What is Hong Kong without roast goose?
My mom and I were in Hong Kong on Jan. 18, a week before Chinese New Year and a week before the novel coronavirus broke out and sent the world into a health frenzy. It was a weekend trip for some R&R and to see what Hong Kong was like after the violent rallies last year. Little did we know that there was going to be a travel ban to Hong Kong, it being a special administrative region of China where the novel coronavirus started. There are also new reports of H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in Hunan, China and in eastern India as well. In a way I’m glad we made the trip days before all these scares surfaced.
Hong Kong is no longer the same (my last trip was in November 2018). Upon arrival, I saw that the airport wasn’t as busy. There were fewer tourists as evidenced by the short lines in immigration. I remember when it usually took 20 to 30 minutes before it was your turn. Perhaps due to the installation of automated e-security gates powered by facial-recognition technology, it took us tourists just 20 seconds to proceed through security this time.
As soon as we stepped out of the airport, the cool temperature welcomed us. The weather in Hong Kong in January is perfect (18 to 22 degrees) and quite conducive to eating. So that’s what we did in the 48 hours we were there.
We originally planned to have dinner in Sweet Dynasty restaurant along Hankow road. When we got there, we were told that it had closed down late last year. I can only surmise that the rallies were what forced many businesses to shut down. We ended up in the Din Tai Fung just across our hotel and I was very happy to have my fill of the truffle and pork Xiao Long Bao that isn’t available in Manila.
The next day, we had an early lunch at Duck Victoria (formerly MC Duck) to avoid the long lines. I highly recommend the meaty and tasty fried crab claws, and of course, the mouth-watering Peking duck! The skin was crispy, the meat was moist, and the pancake was paper thin light and fluffy.
After lunch, my mom and I took a walk and browsed. We noticed that sales people are kinder now. They allow you to take photos unlike before when they were suplada and masungit. The salesman assisting me was very talkative as I was buying rubber shoes for my kids. I asked him how business was and he said that though it was very bad, he’s grateful that he still has a job. He mentioned that in December 2018, sales for their store reached HK$12M while in 2019, the figure was down by 80 percent!
For dinner, we decided on Thai cuisine at Sweet Basil and it was the catfish salad that was absolutely delicious! The tom yum, pad thai and chicken curry were equally delightful as well. It was the perfect break from all the Chinese food we had earlier.
But what is Hong Kong without roast goose? For our last meal before we flew back to Manila, we had lunch at Goose Manor along Ashley road. Without hesitation, I ordered the goose, some vegetables, half a cup of steaming white rice and a glass of ice-cold Coke zero… heavenly! I don’t know which I like more, roast goose or Peking duck. For me, they’re both “must-haves” when in Hong Kong.
After lunch, we headed off to the airport. There used to be multiple entrance gates, but now there’s just one. The line snakes as you enter, and the staff checks your passport and ticket before you are allowed in. I guess this is a security measure that prevents protesters from entering and disrupting operations. We were in line for around 15 minutes because there were only two people checking the documents.
Hopefully, Hong Kong can make a comeback and attract tourists just like they used to before the rallies and before the 2019-nCoV. But more than that, I’m hoping that a cure for the novel coronavirus will be found very soon.
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