Hong Kong Hangover Helpers
Had one too many jello shots last night? If it’s past midday and you’re still in bed reeking of late-night kebab, then you need our help. Sam Hui seeks out a few (mostly) foolproof Hong Kong hangover cures.
Stuff Your Face
One age-old way to curb the effects of a hangover is to clog the arteries with a greasy, deep-fried breakfast. The Diner, Arbuthnot Road’s faithful recreation of an all-American diner, obliges all your morning-after needs. The brunch menu is filled with satisfying bites, as well as antioxidant-laden Morning After smoothies that should blitz you back into tiptop shape.
Get it: 4-8 Arbuthnot Rd., Central, 2562-3181.
Dim Sum All Day
If a fat fry-up doesn’t do the trick, dim sum will. Check out One Dim Sum, which offers plenty of bang for your buck. Try and get a seat facing the window, and down dumplings till you feel better.
Get it: Shop 1&2, G/F, Kenwood Mansion, 15 Playing Field Rd., Prince Edward, 2789-2280.
One Dim Sum: let’s be honest, one is never enough
Hair of the Dog
Get right back on the horse with a Bloody Mary. In search of Hong Kong’s finest spicy concotion? Look no further than The Globe’s offering, which has pickled jalapeño to boot.
Get it: 45-53 Graham St., Central, 2543-1941.
The Globe's Bloody Mary, life’s way of saying you haven’t drunk enough
Go Herbal
Try to get yourself down to Central in one piece and order a cup of fa kei sum (花旗參), or American ginseng tea, at Good Spring Company Chinese Herbal Pharmacy (春回堂藥行). It’s an aromatic—albeit acquired—taste but it’s a cheap cure at $8 per cup. So hold your nose and knock it back.
Get it: 8 Cochrane St., Central, 2544-3518.
So many regrets, but herbal tea won't be one of them
Add Some Spice
With new Tex-Mex joints popping up all over town, it’s easier than ever to dig into a burrito after a long night of Jägerbombs. Drench your heaving burrito with spicy salsa and hot sauce to dropkick the hangriest of hangovers.
Get it: Little Burro, 1 Upper Station St., Sheung Wan, 2547-8821; Cali-Mex, 71 Wellington St., Central, 2325-3005.
Cali-Mex: Hot sauce is the solution
Sweat it Out
Some may say the key to getting over a hangover is to drink copious amounts of water. They’re wrong. The key to getting over a hangover is to drink copious amounts of Pocari Sweat. It’s so refreshing that not even its gross misnomer matters. It claims to be packed full of electrolytes, which sounds very promising.
Get it: Every 7-Eleven stocks this stuff, so you won’t have to stumble far from home.
Beautiful name, beautiful drink
Just Relax
Bid farewell to your hangover with Gentlemen’s Tonic’s “The Hemingway”: a tailor-made treatment that will get you back to fighting bulls and reeling marlin in no time. The two-hour package ($1,700) includes an aromatherapy facial, a neck, scalp, and shoulder massage and most importantly, a Bloody Mary on the side. You probably feel better just reading that.
Get it: Shop C, G/F, Sun Lee Building, 43-49 Wellington St., Central, 2525-2455.
Because you deserve some Gentlemen's Tonic
Pop Some Pills
Forget aspirin: when it comes to curing a hangover, nothing beats Hong Kong’s very own Po Chai Pills. It’s traditional Chinese medicine on a teensy scale: the miniscule pills come in vials of about 30 that you down all at once. They look and taste a little strange, but by the time you’ve finished squinting through the list of ingredients your hangover will (probably) have magically disappeared.
Get it: All pharmacies.
Pop those Po Chai Pills
Get Juiced
Nothing working so far? It’s time to go to extremes, and Genie Juicery is here to show us the light. The cold-pressed juices are literally made to help you detox—and we’ve had good luck with the Smooth Operator and Life Blood blends. If you can’t bear to do the whole cleanse, slip one into your morning routine, somewhere between the fry-up and the dim sum.
Get it: Shop 2096B, 2/F, IFC, 8 Finance St., Central, 2644-5875.
Stop drinking, start juicing
Take a Hike
No, seriously. The best way to beat your hangover is to sweat it out—if you have a masochistic disposition, at least. Our hangover hike of choice? Section 5 of the MacLehose Trail. Passing through Ma On Shan and Lion Rock Country Parks, the hike takes you along where the British held their defensive line in WWII, a military position colloquially known as the Gin Drinkers’ Line. You’ll fit right in.
Just walk it off, dude. Photo: Scott Edmunds via Flickr
