North Point | Fotoeins Fotografie

Hong Kong: dining magic at North Point’s Tung Po

1 Sep 2022: Tung Po forced to close after 30 years in business (TimeOut HKG).

If you’re in Hong Kong, one thing you should do is make reservations at Tung Po in North Point (北角) for a truly local dining experience. Reservations are especially recommended as the place is packed solid by 7pm.

Why should you care?

As a “dai pai dong” which has moved indoors into the Java Road Cooked Food Centre, Tung Po Kitchen has excellent fresh seafood, is recommended by many, and frequented by locals. The place opens for dinner between 530 and 545pm, and within an hour to two, the floor is full of people, the noise levels are so high it’s hard to hear the person in front of you, and the food keeps coming and coming and coming …

You should care, because this is a place where locals come to eat.

I care, because my sister had been to Tung Po before, and she satisfied my request to dine at this well-reviewed joint.

We decided to keep things “light” by ordering only the following four items:

black squid-ink noodle,
oyster omelette,
deep fried spicy prawns with garlic, and
soup with Chinese zucchini, green pea vermicelli, chinese mushroom, dried shrimp, and ginger.

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Hong Kong: the total 3-week food score

Above/featured: Dim sum/yum cha, The Graces (玉桃軒), Lee Theatre Plaza, Causeway Bay – 10 Jun 2012.

I wrote recently about what I ate during the 2nd-quarter of 2012 on my continuing around-the-world (RTW) trip. As I spent over 3 weeks of June in Hong Kong, I wanted to give the food in Hong Kong its fair due: look, salivate, and enjoy. Also, check out this visually appealing beginners’ guide to dim sum.

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Hong Kong: night skyline from Kowloon

The scene might compel the viewer to don a pair of ice-skates, except for the fact the nighttime outdoor temperature in June is +27C/81F.

At the Kowloon Public Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Hong Kong city skyline is front and centre. Among the many illuminated buildings, you’ll pick out the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, and the Bank of China building and 2 IFC tower in the Central district.

I made the photos above on the evening of 30 June 2012 with the Canon EOS450D camera, 18-55mm kit-lens, and a tripod. The range of shooting parameters were f/14 to f/22, one to four minutes of exposure, ISO100, and 18- to 34-mm focal length. The small apertures (“large” f-ratios) prevent harsh glare or saturation by strong lights, and the long exposure times smooth out the “random” nature of the wave action in the water.

It’s easy to agree and difficult to ignore how photogenic the city skyline is, by day or at night.

For a slower yet inexpensive ride with a great view of Hong Kong, take the Star ferry from Hong Kong’s Central or Wan Chai, across Victoria Harbour, to Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui.

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