- Blast from the past! And videos like these make me realize I'm no longer young
Yesterday, I crossed the Victoria Harbor from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. The destination of choice was none other than the Bel-Air residential developments. (I guess if you wanted an easy way to associate yourself with wealth and pedigree, just name your apartment complex after some other rich neighborhood).
- I snapped a photo before I arrived at the entrance
- These two... I don't even know what to call them, greeted the people that entered through the front gate of the complex. There were a ton of other unique architectural designs (I was surprised to see such a heavy infusion of Greco-Roman and pre-Victorian statues and design templates) but, I was told that I should not be taking photos as it would make the residents uncomfortable. I complied... I did not want to get kicked out. Not yet, at least.
The primary purpose of the trip that day was to grab a bite with some people I know who happen to live here. They had just recently moved into the Bel-Air complex and since I happen to be visiting Hong Kong... the rest just fell in place. Breakfast, to put it simply, was breath-taking. I made sure a photo was taken along with a short video clip.
- I could have sat here for hours...
- Time to nom nom nom! Fruity breakfast get in my belly!
After breakfast, a little chit-chatting, some back and forth banter and the usual catching up topic of "what have you been up to in life," we headed out for another meal. The destination of choice was the Pacific Club, one of those exclusive country clubs you take your guests to when you want to impress them and show off. I guess I should feel flattered I was worthy of being a target of impression.
- The view from the Pacific Club balcony right outside their dining hall. The view was suppose to be gorgeous but the presence of fog and lack of complete nightfall limited what I'm sure would have been a spectacular viewpoint. The building to the left is also the 4th tallest building in the world (why you can't even see its top). I was told, over and over and over about this fact as if they personally built the tower.
- I managed to take one picture before people devoured the food. The seafood buffet had items imported from New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines and some other island states. Yummy in my tummy!
- We also had a private chef come into the dining hall to put on a cooking display. The most unique item he cooked was some kind of tiny, live fish. [Disclaimer: the method they cooked them, soon to be described, is not for the animal lovers out there]. What they did was they initially put around 5-6 "fishes" into a large glass container. They were extremely fresh, and you could tell because they were still jumping inside the container (flip-flopping around) as if they were just pulled out of the ocean. A few seconds later, someone comes in with a jug of liquid. (I presume its oil, but I have no idea) The assistant slowly funnels the liquid/oil into the glass container and the lively/fresh fish slowly flop around less and less (as if they were getting suffocated). Once the movement slowed down dramatically in the glass container, the liquid was funneled out and the fish quickly put into a brazen clay pot. The chef proceeded to spike up the fire (see picture above) and cook it before our very eyes. The meal was delicious!
A couple hours with the wealthy and the exquisite dining experiences makes for a fulfilling and unique day!
