sábado, 19 de marzo de 2011

36 Hours in Hong Kong

THE ASIA ISSUE: 36 HOURS

36 Hours in Hong Kong

Christie Johnston for The New York Times

From Left The shoe guru Rupert Sanderson's first flagship outside Britain; at Chi Lin Nunnery, a welcome respite from the urban bustle; the ever-popular dim sum house Tim Ho Wan. More Photos »

By NAOMI LINDT

Published: March 17, 2011

REPRINTS

IN Hong Kong, that most cosmopolitan of cities, contrasts abound. Ladies toting Gucci handbags wait two hours in dingy alleys for a coveted bowl of noodles. Incense-filled Buddhist temples fight for space with gleaming new high-rises. Cutting-edge art galleries share a block with junk shops. Always reinventing itself — a recent example being the rebirth of the former marine police headquarters as the 1881 Heritage, housing a luxury mall and boutique hotel — Hong Kong is a city of constant change. Its coiffed, work-hard-play-harder professionals attract the world’s most inventive chefs to their city, while the nonstop shoppers — soldiering on, late into the night — get first shot at the latest in fashion and design. Somehow, over seven million residents have managed to carve out a niche in this buzzing, compact, vertical city.

Hong Kong

Friday

5 p.m.
1) START WITH ART

Hong Kong has lagged behind places like New York and London when it comes to the arts. But recent high-profile arrivals like Ben Brown Fine Arts and the Gagosian Gallery, coupled with the city’s plans to develop the West Kowloon Cultural District over the next decade, signal a creative awakening. Head to trendy Sheung Wan and its independent galleries to see the latest in contemporary international art. For photography, try the Upper Station (22 Upper Station Street; 852-3486-2474;theupperstation.com), known for work that examines Hong Kong’s changing identity. The nonprofit Para/Site Art Space (4 Po Yan Street; 852-2517-4620; para-site.org.hk) hosts exhibitions that often feature political or social commentary by emerging artists from places like Indonesia and Thailand.

8 p.m.
2) CULINARY RENAISSANCE

Following a $65 million renovation involving designers like Colin Cowie and Charles Allem, the 50-year-old Hotel Miramar in Tsim Tsa Shui was reborn as the Mira Hotel in late 2009. Not only are the rooms getting raves, but its Cantonese restaurant, Cuisine Cuisine (118 Nathan Road; 852-2315-5222;themirahotel.com), scored two Michelin stars this year under Ken Yu, known for his use of fresh ingredients and exquisite homemade sauces. Dishes like honey-glazed barbecued pork (130 Hong Kong dollars, or about $17 at 7.6 Hong Kong dollars to the U.S. dollar) and pan-fried cod with pomelo sauce (240 dollars) are served under a ceiling of suspended glass balls.

10:30 p.m.
3) SING IT OUT

Karaoke bars come in all shapes and sizes on Kowloon, but to see fashionable 20- and 30-somethings in full crooner mode, head to Cloudnine on Minden Avenue’s night-life strip (No. 8; 852-2723-6383). In the dimly lighted back room, the casual cool crowd — men in designer jeans and sneakers, women with blunt bangs and in miniskirts — share bottles of Johnnie Walker and tackle syrupy Cantopop ballads while lounging on velour couches. For a breath of fresh air, head across the street for a glass of wine (66 Hong Kong dollars) on the leafy terrace at Courtney’s (No. 7, the Minden Hotel; 852-2739-7777;theminden.com).

Saturday

9 a.m.
4) TRADITIONAL TRACK

For over 100 years, compact double-decker trams (hktramways.com) have been rumbling back and forth across Hong Kong Island. They still provide one of the cheapest and most scenic ways to experience the city’s daily life with a bird’s-eye view. Hop on anywhere along the line, grab a seat on the upper deck and watch the colorful panorama unfold — outdoor markets spilling over with choy sum and bok choy; storefronts strung with glistening Peking duck; old-school barber shops; and high-rises budding from the hills. A one-way ride is just 2 Hong Kong dollars.

11 a.m.
5) NOODLE MANIA

Disembark near the Central MTR station and walk toward D’Aguilar Street to partake of another Hong Kong obsession: Butao Ramen (11-12 Wo On Lane; bowl of soup from 75 Hong Kong dollars). Hong Konger Meter Chen sampled more than 800 bowls of ramen during his 15 years in Japan before convincing his favorite Tokyo chef to join him in opening this tiny 15-seat dining spot last October. Devotees wait in line for up to two hours to slurp one of the day’s 200 bowls, which are filled with a salty pork-rib-based broth, thin noodles and finely sliced barbecued pork, ear mushrooms and scallions.

12:30 p.m.
6) THE BRITISH ARE COMING

The British fashion designer Gareth Pugh opened his first store in the world last year on Ice House Street (No. 10; 852-2801-5332), sharing the block with Comme des Garçons and Ann Demeulemeester. His goth-rock designs — cropped tops made of safety pins; second-skin leather pants — are housed in a creepy, cavernous space. A short walk away is Rupert Sanderson’s first flagship outside of Britain (8 On Lan Street; 852-2530-3391;rupertsanderson.com), where you’ll find patent oxfords and sky-high python-skin platforms.

3 p.m.
7) TEA TIME

Wind your way through pond- and bird-filled Hong Kong Park to reach the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware (10 Cotton Tree Drive; 852-2869-0690; hk.art.museum; free), which chronicles over 3,000 years of Chinese tea drinking. Housed in a 167-year-old Greek Revival mansion that was once the residence of the commander of the British forces, the collection includes intricately designed tea services with flourishes like mother-of-pearl inlay and hand-painted fish and swallows. Afterward, sip a perfectly steeped cup (from 38 Hong Kong dollars) at the adjacent antiques-filled Lock Cha Tea House (852-2801-7177; lockcha.com).

7:30 p.m.
8) CHEF’S TABLE

In response to astronomical rents and ruthless landlords, chef-run private kitchens — speakeasy-like restaurants in residential buildings — have taken Hong Kong by storm. A noteworthy newcomer is TBLS (31 Hollywood Road, seventh floor; 852-2544-3433; tbls-kitchenstudio.com), where the young Vietnamese-American chef Que Vinh Dang prepares a six-course set menu (580 Hong Kong dollars) that changes monthly. The open kitchen takes center stage in the minimalist space, producing dishes like cassoulet pot pie with homemade sausage, tomato-basil alphabet soup with a wagyu beef sloppy Joe, and “instant sangría”: macerated fruit, homemade rainbow sorbet and red wine. To secure one of the 26 seats, book at least a month in advance.

10 p.m.
9) SHAKE IT UP

The cocktail revolution has hit Hong Kong’s shores, led by year-old Lily & Bloom (33 Wyndham Street; 852-2810-6166; lily-bloom.com). The New York firm AvroKO (the Stanton Social, Public) designed the brasserie-meets-supper club space — black banquettes, wrought-iron chandeliers, vintage glassware — and the Milk & Honey alum Christy Pope consulted on the menu, which includes the Old Cuban (120 Hong Kong dollars), made with 23-year-old rum, mint and lime; and a blackberry-pineapple sidecar (110 dollars). At boudoir-themed Varga Lounge (36 Staunton Street; 852-2104-9697;greenflashgroup.com.hk), sip signature tipples like the absinthe-and-pineapple Green Fairy (70 dollars) among images of ’50s pinup girls and retro furniture.

Sunday

10 a.m.
10) HOT BUNS

Scoring a seat at the dim sum house Tim Ho Wan (2-20 Kwong Wa Street; 852-2332-2896) should be your main mission of the day. The chef Mak Pui Gor left his post at the Four Seasons’ three-star Lung King Heen in 2009 to open this crammed, hole-in-the-wall, which received its own star soon after opening. Everything is amazing here, but the sugarcoated baked barbecued pork buns (14 Hong Kong dollars) are superb. Waits can be as long as four hours and you’ll need to be pushy — don’t hesitate to repeatedly show your number to the gruff lady who runs the show and demand an update (you can ask for a wait estimate and return later). It’s worth it.

1 p.m.
11) SPIRITED GARDENS

The tranquil, bonsai-filled grounds and lotus ponds at Chi Lin Nunnery (5 Chi Lin Drive; 852-2354-1888; chilin.org) are a welcome respite from the urban bustle. Founded in 1934 but rebuilt in the 1990s, the wide-eaved Tang Dynasty-style wooden pavilions that make up the elaborate temple complex were built without a single nail. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of the shorn, brown- and gray-robed nuns placing orchids and bowls of fruit at the feet of gold-cloaked deities, just as they’ve done for decades.

IF YOU GO

The sprawling minimalist rooms at the Upper House (88 Queensway; 852-3968-1111;upperhouse.com) in Pacific Place, by the Hong Kong interior designer Andre Fu, offer commanding harbor and mountain views coupled with king-size beds, light wood paneling and limestone-clad baths. Doubles from 3,300 Hong Kong dollars, about $432.

Cherry red and lime green Arne Jacobsen Egg chairs punctuate the muted, technologically thoughtful rooms (in-room PC, Blu-ray player, mobile phone for guests’ use) at the design-savvy Mira (118 Nathan Road; 852-2368-1111; themirahotel.com), located among Tsim Sha Tsui’s many shops and restaurants. Doubles start at 1,615 dollars.

Occupying the top 16 floors of a 118-story building, the city’s tallest, the Ritz-Carlton (1 Austin Road West; 852-2263-2263; ritzcarlton.com) is making a triumphant return to Hong Kong. Introductory rates from 4,088 dollars.