio Vancouver had a segment talking about Cheung, and Helen Leung Hok-sze, a Simon Fraser University professor in gender, sexuality and women's studies was asked who he could be compared to in terms of western artists. She suggested Lady Gaga which seems quite appropriate, for her experiments in fashion, musical styles, and acting.

Also interviewed was Pearl Wong, a friend of Cheung's. She talked about how genuine he was, not afraid to show his true emotions, and generous as a friend. Wong explained he was generous in that he was a thoughtful person. For example, noticing that she likes to wear scarves, he bought her a colourful scarf that she appreciated.

Cheung died at the age of 46 (photo: J Pang)

While everyone remembers Cheung and how he battled depression, how far has Hong Kong progressed when it comes to talking about and dealing with depression? It is still a taboo subject, and not everyone knows where or how to get help. There probably aren't enough psychologists and counsellors to help either.

Although the flower arrangements in front of the hotel are gorgeous and thoughtful, how about channeling those funds towards helping make resources available for people to talk about their mental health issues in the name of Cheung, like paying forward counselling sessions for those who need it but can't afford it?

That could help lots of people ease their pain a bit, and also help remember the Hong Kong icon who was a trailblazer in so many ways not just on April 1, but everyday.

Just a thought.

Businesses Struggle to Stay Alive in Hong Kong

Lin Heung in February 2019, now shuttered

Yesterday Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels which owns The Peninsula hotel chain, released its earnings for the first half of the calendar year.

CNBC listed the hotel's various properties and the percentage of revenue year on year:

Hong Kong         -10%

Shanghai             -48%

Beijing                -21%

Tokyo                 +39%

Bangkok             +262%

Manila                +387%

New York           +320%

Chicago              +70%

Beverley Hills    +76%

Paris                   +455%

It seems everyone has gone to Paris this summer and my social media feed has been flooded with people who have visited the City of Lights as one of the first destinations after over two years of not traveling.

Even New York is impressive with its massive jump in revenue. 

But look at Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. What do they have in common? 

"Dynamic zero Covid".

Lin Heung's hand painted tableware

Over two years after the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has definitely moved on as can be seen in the numbers plain and simple. 

Shanghai had an arduous two-month lockdown and the numbers show it. Hong Kong is just getting by, but not without constantly pitching staycations, set dinner menus and coming up to Mid-Autumn Festival, selling as many of their signature milk custard mooncakes as they can churn out of the oven.

With Hong Kong's announcement yesterday of moving to three days of hotel quarantine and four days of self-monitoring at home, the -10 percent is not going to budge much, if at all. 

Luckily Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels has deep pockets and constantly says it is here for the long term. It can spread its risk as well as its profits to other properties to keep things going.

But single independent businesses have no where else to turn.

Today it was hastily announced that Lin Heung Tea House on Wellington Street in Central will close its doors this evening after almost 100 years in business.

Braised goose webs, mushrooms and cabbage

It was a favourite for tourists who had a "local" experience of having to rinse their own tableware with hot tea, fight other diners for food, and deal with surly waiters. 

To me it's not my idea of dim sum, but visitors thought it was fun and quirky.

But by sundown, the frenzy of the morning had dissipated and dinners were more civilised. 

Locals came to have old school Cantonese dishes, some homestyle like steamed minced pork with salted fish, or crispy chicken, or roasted meats.

For more decadent occasions and more people around the table (pre-Covid), I was lucky to tuck into some classic delicacies like pig lung soup with freshly ground almonds, braised goose webs, and eight treasure duck. Even though we had a dozen people, we couldn't finish it all, choc full of mushrooms, chestnuts, lotus seeds, and rice among the ingredients.

The last time I ate here was late February 2019 when Lin Heung was threatening to close, but then its owners let the staff run the place, but the restaurant was only open for dinner, and then the protests started a few months later, and then a year later the pandemic...

Feast at Lin Heung before almost closed in 2019

Like many other restaurants it didn't have much of a chance to survive, especially without tourists for dim sum, and Lin Heung didn't have any marketing know-how to keep promoting the place.

So the place is now gone for good, following in the footsteps of Happy Cake Shop, Mido Cafe, and Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

Would You Like a Raid with Your Dinner?

Imagine having your dinner interrupted by screaming officers

On the Instagram account of Hong Kong restaurant group Black Sheep Restaurants the latest post is this message:

"We had a bit of an intense night at Carbone yesterday, we think we were in compliance with the current regs and we are checking with our lawyers."

One of its restaurants is Carbone, a New York-style steakhouse above Lan Kwai Fong in Central that pays homage to the mid-20th century. Suited waiters may entertain guests with funny comments as they dine on American-sized portions of food, mostly meats, pastas and sides, while desserts are presented on a trolley.

Carbone is above Lan Kwai Fong in Central

Last night in the middle of dinner service, inspectors from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and police officers suddenly appeared in the restaurant and apparently screamed at guests to stay where they were and shut up. No one was allowed to talk or even go to the washroom for 45 minutes. Nor were they allowed to touch their phones.

Apparently the staff were each fined HK$5,000 (US$637) for contravening the latest Covid-19 regulations of not inspecting guests' rapid antigen tests.

However, the restaurant did not violate any rules -- it is a restaurant and not a bar or nightclub, which now require each patron to present a negative RAT result before entering.

So why did the FEHD and police raid this place? Did they not know it was a restaurant and not a bar?

Did FEHD do their homework on Carbone first?

Someone either did not do their homework about Carbone, or were using it as an example to other places.

While Black Sheep Restaurants are checking with their lawyers, there isn't much they can do -- the FEHD can pretty much flaunt its power without much oversight or accountability. 

It's intriguing none of the guests were fined, but the staff were, and it seems Carbone was the only restaurant targeted last night.

The incident must be sending chills to every restaurateur in Hong Kong -- which guest wants to endure an experience like that when they're already paying big bucks for a good dinner?

Is this raiding restaurants and screaming at guests going to be the norm now? If so it will definitely turn off people from wanting to dine out again. 

A police raid at another restaurant recently 

It also begs the question if guides like Michelin and Asia's 50 Best Restaurants feel confident enough to continue to promote Hong Kong restaurants when diners can be subject to an outrageous interruption to their meal out of no fault of the dining establishment?

If it is the new normal, surely more people are going to be fed up by this and want to leave Hong Kong...

The government seems intent on killing its own city. And it's doing a really good job of it.