跑馬地 - The Valley

20 Ventris Road Mystery Premises 養生之道

2018-04-25T08:24:00.000+08:00

The Living in Happy Valley Facebook group has been debating what might be behind the doors at 20 Ventris Road, Happy Valley. I'm curious too. Maybe the the traditional Chinese characters can unlock the secret?

養生之道/joeng saang zi dou: support life the way?

where;
養/joeng: support; nurture
生/saang: life
之道/zi dou: the way; path

Pestle & Mortar, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

2018-04-24T13:16:00.000+08:00

I seem to be the last person to know about new openings in Happy Valley. If I wasn't wandering around killing time today, I would never have known Pestle & Mortar even existed.

I'm a big fan of Laksa and this canteen specialises in this one dish. They also serve Singapore style coffee (kopi) and Nanyang Butter Coffee (whatever that is).

I tried it out today and loved the Laksa. Loaded with prawns, sliced fish balls? and tofu in a nice creamy coconut broth. Only gripe is that it came in a single use flimsy plastic bowl. I'd prefer a wide rimmed bowl with a decent sized spoon.

Another great addition to the local dining scene.

pestle & mortar

Shop 3, G/F, 38 - 42 Yick Yam Street,

Happy Valley, Hong Kong

Phone: 5563 1957

49 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

2018-04-23T10:34:00.002+08:00

I see a hoarding has gone up around the empty shop on the ground floor of Le Village at 49 Sing Woo Road (corner of Village Road), Happy Valley, Hong Kong. I recall this used to be a Watson's wine shop about three years ago? Like a lot of shops, it's been empty for a while. I wonder what will open up in this space? Perhaps another wine shop or maybe a coffee shop. Let's see.

Guschlbauer Bakery Happy Valley, Hong Kong

2018-02-21T14:08:00.000+08:00

You never quite know what will open up next in those shops that have sat vacant for years. This time we get an Austrian bakery/coffee shop: Guschlbauer. This shop is in the same space that used to be Tacochaca Tex-Mex, until it closed in early 2015. Shop landlords obviously in no hurry to negotiate and quite happy to leave premises vacant for years.

I popped in today for a sniff around. Nice selection of baked goods and a small coffee machine. I had an Americano which was served with a small side cup of warm milk and half a cookie (HK$32). Good coffee! Cosy space as you'd expect with a couple of tables and jazz music playing in the background.

It's great to see the space being used again and I wish the operators good business. I see they have multiple branches in Hong Kong so probably have a better survival chance than most single branch food outlets.

Guschlbauer

Shop A, Fung Woo Building,

65 Sing Woo Road, (entrance on Shing Ping Street),

Happy Valley,

Hong Kong

Telephone: 2882 2879

Hours: 7:30AM - 20:30PM

https://www.facebook.com/hkguschlbauer/

Litlle Italy Wine & Deli Happy Valley

2017-11-21T15:28:00.000+08:00

Doing a spot of shopping at the fusion supermarket the other day, I noticed a small shop had opened just up the hill in Shan Kwong Road. It was closed at the time but the blackboard outside mentioned a special offer on magnums of Chianti. That sure got my attention!

Went back today for a shop around. Big tasting table in the middle of the shop will be handy for events. Nice selection of small producer wines with a few big names as well. I picked up a vermentino nero (2014, Terenzuola, HK$220) and a Marche blend (2011, La Monacesca, Camerte, sangiovese & merlot?, HK$275).

I also picked up a flyer advertising free wine and food tasting every Tuesday from 5 to 7PM.

Little Italy Wine & Deli,

Shop A & B,

Wah Chi Mansion,

18 Shan Kwong Road,

Happy Valley,

Hong Kong

+(852) 2699 8588

https://www.littleitaly.hk

https://www.facebook.com/littleitalyhk/

Instagram: @littleitalyhk

Ventria Residence, Hong Kong

2017-11-18T08:40:00.000+08:00

A colourful hoarding goes up on the construction site at 17 Ventris Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong. It includes an artists impression (above) of the planned building. The artist conveniently forgets to sketch in the slope behind the building which has a busy road perched atop of it (Broadwood Road).

It's quite an unusual design in that the bottom half will be an elderly persons hostel and the top half will be apartments. Perhaps this model could become the standard for aged care facilities in Hong Kong to address the aging population issue?

The hoarding also reveals the English name: Ventria Residence (Chinese name here). The co-developers are the Seventh Day Adventist Church and Chevalier Group.

Project Manager: Roseville

Architect: lwk & Parners

Quantity Surveyor: Arcadis

Structural & Geotechnical Consultant: Wong & Cheng Consulting Engineers Limited

Land Consultant: Fotton Surveyors

Specialist Aged Care Interiors: deFiddesign

Interior Design Consultant: LWK Interiors

Interior Design Consultant: +X+ Into Texture

Landscape Design Consultant: LWK Landscape

Building Services Engineer: Wah Hoi Engineers Limited

Construction Manager: Chevalier Construction (Hong Kong) Limited

Traffic Consultant: Systra MVA

Conservation Consultant: AGC Design Ltd

Beam Plus Consultant: WSP

ELS. Site Formation & Foundation Contractor: NCF

Golden Branch Vietnamese Noodles, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

2017-11-17T14:15:00.000+08:00

A bright and modern looking restaurant has popped up where the old Domon Ramen shop used to be. From the outside I couldn't work out what kind of food they are serving so I went in for lunch today. It turns out to be Vietnamese noodles.

I order the Deluxe Combo (Vietnamese ham, raw beef & beef balls) and a Vietnamese coffee. The noodles were delicious: tasty and light with no MSG added. The drip filter coffee was strong and sweet as you'd expect.

The staff were a little over zealous and perhaps could tone it down a bit. Just let the food do the talking. And maybe an indication outside that this is Vietnamese noodles? I tried to pay with a China Union Pay card but they don't accept these. I'd suggest getting this sorted out as there is quite a large market just north of Hong Kong who like to use this payment method.

These young guys have created a clean and modern space with tasty food and efficient service. They might have cracked the formula for what works in the fickle Happy Valley dining scene. Lets see.

Golden Branch

Shop F, M/F Nam Wing Building,

49-51A Sing Woo Road (entrance around the corner on Cheong Ming Street)

Happy Valley,

Hong Kong

Telephone: 2386 2898

Kebab Land Happy Valley Hong Kong

2017-09-14T02:09:00.000+08:00

19 Aug 2019: Now Closed

It looks like my prayers have been answered: we are finally getting a Kebab shop in Happy Valley. It's in the space that was formerly a Subway sandwich shop. They seem to be using the same shop fittings as the Subway so perhaps the same owners?

Located next door to Happy Alley Bar in the small pedestrian alley between Yik Yam Street and Wong Ngai Chung Road, I'm looking forward to trying it out soon.

Kebab Land
Shop 5, G/F., 38-42 Yik Yam Street,
Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Telephone (Pick up Order): 2625 4800

Business Hours: 10:00am ~ 12:00am (Everyday)

Cinta-J Wanchai, Hong Kong: Revisit

2017-09-06T11:59:00.000+08:00

Someone over at Corona beer has come up with some very creative cocktails. This one (pictured above) is a combination of Corona Extra beer, tequila, lemon juice and blue curacao: Corona Bay Cocktail. It is one of four creations being marketed currently at Cinta-J restaurant. It looks like they've even designed their own plastic thingy to hold the bottle in place - very clever! I loved it and can't wait to go back and try the others. HK$68 happy hour / HK$98 otherwise plus a 10% service charge.

We were back at Cinta-J because we were craving the deep fried pork knuckle (crispy pata) they do so well. Pleased to report that it is still as good as ever. It's amazing that the kitchen has remained so consistently good over the last two decades.

Cinta-J

Shop G-4, Malaysia Building,

69 Jaffe Road,

Wanchai, Hong Kong

+852 2529 6622; +852 2529 4183

Mother of Pizzas, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

2017-08-25T02:38:00.000+08:00

I must say these guys do very good pizza by the slice. Just the thing for a quick snack on the run. Nice seating inside as well. Plenty of craft beers and a couple of decent wines to choose from. Canadian radio station playing in the background. Bags of Antico Molino Caputo flour lying around ready to be turned into more delicious pizza. A welcome addition to the area.

Mother of Pizzas

G/F, Yi Heng Building,

13-19 Leighton Road,

Causeway Bay,

Hong Kong

Fung Shing Restaurant, Causway Bay, Hong Kong

2017-08-08T06:00:00.000+08:00

For some reason Mrs V has a new found passion for dim sum and is keen to try the Fung Shing restaurant on Leighton Road. I'm not sure what her real reason is but I go along for the ride. First impressions are not great. The place is pretty scruffy and we get shuffled upstairs to the mezzanine / cockloft floor with limited headroom.

The rice special with chicken feet and pork ribs comes out with the rice not cooked properly. Its accompanying soup is OK but the vegetables don't show up until the end of the meal. The deep fried half chicken looks under cooked to me as well: I prefer my chicken without any residual blood. Even the beef balls are pink and barely cooked. Perhaps the kitchen is rushing dishes out?

It wasn't a great meal and I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.

Fung Shing Restaurant
G/F Lunar Building,
30 Leighton Road,
Causeway Bay,
Hong Kong

Ting Fat Hardware Shop, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

2017-08-03T03:54:00.000+08:00

Extreme space limitations mean we don't get the luxury of a giant hardware shops like The Home Depot, B & Q or even Bunnings in Hong Kong. Instead local hardware retailers have to squeeze as much as they can into a regular sized shopfront. It's quite amazing that they seem to have pretty much anything we need for home DIY.

Ting Fat Hardware Shop,

G/F, 20 Yick Yam Street,

Happy Valley,

Hong Kong

Clothing Alterations, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

2017-08-01T10:30:00.002+08:00

My new jeans are an inch and a half too long. Mrs V suggests I take them to the laundry shop on the corner of Blue Pool Road and Tsoi Tak Street. The helpful lady tells me it'll cost HK$25 and they'll be ready to collect the next day. The next day they're ready as promised. Excellent service and price!

Europe-North Dry Cleaning Limited,

Shop B, G/F, 38 Blue Pool Road (entrance on Tsoi Tak Street),

Happy Valley,

Hong Kong

Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant Happy Valley

2017-07-27T03:19:00.000+08:00

Family visiting recently and Mrs V wanted to treat them to a big seafood dinner. First she wanted to go all the way out to Sai Kung and then later changed her mind to Lei Yue Mun, almost as far. I managed to persuade her just to go to our local seafood stalwart: Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant.

I couldn't persuade her to order the lobster in cheese sauce and noodles but everything else she ordered was delicious. The free flow San Miguel draft beer was appreciated and they opened a few bottles of wine at no extra charge.

Why bother going miles away when we have such a good selection of restaurants within easy walking distance.

Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant

G/F Unique Tower,

7-9 Wong Nai Chung Road,

Happy Valley,

Hong Kong

759 Store

2017-07-25T20:59:00.001+08:00

UPDATE 13/9/2017: This shop has closed.

759 Store compete with the incumbent grocery duopoly which must be tough. They always have a few quirky items in-store and the line-up seems to change regularly. A friend explained to me how to get a store/member discount card: purchase over HK$200 (or was that HK$300?) in one transaction. I'm all for competition and support these guys as much as I can.

759 Store

G/F, No. 26 King Kwong Street,

Happy Valley,

Hong Kong

http://www.759store.com/aboutus.php

Operator: CEC International Holdings (0759.hk)

Chairman: Lam Wai Chun

Sunshine LED PIN Lamp

2017-07-24T10:07:00.001+08:00

We are replacing the CFL lamps in our bathroom and kitchen more often than I'd like. And, because they are fitted into down-lights, recessed into the ceiling, regular bulb shape lamps wont fit in. The CFL 'finger' lamps usually have a brown burn mark on the base of the spiral so I'm pretty sure they overheat due to being enclosed.

I know LED lamps produce a lot less heat than CFL lamps but I could never find an LED lamp that would fit into the downlight - until today. Spotted the Sunshine LED PIN lamp over at Japan Home Centre. A little bit higher price than the CFL lamps (HK$48.80/US$6.25) but hopefully should last two or three times longer, even if enclosed. Let's see!

Sunshine LED PIN Lamp model number LPINA-7E27D

http://www.sunshinelights.com/catalog/index.php?language=en#2

Distributed by;
Sunshine Lighting Limited
Suite 11, 29/F, Cable TV Tower,
9 Hoi Shing Road, Tsuen Wan,
Hong Kong
Customer Hotline: +(852) 2402 1920

Zagin Soba

2017-07-24T00:52:00.001+08:00

The mystery of the wacky hoarding at 13A King Kwong Street has been resolved. We now have another Japanese restaurant in Happy Valley. This time an outpost of a Soba noodle chain from Osaka: Zagin Soba.

I liked the simple menu: just three styles of noodles and a few snacks. I just ordered the first one off the menu; soba in a creamy chicken broth. They arrived in a large wonky bowl and were topped off with what looked like a deep fried vegetable peelings about the size of a softball. Whatever it was it tasted pretty good as did the noodles and the chunks of pork and chicken inside. I would describe this place as high-end noodles.

The restaurant was busy on the Tuesday I visited. My noodles cost HK$138 + the 10% service charge. I liked it and wished I had ordered the deep fried chicken side dish. Next time!

Next door to Mekong Riverside restaurant and closed on Mondays.

Telephone: 2818 0322

Aussie Beef

2016-12-24T18:50:00.000+08:00

Hunting around for some beef for the annual christmas day bbq, Mrs V stumbled across these nicely packaged steaks from Australia. We tried a couple earlier in the week and they definitely get the thumbs up.

I'm more impressed with the professional marketing. Beautifully packaged, they really stand out on the supermarket shelf. It looks like Aussie meat exporters are getting their act together.

I got mine from the Wellcome supermarket in (Tsoi Tak Street) Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Around HK$50 per 200g (A$9 ish).

http://www.argylemeats.com.au/

Jewish Cemetery - 猶太墳場

2016-12-22T09:11:00.001+08:00

The entrance to the Jewish Cemetery is at number 13, Shan Kwong Road in Happy Valley. It is squeezed in between two ornate Chinese buildings and can be hard to spot. There are a couple of very small signs on the gate. The gates look locked but usually are not. I suspect the caretaker prefers it this way. Both pillars either side of the gate have the Star of David symbol carved into them.

Plenty of background info already on the web;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Valley_Jewish_Cemetery,_Hong_Kong

http://www.jasonwordie.com/index.php/walks/hong-kong-walks/happy-valley-cemeteries/

But I'm wondering what the traditional Chinese characters for this place are and how to pronounce them in Cantonese?

猶太 / yow tie: jewish

墳場 / farn cheung: cemetery

Poulette French Rotisserie

2016-12-18T09:36:00.001+08:00

The French invasion of Happy Valley continues, thankfully. This time in the form of a French Rotisserie with a Moroccan twist. I get to try it out yesterday (a Saturday) but I have to wait in line first to get my juicy, herb encrusted roasted half chicken to take away. Looks like they are off to a good start and have identified an unfulfilled market nice. Well done!

I see on the menu that the chickens are free range, corn-fed from Bretagne and weigh in at approximately 1.3KG. Also on the menu is Harira soup: a traditional Moroccan soup. Must try this soon. Great to see another good take out food option in Happy Valley.

Poulette French Rotisserie

G/F Race View Apartments,

31 Wong Nai Chung Road,

Happy Valley

www.poulette.com.hk

Telephone: 2811 3911

13 King Kwong Street, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

2016-12-11T14:43:00.000+08:00

Update: http://powmarday.blogspot.hk/2017/07/zagin-soba.html

Another hoarding goes up on King Kwong Street, this time at number 13. The hoarding is advertising Fortune Malls which is kind of interesting. Is a mall operator opening single shops now? Or is it just a team outsourcing to another company in the group. Fortune Mall is part of the listed Fortune REIT. A quick scan through their latest report doesn't reveal anything concrete but it does show that A.S. Watson is a group company. Perhaps Watsons is moving here from Wong Nai Chung Road? All should be revealed soon.

Year of The Rooster 2017

2016-12-09T14:06:00.001+08:00

I love the rooster calendar I received in the mail from Bank of China / Prudential the other day. Great colours, a few Chinese phrases to decode and Hong Kong public holidays marked in red. Obviously, 2017 is going to be the year of the rooster. I see that New Years Eve will be on Friday, 27 January 2017 and the first day of Chinese New Year will be on Saturday, 28 January 2017. Monday 30 January 2017 and Tuesday 31 January 2017 are both public holidays in Hong Kong.

Don't forget to douse yourself in pomelo infused water;

http://powmarday.blogspot.hk/2008/02/chinese-new-year-for-dummies.html

No buying of shoes or slippers;

http://powmarday.blogspot.hk/2008/02/chinese-new-year-for-dummies-part2.html

Maybe learn a greeting or two;

http://cantoplus.blogspot.hk/2014/02/may-you-be-clever-and-smart.html

http://cantoplus.blogspot.hk/2012/01/every-step-make-progress.html

Feather & Bone Happy Valley

2016-10-24T11:50:00.000+08:00

It's nice to see a few new openings in Happy Valley. The standoff between landlords and potential tenants must have eased. I decide to have breakfast and a sniff around at the newly opened Feather & Bone this morning.

Nice decoration leads past the cashier, deli counter to the dining area, open kitchen and outside courtyard at the rear - nice use of space!

I opt for the Martina omelette and a flat white. The omelette is served with fresh steamed kale - a nice touch. Decent coffee. HK$127 (incl) for both.

It looks like you can order a steak out of the deli counter and they will cook it in the open kitchen as long as you order a side dish - could this be a proxy steak house for Happy Valley? I'll definitely give the aussie ribeye a go soon. The aussie theme continues with plenty of Little Creatures beer available.

Nice to have a new dining/deli option in Happy Valley.

Feather & Bone Butcher, Deli, Produce

G/F Winner Building,

11 Wong Nei Chung Road,

Happy Valley, Hong Kong

Phone: 2836 3770

Smeg repairs Hong Kong

2016-10-23T10:31:00.002+08:00

Our eight year old Smeg gas hob develops a bit of a problem: the gas flame on one of the burners is making a popping sound. I put it down to a bit of air in the gas supply. The wife is not convinced and rings the service number stuck to the hob: 2732 2928. The sticker also mentions a company name Great Treasure (Building Supplies & Engineering) Limited) and a website ( www.cristal.com.hk ).

A date is set and we are told the service/call out fee will be HKD480 plus parts if needed. The guy shows up and has a good look at the unit. One of the supply pipes has an issue and needs replacing. The parts will cost HKD750 and he'll need to come back another day to fit them.

I take a look on the Smeg Hong Kong website but no mention is made of Great Treasure. It suggests contacting Kitchen Infinity Corporation Limited for service. To late now!

Great Treasure's details listed on the maintenance invoice are as follow;

Block E, 10/F., Mai Tak Industrial Building,

221 Wai Yip Street, Kwung Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: 2721 7449 / 2732 2928

On the receipt the details are slightly different;

Tel: 3752 6111

email: info@gtgroup.com.hk

web: www.gtgroup.com.hk

The receipt also lists a showroom;

2/F., Amber Commercial Building,

70-74 Morrison Hill Road,

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Tel: 3118 7449

email: showroom@gtgroup.com.hk

Anyway, this should be enough info to get the thing fixed in future if it develops any more problems.

Safety Equipment Shop

2016-04-25T12:01:00.002+08:00

I needed an air respirator recently and couldn't find one in Happy Valley. I remember there is a shop over near the Wanchai MTR that sells all kinds of safety products. I head over and they have exactly what I want. I notice they also have high visibility clothes, non-slip rubber mats, etc. Prices are not that great but they have a very comprehensive range of stuff.

Hingslin and Company Limited

Shop A, G/F., Winsan Tower,

98 Thomson Road,

Wanchai,

Hong Kong

Phone: +(852) 2572 6322