Adventure Weekend in Hong Kong

These two days of heart-pumping activities and innovative eats are bound to sate any adrenaline junkie’s cravings.

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Published: 4:00pm, 2 Feb 2012Updated: 3:04pm, 19 Oct 2016

Friday

Forget a traditional happy hour and opt to take a seat behind the wheel instead. Sideways Driving Club (LG/F, 1-2 Chancery Lane, Central, 2523-0983, www.sideways-driving-club.com) has 13 high-tech racing simulators, the same kind professional drivers use for training. Prices range from $200 for 30 minutes of driving to up to $1,500 for a five-hour package. Plus, Sideways has a fully stocked bar—owners joke it’s the only place in Hong Kong where you can safely drink and drive.

Work up an appetite, then head to Bo Innovation (2/F, 60 Johnston Rd., Wan Chai, 2850-8371). Michelin-star chef Alvin Leung calls his philosophy of cooking “X-treme”—he’s known for inventive (and expensive) culinary creations that offer a contemporary twist on traditional Chinese food. With no a la carte menu, prepare yourself for the multiple courses of the tasting menu ($880), the chef’s menu ($1,380) or the chef’s table menu ($1,880). A hint of what’s in store: in a dessert inspired by Hong Kong’s signature pineapple bun, the confection looks exactly like an average bo lo bau fresh from the bakery, but it’s actually made up of butter ice cream with vanilla.

Saturday

Get your heart rate up at one of Impakt’s group classes or personal training sessions. The 5,000-square-foot mixed martial arts (MMA) studio in Central (2/F, Wing’s Building, 110-116 Queen’s Rd. Central, 2167-7218) offers instruction in a range of techniques from Muay Thai to karate to Brazilian jujitsu. On Saturdays at 2pm, Impakt hosts an hour-long MMA group class that’s limited to six people, which is a good intro to the sport. No worries if you’re not a member—a trial class is only $200, or sign up for personal training at $500 an hour. Call to make a booking.

It’s time for a pick-me-up after all that hardcore activity. Try some protein-packed food, aka bugs, at Delicious Inn Restaurant (29-33 Shun Ning Rd., Sham Shui Po, 2748-0002), which serves up plates of bees, beetles and scorpions. (Be warned: it doesn’t open till 4pm but stays open until 3am). Heck, some experts are even saying that insects the food of the future because they’re easy to raise and don’t create a lot of waste. Get ready for some more unusual foodstuffs at Ser Wong Lam (13 Hillier St., Sheung Wan, 2543-8032). This is one of the increasingly rare eateries in Hong Kong that still serves snake. According to proprietor Master Mak, eating snake is healthy and good for the body. The meat is cholesterol-free, and it’s also said that snake meat can help fire up the libido.

Sunday

Let guide Paul Etherington whisk you out to the beautiful Sai Kung coastline to frolic among volcanically formed islands. As part of a Kayak + Hike (9300-5197, www.kayak-and-hike.com) excursion, hop on a junk in Sai Kung and then head out to the Hong Kong Geopark to pick up your kayaks, which you can paddle alongside beachy shores and steer under rocky arches. Etherington can accommodate up to 20 people in the kayaks and another 10 who’d prefer just to chill on the junk. (Only the die-hards go out in the winter, though.) Prices range from $600-800 per person.

Time for an indulgent private-kitchen feast: Chef Mandy Nathali—who is British-born, of Punjabi Indian descent and married to a Trinidadian—cooks up flavorful Caribbean feasts in her cozy home in Sai Kung. Caribbean food contains a host of influences—from colonial European to that of laborers from Africa, China and India. At Mandy’s Private Kitchen (9816-9946, www.mandysprivatekitchen.com), one signature dish is a leg of lamb that’s been marinated in spices for five days and then slow-cooked over a barbecue. Other specialties include jerk chicken and tenderloin basted with hot brown sugar. Nathali also makes her sauces and chutneys from scratch, and sells them jarred, too. She can seat from eight up to 25 people either indoors or on her patio; during the warmer months you can request to use the private swimming pool. Prices range from $400 to $800 based on the menu.