INSIDER’S HONG KONG
Guest post by Hong-Konger, coffee addict and food and drink journalist Charmaine Mok
I’m originally from Calgary, Canada, but since I haven’t been back there for 17 years, I consider myself a half Hong Konger, half Londoner - my family is from the former, and it’s where I now live (again) after spending the last seven years in London.
Eat with the locals at shops and dai pai dongs whose ownership spans decades – tofu-phobes might just change their minds after a bowl of the silkiest tofu-fa dessert at Kung Wo Soybean Factory, a rustic local joint famed for its beany products.
Tak Hing Lung, hidden behind the market stalls in North Point’s Marble Road, is its equal on the island side.
Or have a scrambled egg sandwich and macaroni-in-soup breakfast at the chaotic Australian Dairy Company (note: it has nothing to do with the Aussies), where the scarily-efficient waiters can clear the tables and take your order at the same time.
The streets are lined with so much to see – take the rusting facades of the old Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market, which still runs in the wee hours of the morning. It’s in close proximity to a former Art Deco-style soft-porn cinema, which has recently relaunched as a venue for classic Chinese opera - still hitting those high notes, then. 
Hong Kong isn’t just about Blade Runner-esque skyscrapers; one of my favourite getaway spots is further up north in the mountains, Tai Mo Shan to be exact, though I’m there more for the old-school dim sum at Choi Lung than the hiking trails (which are excellent, I hear). It isn’t always easy living here – high rents, pollution, a shambles of a government to name a few vices – but every time someone comes to visit me and I get to play tour guide, I’m again reminded about how much this petit island has up its silk sleeve. Hopefully my recommendations will show you the lesser-seen side of Hong Kong.
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