A taste of Hong Kong part 1

Harbor view from our room; view from Sevva

I have a confession to make, I am a chronic traveller. I can't seem to stop traveling, even if I was already on vacation. This trip to Hong Kong, was one of those trip within a trip. I got sick once on this trip and I was so tired as this was my second mini trip on my overall summer (Australian summer) vacation, but I did not regret it one bit. I didn't know that Hong Kong could be THAT much fun.

We arrived in Hong Kong pretty late, the dusk was settling already but it was perfect as we discovered that our room was facing the harbor overlooking Hong Kong island from Tsim Sha Tsui. At 8pm sharp, we were entertained by the symphony of light with synchronized song from a radio. I was happy to have brought my tripod!

A quick phone call to a friend who lives locally gave us a couple of destinations for the night: a drink at Sevva, a rooftop bar at Prince's Building and Wagyu where we will get some food for supper. Off we went to the Star Ferry terminal to catch a ferry to Central, where we only paid HK$ 2!!! So cheap! I can't help but reveling how pretty Hong Kong is at night and how I was hopping from one harbor city (Sydney) to here.

Cg's mojito like drink and my dark chocolate martini - check out those shredded chocs!

The walk to Prince's Building from Central ferry station took a good 15 minutes, but we didn't mind, we needed to burn the calories anyway. Once we were at Sevva, we were surrounded by bankers and financiers locals and expats alike whom you can tell from their full suit. We sat by the bar first to absorb the atmosphere and read the menu. Cg decided on a mojito like mixed and I couldn't resist their dark chocolate martini. If you love chocolate, you MUST order the dark chocolate martini if you're at Sevva, it was totally loaded with not only liquid chocolate but also shredded chocolate. From the balcony we could see the view of Central at night and it was very cosmopolitan. What struck me the most was the fact that we were on the top of a 25th floor building and yet, it didn't seem that tall because we were surrounded by other higher buildings with 50, 60 or even 70 floors! I don't think we have those in Sydney! To describe Hong Kong in a few of words would be, Asia's New York City.

Scenes from Sevva's balcony - you can see other buildings towering us on the 25th floor!!! The last one is the view of Tsim Sha Tsui harbor from Hong Kong island

After we finished our drinks we made our way to Lan Kwai Fong, the fun/expat district for dinner at Wagyu. We got lost for a bit but managed to find our way there. As we waited for our table then our food, we were amazed at how crowded it get as the night goes on even though it was a Wednesday night! Anyway, by this time we weren't that hungry so we ordered a salad and appetizer - which unfortunately I cannot remember what! Sorry! I loved the appetizers, the shredded beef were cooked with some almonds and dark sweet sauce, and you eat it wrapped in lettuce. I could still taste the juiciness of the beef even though it was coated in the sauce. The salad was good, but we would have been happier to have more meat in it.

Here we also ordered some drinks, Cg got the watermelon martini which was absolutely delicious! I tried the pimms mix which was good, but if I could do it all over again I'd go for what Cg was having.

To "Lonely Boy" in Hong Kong, thanks for the insider tips!

Sevva

25 Floor

Prince's Building

Central, Hong Kong - China

+852 2537 1388

Wagyu

60 Wyndham St

Hong Kong - China

+852 2525 8805

rooftop(s)

Outside Section of SHY Rooftop @Papillion

For a while now, I've been hearing a lot about this rooftop place in Kemang. So when N mentioned it as a place to meet up with R and Mi, I agreed. On my way there on one of the last saturday nights in 2008, Mi texted me telling me that she has arrived. A minute later R called telling me that he had arrived. Since the two of them had no recollection of going to high school together, they are waiting for me to arrive. I almost passed Papillon, but somehow I made it all the way to the 5th floor, the infamous rooftop. I headed straight to the outdoor as Mi was waiting for me there. A quick scan through and I didn't see R. A few calls and text messages after, I found out that there were actually TWO rooftops in Kemang; The Edge at Kemang Icon and Shy Rooftop on top of Papillon. Turned out that Mi was waiting for me at Rooftop and R at The Edge. R made it to Rooftop while we waited for N.

Floor Directory


The stairs leading up to the rooftop, I however, took the elevator ;)

I really like the atmosphere and the decor of Rooftop, it's comfortable, cozy and different than any other joint in the city. The martinis menu were extensive, I wanted to try the Tiramisu Martini but I didn't want to pay Rp 150,000,- for a drink, which is more expensive than in Singapore. Maybe it was worth it, but I have this bias that I don't want to pay more in Indonesia than what I pay overseas. I ordered the strawberry juice instead, Mi had heineken and R had juice as well. N came and ordered her drink, and we talked, catching up while we drank.

One of the table under the tent

We decided to head to The Edge, try out the other rooftop and have dinner there. Turned out that the place is as nice as the Shy Rooftop... Different concepts, yet both are very cozy. Slightly more cozy at The Edge, since the pool on the side of the dining area gave it a casual, relaxing vibe.

The Edge rooftop ~ pool dining @ Kemang Icon

We were famished. We ordered quickly, N and I had the penne salmone, Mi had the lamb rack, and R had the grilled beef, second from the bottom on the menu. I forgot to bring a pen and a little notebook, something that I should carry on wherever I go so that I can jot down details on the go. I really liked the penne salmone. The penne was cooked just nice, not to soft but not too hard. The white sauce had a nice consistency too, not too creamy. The salmon was smoke salmon or some sort, but the whole combination was nice. Not sure if hunger played a part in this review, perhaps you should take it into consideration.

Penne Salmone

R's grilled steak was nice as well as Mi's lamb rack, which came in three different pieces. I won't comment a lot on the steak and the lamb as I didn't really remember, but they were nicely done, none were chewy. I don't know which one I would choose out of the two rooftops as they both have different vibes. I don't mind either, but for value for money, I would go for The Edge. For drinks, I would go to Rooftop as they only had one drink available that night at The Edge.

Lamb Rack


R's Steak con mashed potatoes


The inside at The Edge

We really lucked out that night as the weather was good; breezy, not too humid with clear sky. From both rooftops, the view of Jakarta at night was pretty. They both had great atmosphere too, even if R was complaining about the band at The Edge, but R can be a hard one to please. It was a great night out with great friends, a great success too at checking out not one rooftop, but TWO!

SHY Rooftop
The Papillion, 5th Floor
Jl. Kemang Raya 45AA
Jakarta
+62 21 7191975

The Edge ~ Pool Dining
Kemang Icon by Alila, Top Floor
Jl. Kemang Raya 1
Jakarta 12730
+ 62 21 7197989