When visiting Hong Kong, most visitors would consider places like Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui, the Peak and so on. We had an offbeat adventure to Sham Shui Po (深水埗) and Sai Kung (西貢)!
Exploring Sham Shui Po with Children
Located in northwestern part of Kowloon Peninsula, Sham Shui Po is an old district which is famous for electronic gadgets and second hand stuffs. Huh? Then why bring the children there? Because of two things: toys and food!
Toys? Yes, toys! And stationery too!
A stretch of Fuk Wing Street is filled with toys and stationery shops! Many shops sell stationery like pens, erasers, notebooks in bulk, so it is an ideal place to shop for children birthday party favour!
We bought a set of Master Mind and a set of Scrabble at HKD20 (about SGD3.50) for each set. If you ask me whether those toys are original like those we see that departmental stores or major toy stores, I would say, you can judge from the price tag and the packaging!
I also bought something for myself - a set of nano blocks! I saw it selling at SGD13+ in Singapore, and I paid HKD15 (about SGD2.60) for mine!
We wanted to try Tim Ho Wan dim sum, however, the queue was super long on a weekend afternoon, many people came for high tea!
The children woke at 3 a.m. to take the flight that day, they were super exhausted after all the excitement in the toy shops. We wanted to eat soya bean curd and fried bean curd with fish paste at 公和荳品廠, but in the end, we just bought two bottles of chilled soya bean drink and made our way back to the hotel as they needed to rest.
It was also a pity that we didn't buy some Chinese sweet delicacies from 坤記糕品專家 even though we walked past the store, because it was too crowded!
Here are photos of food that I took 2+ years back when I visited Hong Kong with my sister:
Exploring Sham Shui Po with Children
Located in northwestern part of Kowloon Peninsula, Sham Shui Po is an old district which is famous for electronic gadgets and second hand stuffs. Huh? Then why bring the children there? Because of two things: toys and food!
Toys? Yes, toys! And stationery too!
A stretch of Fuk Wing Street is filled with toys and stationery shops! Many shops sell stationery like pens, erasers, notebooks in bulk, so it is an ideal place to shop for children birthday party favour!
We bought a set of Master Mind and a set of Scrabble at HKD20 (about SGD3.50) for each set. If you ask me whether those toys are original like those we see that departmental stores or major toy stores, I would say, you can judge from the price tag and the packaging!
I also bought something for myself - a set of nano blocks! I saw it selling at SGD13+ in Singapore, and I paid HKD15 (about SGD2.60) for mine!
We wanted to try Tim Ho Wan dim sum, however, the queue was super long on a weekend afternoon, many people came for high tea!
The children woke at 3 a.m. to take the flight that day, they were super exhausted after all the excitement in the toy shops. We wanted to eat soya bean curd and fried bean curd with fish paste at 公和荳品廠, but in the end, we just bought two bottles of chilled soya bean drink and made our way back to the hotel as they needed to rest.
It was also a pity that we didn't buy some Chinese sweet delicacies from 坤記糕品專家 even though we walked past the store, because it was too crowded!
Here are photos of food that I took 2+ years back when I visited Hong Kong with my sister:
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| Soya bean curd and soya bean drinks from 公和荳品廠 |
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| 砵仔糕 from 坤記糕品專家 |
[Update in December 2016]
We managed to eat at 公和荳品廠 not once, but twice! It was a pity that they no long serve food in the nostalgic porcelain bowls. The dining area was very small, we had to finish our food fast as many people were waiting.
We also got to eat 砵仔糕 from 坤記糕品專家!
How to get there:
Take MTR to Sham Shui Po station, from Exit B2, walk along Pei Ho Street (北河街) for a distance of one block, then turn right when you see the sign Fuk Wing Street (福榮街) 95A - 69B.
Information for foodies - affordable Michelin Star eateries in Sham Shui Po:
坤記糕品專家 Kwan Kee (Michelin Hong Kong Street Food)
Chinese sweet delicacies 白糖糕、芝麻糕、紅豆糕、砵仔糕、馬蹄糕
Address: 115-117, Fuk Wa Street, Sham Shui Po (next to Sham Shui Po MTR exit B2)
Chinese sweet delicacies 白糖糕、芝麻糕、紅豆糕、砵仔糕、馬蹄糕
Address: 115-117, Fuk Wa Street, Sham Shui Po (next to Sham Shui Po MTR exit B2)
公和荳品廠 Kung Wo (Michelin Hong Kong Street Food)
Soya bean drink, soya bean curd, deep fried beancurd with fish paste
Address: 118 Pei Ho Street, Sham Shui Po (after you see 坤記糕品專家, walk straight, away from MTR station)
Soya bean drink, soya bean curd, deep fried beancurd with fish paste
Address: 118 Pei Ho Street, Sham Shui Po (after you see 坤記糕品專家, walk straight, away from MTR station)
添好運 Tim Ho Wan (Michelin Hong Kong One Star)
Dim sum
Address: G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po (walk straight along the toy street)
Dim sum
Address: G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po (walk straight along the toy street)
Exploring Sai Kung with Children
Sai Kung is known as "Hong Kong's back garden" because of its beaches, hiking trails and seafood! We didn't go for hiking, as the grandmother has knee problem. Our reason for this journey is to eat seafood and enjoy the less urban side of Hong Kong.
The bus took about half an hour, it went up and down hills, the children almost fell asleep! They were awaken when the bus passed by a dragon dance parade.
You can shop for your favourite seafood from the fishermen at the pier.
We were not guru (expert) in choosing seafood, so we ordered set meal at a restaurant called Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant (全記). The seafood were displayed outside the restaurant, this looked like an aquarium! Can you name the seafood?
It was the most expensive meal we had in Hong Kong, costing slightly more than HKD1000 (SGD170+)!!! The set meal consists of 5 dishes that you can choose from a list, and a complimentary dish of vegetable of your choice. For the 5 dishes, of course we chose seafood only! We had lobster with cheese and noodles, stir-fried clams, mantis shrimps, stir-fried crabs and steamed fish. I would say that the lobster, clams and mantis shrimps were delicious, but the crabs and fish were quite a disappointment.
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| Lobster with cheese and noodles, stir-fried clams |
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| Mantis shrimps |
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| Stir-fried crabs |
One good buy near the pier is 蘇記 dried shredded cuttlefish. 3 packets for HKD25 (SGD4.40), you can choose from 3 flavours - original, char grilled or spicy. Personally, I prefer the original one!
After the hearty meal, the children were thrilled to see Mobile Softee, the ice-cream mobile van, near the bus terminus! But there were some technical problems so we could not have the softee. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the melon flavour ice-cream cones and ice-cream cup!
If your children are energetic enough, you can take a boat ride to enjoy the beautiful landscape. We had to give it a miss as it looked like it was about to rain.
We had a nice stroll along the sea side and window-shop at the flea market (open on weekends).
How to get there:
Take MTR to Diamond Hill station, exit C2, take bus 92 and alight at Sai Kung Bus Terminus. Alternatively, you can take MTR to Choi Hung station and then take minibus no.1A.
Information for foodies:
Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant (全記)
Address: G/F, 53, Hoi Pong Street, Sai Kung
What are other offbeat places that you would recommend in Hong Kong?
Our Hong Kong Travelogue
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- 8 Tips for Planning Hong Kong Trip with Children and Seniors
- 5 Tips for Hong Kong Travel with Children
- Hong Kong with Children – 5D4N Itinerary (June 2015)
- Hong Kong with Children – 6D5N Itinerary (December 2016)
- Hong Kong Disneyland Survival Tips with Children
- Christmas at Hong Kong Disneyland
- Hong Kong Ocean Park Survival Tips with Children
- Hong Kong with Children – What to Eat
- Hong Kong with Children – Sham Shui Po and Sai Kung
- Hong Kong with Children – Hong Kong Science Museum
- Hong Kong with Children – Hong Kong Park, The Peak, Tai Yuen Street (Toy Street), Calbee Plus
- Hong Kong with Children – Go Green Organic Farm
Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!
Comprehensive set of posts on Hong Kong! I'm hoping to bring them trekking in the hills there when they are older. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to do trekking at Sai Kung! It would be suitable for the older children!
DeleteI have been wondering if bringing kids to Hong Kong would be manageable but looks like it is possible. Sai Kung has never been on my radar, looks like I should consider it if we ever head to Hong Kong!
ReplyDeleteI also worried about bringing children to Hong Kong before the trip. It was actually quite manageable, since we had the grandparents with us.
DeleteHong Kong is still one of the countries that I love to visit. Mostly because of their food and scenic view! We were lucky to dine at Tim Ho Wan after a gruesome 2 hours wait. Will check on your blog when we want to visit Sai Kung, an area we have yet to visit.
ReplyDelete2 hours wait! Wow! My children would not want to queue for 20 minutes!
DeleteHmm..never considered these two places to visit whenever I think about travelling to HK. If it were just hubby and I, probably! But with kids..the first thing that comes to mind is already Disneyland. Thanks for the photos! Might actually make me step out of comfort zone and try these two areas!
ReplyDeleteDo consider these two places for your next visit!
DeleteSham Shui Po has never been on my itinerary for Hong Kong but it sounds like a place to check out! Oh a tip for Tim Ho Wan is to go at tea time. I went to THW at IFC and only waited for 5 mins as it was 4 or 5pm.
ReplyDeleteYou were so lucky to queue only 5 minutes!
DeleteI've been to the toy street and it really is awesome! Will consider Sai Kung for our next visit since we haven't been there before. thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteAi @ Sakura Haruka
The toy street that I share here is not the one that you shared with me. This is in Kowloon area, the one you mentioned is in Hong Kong Island.
DeleteWe visited HK once when Dana was 2...never ventured outskirts to the areas you shared because we can't speak Cantonese. Is Mandarin widely used there now?
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about the language. Many people in Hong Kong can speak some Mandarin, just a little Cantonese accent!
DeleteNooo... Stop showing me all those pictures of Hong Kong food already.... No wonder your blog asked me to identify eggs.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I LOVE Sham Shui Po.. The things there are SO CHEAP!! Clothes, toys.. Just buy.. No heart pain.
Hahaha! Too much food on my posts! Sham Shui Po is so interesting, it was a pity that we didn't manage to buy clothes from Cheung Sha Wan Street, which is well-known for budget clothes.
DeleteSobs my post never came up! I was saying I would love to return to Hong Kong again after seeing a different side of Hk here :) especially toy shopping hehee
ReplyDeleteDon't know why your comment didn't go through. Thanks for re-posting! Your boys will love the toy street!
Delete