Got a craving for Welch’s Grape Soda, Charleston Chews, Strawberry Quick, A&W Cream Soda, Mint Double-Stuff Oreos, or Blow-Pops by the 100-pack?

Several grocery stores in Hong Kong specialize in American products, also stocking an impressive selection of U.S. junk food!

The newest of the group is A&M U.S. Grocery, located in the basement of Shung Tak Centre (the same building that houses the Macau ferry terminal.) In addition to a great selection of candy, snacks and soda, it has other rare, super-sized items that you would typically find in Costco in the U.S..

You can get to A&M by approaching from the Central side of the building and taking a series of escalators down to the basement level.

A&M US Grocery
Basement B06-09 Shun Tak Centre (Macau Ferry Terminal)
200 Connaught Road
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Americome
A smaller neighborhood store is the Americome shop in Happy Valley. Quietly tucked away on a side street, just off of the main thoroughfare of Sing Woo Road, Americome packs a large assortment of products (including many rare candy brands) into one little store.

Americome (Happy Valley)
65A, Sing Woo Road (on Shing Ping Street)
Happy Valley, Hong Kong

Americome (Tai Po)
Shop 15, G/F, Tai Wo Centre
Tai Po Tai Wo Road
Tai Po, New Territories

Gateway
The grande dame of American supermarkets in Hong Kong is Gateway, located in the basement of Golden Centre in Sheung Wan. Here you can find large quantity sizes of typical American products, plus many miscellaneous items not found in Hong Kong’s supermarket chains. Gateway carries a good selection of sodas unavailable elsewhere, plus bulk-sized packages of candy.

Gateway is also handy for things like American cleaning products, Hefty bags, and better quality paper-plates. The stores mentioned above all stock miscellaneous items from Costco’s in-house brand, Kirkland.

There are two entrances to Gateway, one just next to the Sheung Wan MTR exit E1, and the other on 188 Des Voeux Road. In both cases, look for the staircases leading down.

Gateway
Basement, 188 Des Voeux Road
Golden Centre (take Sheung Wan MTR exit E1)
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

As Hong Kong rents are extremely high, don’t expect Costco-like prices at any of the stores. Think of these as places to augment your grocery shopping and fun destinations to browse when you miss looking at super-sized products.

All three shops are worth a visit, as their stocks differ.

It was only a matter of time before competition for Hong Kong’s best pizza started to heat up. As we witnessed earlier with burger joints, frozen yoghurt places and bubble tea stands, the window of opportunity to be the only one of your kind is very brief in this city.

Tuesday I headed over to a slightly out of the way corner of Causeway Bay to try Slices, the newest contender for best New York-style pizza.

Slices occupies a ground floor location on the corner of Leighton Road and dead-end Haven street. Despite its location away from the main hustle, it’s a major transit point with heavy student traffic and people walking from Tai Hang to Causeway Bay.

From the outside, the restaurant has a neat, cozy appearance. The interior is your standard pizzeria, a counter with the pizzas displayed in a window, and a place to order from.

Towards one end there’s a bench with several small tables, which is adequate, as the focus is take-away, and by-the-slice sales. (For over-flow traffic, perhaps Slices could benefit from a bench outside the restaurant, or a temporary standing counter that they bring inside at the end of the day.)

Slices Pizzeria – first taste!

Since I didn’t see a normal Margherita pie sitting in the window, I ordered the 4-cheese slice, as well as a sausage and mushroom.

I would have preferred a simple Margherita slice, but despite it being on the menu, it wasn’t being offered by the slice. When I inquired further about a Margherita, I was told it wouldn’t be available by the slice. I suspect price has something to do with it. Most topping slices go for around $32 HKD per slice, versus a plain slice for $25 HKD.

While I enjoyed the 4-cheese slice (a mixture of mozzarella, blue cheese, fortina, and gruyere,) I’d prefer a slice of standard pizza. Fancy cheeses are fine, but my slice tasted a little sour due to the mixture. If it’s a pricing issue, why not offer an extra cheese slice with additional mozzarella for $32 HKD?

My first impression is that they have certain things more accurate than Paisano’s (Hong Kong’s current by the slice champion.) The crust was good, chewy, and not soggy. The sauce was fine. The slice is also not as doughy overall, and it’s cooked slightly more well done. I think I need to order a full Margherita pizza before I can do a proper review.

My friend who is a Queens New Yorker, had a smile on his face as soon as he took his first bite. That’s a pretty major feat!

Plenty of room!
Slices is a welcome addition to the pizza landscape in Hong Kong. A little competition on quality and taste is better for the consumer, and should result in better pizza throughout the city.

Paisano’s doesn’t need to feel threatened. There’s plenty of room for another by-the-slice pizza place, especially in Causeway Bay.

Recommended!

Slices Pizzeria
G/F, 128 Leighton Road (on the corner of Leighton Road and Haven Street.)
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Opening hours are from 11am to 10:30pm Monday to Thursday, and 11am to 11pm Friday through Sunday
2895-6633

Slices go for around $32 HKD with topping.
Pies come in 14″, 18″, and 22″ sizes.
For 22″ pizzas, the price is $190 HKD for a plain, and up to $250 HKD for a four-topping pie.

Papabubble, the artisan candy shop first founded in Barcelona in 2004, now has a branch in Hong Kong. The franchise, which specializes in hand-made and custom candy creations, has several stores around the world, including Tokyo, Taipei, and Seoul.

A quick peek inside Papabubble reveals an assortment of brightly-colored candies and fun, whimsical designs.

I even spotted a Kanye West shutter-shades lollipop!

There’s a good reason they refer to their stores as concept shops. Part of the experience of Papabubble is the spectacle of watching the candy being made. (Try calling them for the exact times!)

All sorts of tools line the shelves above the kitchen, and beakers holding colorful confectionery ingredients make it look like a mad scientist’s lab!

Papabubble occupies a choice location on the border just behind the main library in Causeway Bay, it’s right on the way to the trendy lower Tai Hang neighborhood.

The day I visited, the owner was friendly and gave me a piece of candy to try as soon as I walked in. The sample – not too sweet and full of flavor, should match Hong Kong taste buds.

The custom candies can be made with brand logos etc., which leads me to believe that they will soon start showing up at events around town.

Papabubble is worth a visit particularly for candy lovers, kids, unique gift ideas, and designing your own custom creation.

For more photos, check out the Papabubble Facebook page.

Papabubble caramels artesans
G/F, 34 Tung Lo Wan Road
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (very close to the Tai Hang neighborhood!)
Telephone: (852) 2367-4807

When the weather gets cold in Hong Kong, one positive is that a few local delicacies become available to help ward off the chill. Perhaps the most ubiquitous of these winter remedies is something very simple – a hot Vitasoy soy milk.

Pass by most 7-11′s or Circle-K convenience stores and you’ll see a squat metal container normally with a Vitasoy logo on it. To get yourself a drink (or see if they have any left,) you lift the top and peer down.

Inside you should see a line-up of bottles warming gently in hot water. Sometimes there’s a towel on top where you can dry the bottle after pulling it out from the tank.

There are typically two flavors of soy milk to choose from – original flavor, and malted. Both are equally delicious!

The nice thing here is not just the drink – it’s also the bottle. Holding the warm glass bottle in your hands helps heat you up almost as much as the drink inside!

At the checkout counter they will ask you whether you want it opened or not. (The bottle has a pop-top that you need an opener for.)

Priced at $6.5 HKD per bottle, a warm Vitasoy is a tasty, inexpensive weapon to help fight the Hong Kong winter cold.

Back in early March we talked about how Hong Kong’s lack of decent pizza has been holding up the city’s reputation. For pizza lovers, especially former New Yorkers, being able to get a ‘slice’ is an important lifestyle issue. Thankfully, it appears we’ve turned a corner.

Paisano’s, which has had a branch in Sai Kung for years, has finally opened shop on Lyndhurst Terrace in Central. The pizzeria serves a large variety of pies, pastas, subs and salads. The place is more like a N.Y. pizzeria in offering pizza by the slice. Since its opening, about a month ago, Paisano’s has been packed!

A slice of Paisano’s pizza is indeed huge, even by New York standards. I’ve tried to photograph it, but it’s impossible to capture the scale.

One of my frequent complaints about pizza in Hong Kong is that it’s often not fulfilling. At many places it’s easy to eat a whole pizza yourself, and still not feel satisfied. In contrast, I’m stuffed after two slices of Paisano’s!

Paisano’s slices are drawn from a 24″ pizza. Slices start at $25 HKD for a regular cheese slice, and cost an extra $5 per topping. Pizzas come in 14″ ($90 HKD,) 16″ ($110 HKD,) and the massive 24″ ($180 HKD) sizes.

Since my first taste of Paisano’s, I’ve been back several times, and enjoyed a few different slices as well as the meatball hero.

Each time I stop by, I can see the owner working hard, fine-tuning the operation. This type of personal responsibility and attention is exactly what’s often lacking in Hong Kong’s formulaic ‘concept’ restaurant scene for foreign food.

Opening up a pizzeria is tough in Hong Kong’s high-rent landscape. I give the two new pizza-by-the-slice places (Paisano’s and NYPD,) credit for operating in a difficult environment. With prohibitively high rents, it’s hard to find a place in a decent location with seating. Paisano’s solves this by having a seating area downstairs. You might have missed it if you just walk past, but there’s a doorway towards the back that leads to a comfortable dining area including several tables.

This post isn’t about the best pizza is in Hong Kong, or about comparing the taste of Paisano’s to the pizza found in Italy or New York. Pizzas are like burgers – they can come in all different varieties, and it’s possible for many of them to be good simultaneously. We’re just happy to finally be able to get a slice in Central!

Paisano’s Pizza
9 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central, Hong Kong
2544-4445
Open from 11am to 11pm

There are two Hong Kong companies that continually impress me. One of them is Lane Crawford (they seem to do everything right!) and the second is Tsui Wah. A few months ago, Tsui Wah added a brand new drink to their menu. It’s fun, smart, and perfectly suited to Hong Kong.

Called milk tea champagne, it arrives at your table in a bottle wedged in a bucket of ice! The drink combines two local favorites, Hong Kong style milk tea with the city’s predilection for champagne.

It’s a great example of knowing your audience and tailoring a new product with precision. For a little background, champagne is extremely popular in this town, perhaps because of its traditional association with wealth. It’s a common choice for any ordinary night out.

The presentation of champagne milk tea is perfect, as it comes chilled in a special crystal-like bucket of ice. (What next sparklers?)

Simply ordering one will bring a smile to your waiter’s face! It’s a fun, affordable, not to mention delicious gimmick at $18 HKD (a little over $2 USD).

The only tricky thing is how to open it! The bottle has an old-fashioned stopper, which leaves us sophisticated urban folk a little confused!

Recommended!

LKF Tower, which houses the LKF Hotel as well as popular spots Tazmania Ballroom, Azure, and Finds, has two new attractions. The recent additions, Lily and Bloom, opened by the people behind Volar and Halo, occupy an interesting two-level space.

Lily, on the sixth floor, is primarily a lounge, while Bloom on the fifth level is a restaurant and raw bar. The two are connected by an ornate wooden staircase.

The vibe at Lliy and Bloom is much different from the group’s previous venues, or for that matter, anything else in the neighborhood.

The spaces have a mixture of influences, and the mature decor features lots of wood with a dark, sultry vibe. In the back there’s a two-story atrium with an interior balcony that offers Lily’s guests a glimpse down into Bloom.

At first glance, Lily reminded me a little of The Pawn, but with more of a New York twist. This is sort of amazing since The Pawn is housed in an old heritage building, while LKF Tower is a very recent construction. (Is it just me or does it seem like New York inspired spaces are getting more and more common in Hong Kong?) The interior of Lily features large wooden booths which give it an upscale tavern / supper-club type atmosphere.

Lily and Bloom are a smart, more adult alternative to the group’s other spaces in the neighborhood. Though still in soft opening when I visited, Lily already was attracting a large, high caliber crowd. The same faces you find at the group’s other venues made up the early adopter clientele.

LKF Tower’s ties to Hong Kong clubland
It’s interesting to note that three of the city’s top clubs all have a presence in LKF Tower. Finds, one of the earliest tenants, was opened by the people behind Drop; Tazmania Ballroom is the new offering from the Dragon-i people, and now Lily and Bloom arrive from the Volar / Halo / Roxie gang.

Recommended!

Lily
6/F, LKF Tower
33 Wyndham Street
Use the LKF Hotel entrance (just above Lan Kwai Fong)
Central, Hong Kong

Bloom
5/F, LKF Tower
33 Wyndham Street
Use the LKF Hotel entrance (just above Lan Kwai Fong)
Central, Hong Kong

Last week I hopped on the MTR and headed out to Quarry Bay. My mission was to try out the new pizza place, NYPD (New York Pizza Delivery,) which just soft-launched their first branch in Hong Kong.

I had high hopes for NYPD. The owner had commented on Hong Kong Hustle after reading our post about the city’s lack of New York style pizza. As I walked towards the place I wondered if this could finally be it.

Getting off at Quarry Bay, I took exit B, and rode the escalator down to Finnie Street. From there I took a sharp left, ending up at the far end of a dead-end street. Here, surrounded by auto shops was the low-key NYPD storefront.

Originally founded in Shenzhen, the company recently decided to expand into Hong Kong. Their location in Quarry Bay is a good, low-rent spot, perfect to test out their formula. As Hong Kong Hustle readers know, it’s wise of them NOT to open a place with seating, since the ratio of profit would be tiny considering the city’s exorbitant rents.

Walking into the place, which consists of a counter and a kitchen, I looked up at the menu on the wall and selected the first choice, a 16″ cheese pizza.

Just outside the door is one small table and a few chairs. Since it was an off hour, and no one was there, I decided to try out the pizza on the spot. The pizza was freshly made and only took around ten minutes to come out.

With high hopes I took my first bite. Verdict – pretty damn good! Although the cheese could have been a little saltier, and the tomato sauce a little tangier, overall it was a very enjoyable slice! The crust was a good consistency and the fact that they make normal sized pies (real 16″, and not those sissy gourmet pizzas,) is a huge plus. So far, NYPD is the best Hong Kong has to offer if you’re looking for N.Y. style pizza.

In addition to taste, NYPD also offers a good value compared to other pizza places in Hong Kong. A large 16″ pie is a reasonable $138 HKD. Pizzas also come in 9 inch, and 12 inch varieties. Toppings are reasonably priced as well. A 16 inch “edge to edge” layer of pepperoni goes for just $148 HKD.

If you’re sick of ordering a pizza, only to eat the whole thing and still be hungry, NYPD is for you! (I was stuffed eating just half the pie!)

If you think of a giant slice of pizza on a paper plate with a stack of napkins and a Coke as the perfect meal, you’ll love this place!

Let’s hope that NYPD can stay consistent (hire and retain decent workers,) and can quickly roll out a second location in another low-rent area such as Sai Ying Pun (to start delivering to Central.)

Still in soft-opening…
Right now NYPD is operating in soft-opening mode with reduced hours. Soon it will be open from 10:30 to 10pm at night. I believe they currently close at 8:30. On our initial visit, the staff was friendly and helpful.

I only tried the regular cheese pizza. Most toppings will only cost you $10 HKD to $20 HKD more, which is a bargain. (However, a mixed (50/50) pie goes for $178 HKD.)

NYPD also delivers! Call their number below to find out what their delivery range is.

There’s currently a single table to dine out, so don’t assume that you can sit and eat. (Perhaps a counter that allows people to stand outside and eat would be a good idea.)

This first branch of NYPD is ideal for ordering pizzas ‘to go’ or for pick ups.

Recommended!

NYPD Pizza (New York Pizza Delivery)
G/F, 15 Finnie Street
Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
2668-NYPD or 6973

After taking Exit B of the Quarry Bay MTR station, you will proceed down an escalator that drops you off onto Finnie Street. This will be your exact view. Take a left on this street and walk down into the dead end. NYPD will be on your left. Enjoy!

Will the city’s most exclusive address finally be able to enjoy a fish-ball fish-cake noodle at 3:30 am? Perhaps not, but a new branch of Tsui Wah is currently under construction on The Peak.

The restaurant chain, known for their local delicacies, is essentially a diner, offering a large menu that includes Western and Chinese favorites alongside many uniquely Hong Kong-style dishes. Tsui Wah is also well known to the city’s nightlife denizens as their branches are both conveniently located and open late.

But can Tsui Wah succeed in what must be an extremely pricey location?

The Tsui Wah group seems to know a thing or two about juggling expensive rents and making the numbers work. You’re talking about a restaurant chain with six branches alone in Central and Causeway Bay. The Wellington Street location for example, is a three-story behemoth that even manages to get filled to capacity during weekday lunch hours.

Location, location, location!
The new Tsui Wah is opening directly in front of one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions, the Peak Tram. Taking up a prominent corner of the Peak Galleria shopping center, the restaurant is perched in what may be the most prime location.

Potential customers will be able to see into the ground-floor restaurant as they take their first look at Hong Kong’s scenic panorama from high above. Tourists will also be within reach as they make their way back down via the Peak Tram. There’s often a wait, which leaves crowds curled up directly in front of the restaurant.

A line is forming for the Peak Tram in the background

A branch on the Peak is actually a brilliant idea for Tsui Wah. It could be turned into a flagship location, offering tourists a true taste of Hong Kong, and perhaps even do a small merchandising business. (Tsui Wah has dabbled in merchandising over the last few years with some success.) They could promote their ability to allow tourists to try real Hong Kong favorites in a relaxed, multilingual setting. (Come on, who doesn’t love their ice lemon tea or the crispy bun with condensed milk?

A branch on The Peak not only boosts the Tsui Wah name with tourists visiting Hong Kong (who may return to one of their other branches in the city,) but it’s also a good strategy as the group expands into Mainland China.

If you ask a transplanted New Yorker, what’s the best pizza in Hong Kong? They’ll surely answer: there isn’t any!

Not all pizzas were created equal
Though pizza originated in Naples, Italy, it was popularized, internationalized and significantly innovated on by Italian immigrants who settled in New York. Selling pizza by the slice for example, is a New World creation. The standard New York pizza of today is sort of a larger, more affluent cousin to the pizza from Naples.

While endless varieties of pizza exist, the measuring stick of modern pizza is New York pizza. And it is New York pizza that is astonishingly absent from Hong Kong.

You call that pizza?
The type of pizza offered in Hong Kong won’t even fit a New Yorker’s standard definition of pizza. If they see it, they’ll begin to rattle off a string of adjectives just to help them classify the limp, ultra-thin, Italian-style pizzas, or things like the “personal pizza”. To them, this is not real pizza.

New Yorkers think of pizza either by the pie or by the slice. Typical pies come in either small or large sizes and are at least around 18″ inches round in diameter. Slices are derived from these pies.

There’s even a special way to eat it – by folding a slice in half and holding it in one hand. Want to eat two slices at once? No problem! Have a look at John Travolta doing just that in the opening sequence of Saturday Night Fever! (Fast forward to 50 seconds if you want to skip to the point!)

The jerks took away the music… “Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk…”

While Hong Kong has numerous chains and individual restaurants that offer “pizza”, there’s not a single place in town that can satisfy your craving for a decent slice. (While a few of them look the part, they fail miserably with poor quality cheese and sauce.)

What’s the secret ingredient to New York pizza?
The judge of a real pizza is a basic Margherita slice with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and a little basil – none of this Peking duck or gourmet stuff. Pizza is simply dough, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, olive oil and a few seasonings. Again, it’s like with burgers, you don’t need all sorts of fancy stuff if you use good quality basic ingredients.

So why is it so difficult to replicate? Let’s take a step back into time. Traditionally, the pizzeria was a family business. The name of the place was usually the name of the proprietor – i.e. Sal’s, Carmine’s, Joe & Pat’s etc. No Italian wants someone saying bad things about them or their family, so they had to do a good job!

In contrast, restaurants offering Italian food in Hong Kong exist mostly as “concepts”. This means the owner is a restaurant group looking to open a new space. They don’t actually have a commitment or deep knowledge of the type of cuisine they’re offering.

I’d say that the two missing ingredients are the invisible qualities of pride and love. There’s no love or pride that goes into the pizza here. Restaurants peddling Western food such as pizza are simply broken down into a formula to make money, and as a result of that, you lose the hidden qualities that often accompany a business carrying a family name. Soho is rife with concepts that just apply the same formula to different ethnic cuisines. The result is often mediocre food, with little authenticity, and people hovering over you asking “still or sparkling?”

Pizza by the slice – the perfect urban food?
The slice actually fits Hong Kong’s on-the-run lifestyle perfectly. Like the hot-dog, it can be eaten on-the-go. To open a successful pizza place, perhaps the strategy should be re-engineered. Selling pizza by the slice in a take-away format could emulate the recent success of “bubble tea” stands, and match how places like Ireland’s Potatoes do business.

One could open up a counter in a high foot traffic location such as Causeway Bay or Mongkok, and instead of offering a sit-down, eat-in restaurant, just have take-out. If your pizza is good enough, people will drive to your restaurant just to pick up their pies. Unless you’re in a neighborhood with cheap rent, it’s hard to justify the square feet for the price of a slice. Switch to the take-away equation, and you may find an easier road to profitability.

An opportunity for entrepreneurs?
While all the copycats were busy opening up burger joints around town last year, how come no one thought to open up a new pizza place? Pizza is actually conducive to building a business around. It’s a several ingredient food, that can be broken down into a simple menu. This allows restaurateurs the ability to streamline the process, and to buy ingredients in bulk. You can also create pies that will meet multiple tastes. Toppings allow customization at the final stage and are relatively easy to do.

Slices of pizza are also marketable in ‘sets’. I can imagine something like two (real) slices and a Coke for $78 HKD.

Life without good pizza…
For people in H.K. that have been exposed to good pizza and grown accustomed to it, this is a major flaw in the city’s quality of life. In fact, there are some who say that until this pizza problem is resolved, Hong Kong can’t claim to be an international city.