Ewens-Downing Adventures in Asia

We got back from Stanley in time to have afternoon tea at the Peninsula. Being that the hotel came from British origins, naturally they would have a proper English tea each afternoon. We had seen people having tea in the lobby restaurant. I was looking forward to it. Years ago we had tea at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. We wanted to continue the tradition at another famous world hotel.

After being seated we each ordered our selections of tea. I had an Earl Grey while Ron had the Darjeeling. It was fun to see the tea served with all the pomp and circumstance. They used little coseys on the pots to protect our fingers from the heat. In no time the three-tiered tray of snacks arrived. Per tradition we ate from the top-up. The first tier had butter scones. The second, finger sandwiches. And the third the sweets. It was nice to take some time out from the running around to just enjoy the ambiance of the Peninsula. While we ate and drank a live trio of piano, cello and drums played Beatles tunes from a balcony above. It was sublime.

The previous night Ron and I had dinner at the Peninsula. Our package included dinner for two at one of their many restaurants. We chose the Cantonese Chinese style restaurant, Spring Moon. The food was interesting but it wasn’t very spicy. In a word, it was a bit bland. We thought they might be dumbing-down the cuisine for the tourists. So on our second night we wanted some good spicy food. In our Hong Kong guide book Ron found a restaurant that fit the bill. The Red Pepper got rave reviews and was in an area we could get to easily. We hopped on the subway for spicy-town in the Causeway Bay area.

At first we weren’t sure we could find the restaurant. But then Ron spied their neon sign. Oh, yeah, this was it. We walked-in and instantly got ushered to a table. Our waiter was jovial and fun. He helped us pick a nice selection of dishes. The first course was the soup. It wasn’t described as such, but this was hot and sour; really hot! Most hot and sour is a brown color. This one was red with hot oil. After the first couple spoonfuls our sinuses snapped to attention. Our waiter brought over a box of tissue so we could dab ourselves. I declined having a second bowl of soup. But the wait staff seemed upset that we wouldn’t finish the soup. We told them to leave it for later.

The next few courses weren’t at all as spicy. But each held new textures and spice combinations for us to enjoy. In the middle of eating our food the waiter came and asked if we wanted more soup. We declined and said we were too full. He said OK, grumbled something and took away the rest of the soup. Perhaps we offended the cook by not finishing everything. Regardless the mission was a success. We got our spicy Chinese food. After leaving the restaurant we happened by Hong Kong’s own Times Square. They have a penchant for creating their own versions of famous world locations.