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 They have all been replaced by AI.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...

 

Picture of the Day: Totem Pole in HK

The totem pole is blocked by potted plants

One day during my trip to Hong Kong I had some extra time in the late afternoon before meeting a friend for dinner in Harbour City, so I went to Kowloon Park.

After all my years living in Hong Kong I have to admit I'm not very familiar with the park so it was a good opportunity to wander around and see the facilities that include a swimming pool, a mini soccer pitch, an aviary, piazza, a maze garden and sculpture garden.

These feral cats don't like humans

I walked up a hill and saw some feral cats that reside there; a cat lady was fussing over them and bringing them dinner. It reminded me of the volunteers who feed the cats that reside on the giant rocks by the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai...

But I also came across a totem pole! What was this doing here in Hong Kong of all places! I tried to get closer to it, but the tiled steps leading to it were closed off by potted plants in a bid to keep visitors away from it. Were people touching to cause the staff to prevent people from getting too close? This is why my picture looks so awkward.

As a result I could not find a plaque or some kind of explanation of why this totem pole was here.

An article by Christopher DeWolf gives a bit more information: "On the other side of the park is a totem pole carved by the indigenous Tlingit people of British Columbia in Canada."

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.

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...