2013 | stylebriefHongKong

Lace, linen and hand-dyeing

One of my all-time favourite Sunday afternoon past-times is hand-dyeing fabric. (I’m currently into lace). Sham Shui Po is the place to find fabric – I’ve bought lace ribbons, lace fabrics and lace collars. I buy it in cream or black (only colours available) and then I make use of any organic goods I have at home, coffee, tea, roses and start blending and steeping – I’ve created a romantic tea-stained hue, a beetroot pink and a milk chocolate from coffee. As well as using vegetables such as beetroot and pumpkins which are a wonderfully natural way to transform fabrics too. Read More…

Egg Tarts – Our Way

The egg tart is synonymous to Hong Kong. While researching authentic recipes for these sweet custard tarts we got inspired to create our own but with a twist. We stuck to the traditional crisp flaky pastry and added some new flavours. For more beautiful Chinese crockery to put your own custard tarts on head to 17 Staunton Street, Soho, Central, Hong Kong Island.

If you’re ever in Central, Hong Kong Island at about 11am just promise us you’ll go to Tai Cheong Bakery, G/F 35 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central. It’s a taste fix – they serve the egg tarts straight out of the oven. No wonder there’s always a queue.

Ceramics

I love the naturalness of ceramics and Hong Kong produces some of the most beautiful in the world – and they remind me of my mum patiently sculpting for hours then glazing and firing her pottery years ago when she still had her kiln. The use of this traditional craft form has endured the centuries – but I can see that the days of a wonderful Chinese ceramic store jam-packed with treasures covered in dust and grime on every corner, are sadly over. Staunton Street, Central, was always a favourite haunt of mine. I’d end up with a big box of plates cups and vases and unable to walk home.

Yuet Tung ChinaWorks is filled with old-world charm. There is an enormous variety – everything from dinnerware, egg cups, milk jugs, ornamental pieces and platters, to cake plates and cake stands. But the best thing is Yuet Tung still makes everything by hand – there is a kiln at the back of the warehouse and four artisans work on private orders for clients, hotels or stores. You can make a piece your own by requesting specific details on the design or even more fun is to design your own dinner service by showing the artists a picture of what you want – and then you walk away with a lasting piece you’ve personally invested in.

Units 1-3, 3/F, Kowloon Bay Industrial Centre, 15 Wang Hoi Rd, Kowloon Bay. Tel: +852 2796 1125.

Kowloon City Thai area

Head out to Kowloon City. Also known as Little Thailand, it’s a buzzy, eclectic hotspot for amazing food and history lessons all on the edge of the Kowloon Walled City Park. The Thai community relocated to Kowloon City in the nineties from Central on Hong Kong Island when redevelopment took over. You can source wonderful Thai delicacies here – everything from curry pastes, fruit, freshly made coconut juices and desserts, to beauty products and Thai orchids.

Check out In Love Thai Healthy for coconut oils and creams, shampoos and conditioners and an exquisitely scented range of Thai beauty products. D2, G/F, 52D Nga Tsin Wai Rd, Kowloon City. Tel: +852 3487 2406. For fresh herbs, pre-made curries and Thai sweets go straight to Ban ThaiThai, G/F 52B Nga Tsin Wai Rd, Kowloon City. Tel: +852 2382 5599. If you are looking for fresh fruits such as pomegranates, mangoes and pineapples the best streets are South Wall Road and Nga Tsin Wai Road. The area makes your mouth water for Thai cuisine. Here’s a couple of recipes we’ve added below for you from Belinda.

Chinese Letter Boxes

Chinese letter box – when Belinda first moved to Hong Kong almost seven years ago she used to be fascinated by them. She loves that they are always the same size and shape and with little cut-out symbols on the front. The colours are always different, some are old and some are new, but they are the same. Belinda made it her mission to find out what the symbols mean. It represents two old Hong Kong coins set in pairs because the Chinese believe pairs to be lucky. The idea is that the letters are placed inside the boxes and will bring luck to the receiver.

Cheung Kee Copper & Iron – a little stall on Pottinger Street steps between Wellington St and Hollywood Road in Central, Hong Kong Island sells Chinese letter boxes. As well as coming in many different colours, you can choose your own pantone shade to be matched for your box if you wish.

Chinese Wooden Biscuit Moulds

Belinda got her love of freshly baked treats from her mother who always made biscuits and cakes. In my childhood, too, there were rarely packaged sweets. These biscuit moulds appeal to our love of freshly baked goodies. And Hong Kong is filled with such winning moulds for cooking in. Belinda used them to whip up a delicious biscuit with a cardamom twist (recipe below). Most of the wooden moulds were sourced from Shanghai Street in Yau Ma Tei.

Top two faves for baking goods are WoodWork Professor, G/F 335-339 Shanghai Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon, Tel: +852 2332 2443, www.woodwork-professor.com and New Chun Fat, 277 Shanghai Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon, Tel: +852 2388 5318.

Party time

Belinda and I recently worked on a fashion shoot for a children’s magazine based in Hong Kong. The theme was Oriental and living in Hong Kong is truly a stylist’s playground. We sourced most of the props for the food shots from Shanghai Street in Prince Edward. Our two favourite shops for all party products are Woodwork Professor, G/F 335-339, Shanghai St, Tel: +852 2332 2443, www.woodwork-professor.com and I Love Cake, G/F 338, Shanghai St, Tel: +852 2671 2671, www.ilovecake.hk.
The clothes were sourced from a great French brand: La Petite Caravane www.lapetitecaravane.com. Thy-Tien Crampton is now based in Hong Kong and is a young French designer who has a lovely eye when it comes to prints and design. Her children’s clothes are well constructed and only run in a very limited edition as fabric is often vintage and sourced from around the globe. With Belinda’s past experience in food styling she was able to create some delicious recipes. I have posted them here for you.

Tai Hang

Tai Hang, which in Chinese means The Big Water Channel, is just a few minutes walk from Causeway Bay located on the harbour side of Hong Kong Island. There are street-side stalls selling everything from plastic canvas shoes to temple offerings. My favourite kind of boutiques, selling vintage clothing, great interior pieces and good cafes add to the appeal of going here. The area is famous for its dancing Fire Dragon during the mid-autumn Lantern Festival. And this is something everyone should see. About 300 performers and over 72,000 incense sticks do some serious styling to a 67-metre straw dragon which is then paraded through the colourful streets. http://taihangfiredragon.hk/home.htm

Yearly Archives: 2013

Lace, linen and hand-dyeing

Egg Tarts – Our Way

Ceramics

Kowloon City Thai area

Chinese Letter Boxes

Chinese Wooden Biscuit Moulds

Party time

Tai Hang

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