Built in the mid-19th century, when the first parts of what is modern-day Wan Chai were reclaimed, Amoy Street is a cul-de-sac open to traffic only at Johnston Road, and accessed by foot from Queen's Road East opposite the Hopewell Centre.
Today, buildings only stand on the west side of Amoy Street. Like a smile with its bottom front teeth knocked out, there's a gaping hole in Johnston Road where Lee Tung Street, aka Wedding Card Street, used to be. Some of its traditional 'romantic' businesses have relocated to Amoy Street - a wedding card printer, a florist and a sex shop.
For such a short lane, Amoy Street boasts a remarkable number of bars and restaurants, some of which have only sprung up in the past year.
At last count, these included a Japanese restaurant, an Indian restaurant, a Sichuan private dining room and four Thai outlets.
Near the Fraser Suites on Johnston Road, the first Thai restaurant you see is street-level The Spice House (35 Amoy Street, tel: 2804 2522). A bright and open cafe with a Thai chef and staff, it's a great place to grab a tasty and inexpensive meal or snack. Lunch sets start at HK$38 and curries at around HK$60. The filling kai yat sai moo (omelette stuffed with pork, HK$45) is a folded parcel served on a bed of lettuce with freshly fried basil on top. The menu covers all the well-known Thai dishes and includes a few less-seen options such as Lao-style curries.
A few doors up at 25 Amoy Street, Thai Cafe Y Taberna (tel: 3484 3005) is a cosier place to linger over a meal, but booking is essential in the evening. Probably the coolest hangout on Amoy Street, by day it is a neighbourhood coffee shop serving Thai food, by night a bar/restaurant where couples and small groups sit down to a Thai feast.