International visitors to Hong Kong want to experience the “authentic Hong Kong” and guide books always seem to trot out the same old tired tourist spots and the same old tired restaurants. The “locals” are nowhere to be seen.
The Dorsett Mongkok Hotel is now offering a carefully curated “Eat and Shop like a Local” Guide free to all its guests. The visitor will now be shown how to find the “hidden gems” for the stomach and the wallet that savvy locals know about rather than the standard “tourist traps” usually offered up to the visitor, and where to shop for the best souvenirs to bring home to share with friends and families.
How to Eat Like a Local:
Locals know that you shouldn’t be fooled by appearances, Hong Kong’s eateries are not to be judged by external appearances. The best are “holes-in-the-walls”, the basic interiors of popular local cafés (cha chaan tengs), and the makeshift tables of open-air dai pai dongs like those found at Temple Street Market. Creativity and deliciousness is the focus of food in Hong Kong, not looks. The bonus is that all these eateries are exceptionally cheap because they are mostly frequented by locals. You also can’t eat like a local unless you try local snacks and street food. You will be tempted while walking with the array of local savory and sweet snacks on offer like fish balls egg tarts, chestnuts, and dried fruit that can be picked up for next to nothing.
How about the experience of eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant at minimal cost?
You can do it just around the corner from the Dorsett Mongkok! Take a bite at Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan, one of the world’s cheapest “starred” restaurants. Opened by chef Mak Kwai Pui, previously dim sum chef at Three-Michelin-star restaurant Lung King Hin, this casual eatery serves mouthwatering morsels, including the “four heavenly kings” of traditional dim sum: pork buns, rice noodles, turnip cake, and steamed egg cake. You need to line up early, they don’t accept reservations. Whatever you do, you have to experience dim sum, one of Hong Kong’s most recognizable contributions to the world of eating. Try any number of dim sum palaces around the Dorsett Mongkok.
The Guide will offer the best places for visitors to Hong Kong to experience all that Hong Kong’s edible delicacies can offer in and around the district. It will also detail how to get to these eateries, provide examples of their signature dishes, and give an idea of average spending per head for each restaurant. The Guide will also have distinctive “food trails” to ensure that the visitor gets the maximum of culinary experiences in the minimum amount of time, room in stomachs permitting.
How to Shop Like a Local:
Locals like to get more bang for their buck. You can certainly follow their example while staying at the Dorsett Mongkok. Popular shopping spots and night bazaars like Ladies Market, Temple Street Market and Fa Yuen Street are all within an easy 15 minutes’ walk away. A seemingly endless range of edgy sportswear, the latest sneakers, and collectible knick-knacks as well as noisy hawker stalls serving piping hot street food can also be found. While shopping (and eating) like a local, do a little cultural exploring by listening to traditional Cantonese opera singing and getting your fortune told at Temple Street Market.
Apart from the controlled mayhem of Hong Kong’s famous night bazaars, you might want to stroll around the city’s famous mega shopping malls. Take the hotel’s frequent free shuttle bus to nearby mega malls like Langham Place Mall and Elements where you will be able to shop from a huge variety of international brands from all over the world all under one huge roof.
The Guide will provide the latest information and tips about up-market and street shopping and whether you can obtain luxury goods or bargain items at these places. It will also provide a “heritage trail” to follow so you can culturally explore while shopping and eating.
The Dorsett Mongkok’s team of local gastronomic and bargain-hunting sleuths will continually try out new eateries and shopping outlets on your behalf because nothing stays the same in this fast-moving city. It’s Asia’s world city after all! The Guide will be constantly updated enable the visitor to have the latest in eating and shopping experiences. There is no chance that you will miss out on the latest happening place!
Download the Eat & Shop Guide Book and start to travel like a real local when you are staying at Dorsett Mongkok.
“Eat Like A Local” Guide Book Download
“Shop Like A Local” Guide Book Download