Hang Ten in Tai Hang

Tai Hang, you ask? This little slice of old Hong Kong near Causeway Bay and Happy Valley has been sort of a hipster hangout since the 60s and 70s, when the richies from Happy Valley would drive down to get their fancy automobiles serviced at the garages while they chilled out in the bing suts. No, it’s not as thoroughly cool as Tokyo’s Naka-Meguro, or as cobble-stoned and charming as Abbesses in Montmartre, Paris, but it’s one of Hong Kong’s more authentic neighborhoods that has been left relatively intact. Recently, the area has been experiencing a bit of a renaissance as modern-day hipsters, fashion designers, minor celebs, and artists move in and open boutiques, cafes and trendy new office and residential spaces.

In particular, the little grid of streets around the main drag of Wun Sha, the neighborhood’s nucleus, has seen an explosion of cool one-off shops and boutique cafés open up amid the vegetable stands, tatty cha chaan tengs, congee dives and dirty garages. This is our top ten from one of Hong Kong’s last authentic neighborhoods on the island.

Man Sing

Open since the 1970s, Man Sing was one of the first proper restaurants in the area (excluding the dai pai dongs). The proprietress is the uber-social and jocular Carol Mak, and it’s enjoyed the patronage of many a Cantopop star in its day. With its dirt-cheap prices and absolutely stellar food, Man Sing is still one of the most popular restaurants in Tai Hang, and the many plastic stools outside are almost always filled up during meal hours. Their signature meat cake is a mountainous mound of ground pork, speckled with bits of fatty meat to keep it succulent and tender and topped licentiously with a single salty egg yolk and a drizzling of soy sauce. The dish is a favorite with many diners, including karaoke king Eason Chan. Other great menu items include the steamed egg with crab and their spicy and fragrant “saliva chicken.”
16 Wun Sha St., 2576-7272

Izakaya Mizaki

There are ramen and Japanese curry houses around the hood, but Jason, Dan and Sam’s Izakaya Mizaki on the corner of the Wun Sha main street offers a bit of Vancouver-style Japanese fusion for nostalgic Vancouverites in the area. We suggest you go for the rolls—BC rolls, dragon rolls, sunset rolls, black wing rolls, quail egg and fish roe sushi, and the Japanese yam tempura roll. For a bit more decadence, down a shot glass of daiginjou, pearl oyster, uni and salmon roe. Regina Ip likes coming here too.
2 Sun Chun St., 3488-5543

Café Locomotive

Café Locomotive serves up Viet cuisine with a modern flair. Around the restaurant you’ll find cute details like vintage luggage, sepia photographs of old ‘Nam, and custom-made serving ware. Fortunately, equal attention is placed on the food. The signature pho is huge, served in a ginormous bowl and layered with different cow parts: chewy tripe, tender yet yielding meatballs, and thin slices of raw, red beef which cook slowly in the steaming, aromatic broth. Add a squeeze of lime, a handful of fresh herbs, and a sprinkle of chilies, and it’s a perfect meal in itself. Another mention-worthy dish is the fork-tender beef brisket curry, with a basket of toasted bread for soaking up the full-flavored sauce. For something special during the summer, also try the iced ching po leung drink, which is a sweet and refreshing take on an old Chinese herbal soup favorite.
11 Wun Sha St., 2882-8227

Café Y Taberna

Café Y Taberna is an interesting little dimly lit Christian café. With a soundtrack of praise songs in the background, you can browse their bookshelves filled with comics, cookbooks, Gujarati textbooks, the Chronicles of Narnia (natch), Bible commentaries and of course, the Holy Book. “Don’t worry about hardcore evangelizing, we won’t keep talking Jesus,” says Phillip Ho, who whips up the food in the open kitchen. Go with the theme and try their Shepherd’s pie with a fine red wine like Juan Gil 07, or a dark, heady and spicy Hoegaarden Verboden Vrucht (Forbidden Fruit). And if you do crave a regular Hoegaarden, spread the Gospel: it’s only $20 (Stella as well) when you order food or during Happy Hour.
16, King St., 2577-7165

Mooi and ARIA

Mooi is the furniture shop lovechild of local collector Erica and her Taiwanese partner, who jet off to Germany and Denmark regularly to bring back an eclectic mix of retro furniture with a 70s feel. It’s a kitschy cool collection of lamps, dolls, hats, gloves, antique suitcases and cute gnomes. Once you’re done there, head to ARIA, a spacious furniture shop that showcases a wall of cool designer clocks. Just opened for around two months, its decor is sleek Italian chic in black and white. The shop’s big pieces are made in China, so prices are less cutthroat. Check out their online store as well.
Mooi, Shop B, 15 Ormsby St., 2882-1384; ARIA, 2-4 Warren St., www.ariahk.com

Qian Hou Gum

Open for three months only, Qian Hou Gum has already been generating a lot of buzz in the area for putting their own, distinctive stamp on well-known Hong Kong desserts. It puts a fair bit of competition on Xiao Tian Gu, the much-hyped mini Planet H(K)ollywood in the hood opened by local celeb Jo Kok. All their desserts are made from scratch, like their combination grass jelly, which comes in four flavors—original, coconut, chrysanthemum, and green tea. But the eatery’s shining star is without a doubt the mango “cheung fun.” The unbelievably smooth coconut-flavored wrapper is extremely well made, thick enough to remain intact, yet thin enough not to overpower the taste of the fresh mango filling. Try your hardest not to slurp the whole thing down in one go.
4 Shepherd St., 5178-0010

GUGU Café

Primary school pals Jennifer and Gordon decided to live their dream and open coffee shop GUGU Cafe. Jennifer’s the chef, while Gordon, who studied classical music in Holland and fell in love with the “coffee houses” there, performs as the resident barista. Try his Shakkiado, chilled espresso and peach juice served in a champagne flute. Shaken not stirred, it’s like a caffeine Bellini, perfect for a hot summer afternoon. Not a coffee fan? Try an aged Earl Grey to go with their Ugly Dirty Chocolate Cake. Gordon emphasizes the use of their own blend of beans, as well as fresh ingredients for their homemade dishes. Also try the scrumptious braised oxtail penne, or a light snack such as the duck foie gras paté on crackers with raspberry vinegar glaze. While GUGU doesn’t have a liquor license yet, they’ve struck a deal with Brix just up the road, so you can head to the latter to choose a quality wine, sherry or port (they have a portfolio exceeding 600 wines from over 10 countries) and BYOB.
GUGU, 19 School St., 2895-0019; Brix, Shop A-C, 6-6A Wun Sha St., 2808-0032

Tuckshop

Located next to an old dai pai dong on the main drag of Wun Sha, the bright pink Tuckshop offers Tai Hang-ers a range of imported goodies. Rows of kawaii Japanese snacks line the back shelves while various colorfully packaged Korean candies and chocolates fill up boxes at the cashier counter. Don’t forget to dip into the freezer, which is stocked with interesting iced treats like durian popsicles from Indonesia, Japan’s sweet potato ice cream, and the popular Melona. We also totally recommend the effervescent giant Coke balls.
1 Wun Sha St., 2571-1648

New service apartments in Tai Hang

Why do people frequent Tai Hang?