COFFEE IN THE CITY
Guest post by Hong-Konger, coffee addict and food and drink journalist Charmaine Mok
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” - The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S Eliot.
Ah, the line that inspired the name of one of my favourite coffee spots in the world, Prufrock in London, England. Replace the word ‘life’ with 'holidays’ and there you have a pretty concise description of the way I travel these days. Along with the obligatory planning of must-visit restaurants, bars, and cultural points of interest, there now resides a little section in my itinerary that I reserve for the consumption of quality coffee (and often cakes).
It all started in London, where I learned the ropes of basic barista-ing during university, triggering a slight obsession for coffee; a few years later, London found itself in the middle of an all-out coffee revolution – the Aussies and Kiwis were bringing their brand of awesome coffee-making to the city, and there quickly bloomed a succession of fantastic 'third wave’ coffee shops who paid attention not only to the way they pulled their shots or drew pretty latte art, but the provenance of their beans and how to make the best cup of coffee whether it was an Aeropress, siphon or Chemex in their arsenal. London’s coffee scene is one of the best in the world at the moment, in my humble opinion, though every city has its highlights.
LONDON
The best coffee bars here have got to be the aforementioned Prufrock, where coffee geekery is taken to the next level. I also love The Espresso Room, Tapped & Packed, Birdhouse, Workshop Coffee Company and newcomer Salvation Jane.
PARIS
Coutume Cafe opened in 2010, finally bringing serious coffee to the Paris city centre. To date, theirs is still one of the best ice drip coffees I’ve ever had.
PERTH
This sleepy town in Western Australia is up there with the rest of Australia in terms of quality coffee. Zekka Café impressed with their excellent flat whites, incredible space and impossibly nice baristas.
MELBOURNE
Proud Mary, home of one of the best ice drip coffees I’ve ever had, and epic brunches.
A close second would be Dead Man Espresso in South Melbourne, where a delicate, buttery biscuity espresso blend from Aussie roasters Seven Seeds made my day.
SYDNEY
Reuben Hills - hip to the max but with a real spine of substance. Their espresso of the day is always worth trying.
SEOUL
Five Extracts Coffee - home to a 2010 Korea Barista Champion, they’ve got excellent roasts and a signature coffee worth trying: tart orange syrup, espresso and tangy cream.
HONG KONG
Rabbithole Coffee & Roasters opened earlier this year, and is now my favourite spot for ice drip coffees and good conversation.
And so wherever I travel, I seek a good cup of coffee. A network of brilliant baristas and coffee geeks, armed with their caffeine knowledge, makes this easier, and hopefully my small but growing collection will be of use for other caffeine fiends too.
PS. I know Italy is conspicuously absent from this list. I blame it on all the gelato I had instead.
You can find Charmaine’s entire coffee collection here.
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.