How to Avoid LKF this Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner! Hopefully you have your scary, cute, or sexy costume ready because there are plenty of amazing parties you can join in Hong Kong! We all know that LKF is overly crowded and not worth the hassle on October 31st every single year. It takes you probably an hour just to get to LKF because all the roads are blocked off and you need to walk around the whole area before entering D’aguilar street. Unless it’s your first time ever in Hong Kong or you want to spend your entire night looking at other costumes, I’d say try one of these 5 events instead:

Photo Credit: © 2011 Jens Schott Knudsen | blog.pamhule.com

| For those who miss outdoor music festivals |

Music Fest Halloween Party feat. Morgan Page
DJ: Morgan Page
Genre: Electro House
Location: LUPA (Central, upstairs from Gap on Queens Road Central)
Price: $500
Click here to see the event page

| For those who want to stay in central and have a chilled night out |

Zuma Presents Hed Kandi Halloween Party
DJ: Stuart Ojelay
Genre: Soulful vocal house
Location: Zuma (Central, The Landmark)
Price: $500, $650 at door
Click here to see the event page

| For an amazing view of the Victoria Harbour (Facing Kowloon side) |

Horror Hospital
Location: Sugar Bar/deck/lounge (Quarry Bay, The East Hotel)
Price: Free entrance
Click here to see the event page

| For an amazing view of the Victoria Harbour (Facing Island Side) |

Screams At The Penthouse
DJ: Abel Rogers (lounge/deep house)
Location: Aqua Spirit (Tsim Sha Tsui, 29 & 30/F One Peking Road)
Price: Free Entrance
Click here to see the event page

| For those who miss Vegas |

Halloween Poolside Fest
DJ: DSK (UK), Chamber (UK), Queen P (BKK)
Location: Hard Rock Macau
Price: $200 (after 9pm)
Click here to see the event page

Here's some more ideas for Halloween costumes if you don't have one yet

Happy Halloween!

Review | Mo Bros

Mo Bros

Ever since I found out about this place, I’ve been going there almost once every week. It’s my routine Saturday or Sunday morning brunch place. Tucked away down some stairs on Elgin Street near Peel Street, they have a lovely outdoor seating area and also cozy indoor seating. You see red wine displayed up on one whole wall, on the back wall is a nice scenery of fields somewhere in Europe, and then across from the wine wall you see the raw meat section where they prepare their prosciutto and salami.

The staff is really nice and personable. They’ve recognized me just after I’ve been there twice, and always greats me with “Welcome Back” or “See you next week!” after the meal. I also love the music that they play there. It’s usually something jazzy like Frank Sinatra. Every time I go I feel like I’m sitting beside the fireplace while it’s snowing outside.

(Complimentary Bread) 

And of course the most important part – the food. It is relatively inexpensive compared to other restaurants in the Soho & LKF area. But the quality is definitely up there. You can get different cuts of meat. One item (30g) is HK $40, two items (60g) is HK $70, and three items (90g) is HK $100. Usually I’ll get Prosciutto & Salami. As for the mains, they’re generally around HK $100-$150 per dish. I recommend the Smoked Salmon Pasta (HK$110) and the Spaghetti & Meatballs (HK $110).
They also have Happy Hour drinks, which I don’t really remember what time it is. They seem to be always having happy hour. But the cocktails and wine will be half price! So each glass is only around HK $40!See here for their full food menu.

Next time you’re looking for an affordable place to enjoy brunch on the weekend, give Mo Bros a try and let me know what you think!

Sassy Pink Hour

If you don’t already know, October is the official month for Breast Cancer Awareness. A lot of companies and organizations hold charity events while everyone wears a pink ribbon or dresses in pink to show support. Last night Sassy Hong Kong held a charity event, “Sassy Pink Hour” to support this cause as well. This is the first Sassy event I’ve ever attended even though I’ve been reading their blog since I’ve came to Hong Kong. It was free to attend the event, but there was raffling and the money that went to the raffling tickets were donated to charity. They also had a lot of free (and really girly) activities at the event!

The event was scheduled to start at 7pm at the Palm Court at the Langham hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. It’s basically an opened bar area next to the reception. The hotel’s style is very elegant which completely fits the theme. There was a big display of lilies in the middle of them room and a large chandelier on the high ceiling. Because there was goodie bags handed out to the first 100 girls that showed up and is on the RSVP list, by the time I arrived at 6:45pm there were already almost 100 girls waiting. I’ve never seen so many girls gathered in one room, all dressed in pink! (Everyone wearing pink gets a complimentary Bellini) The whole Sassy team was there as well to take photos, sell raffles and just mingle with everyone.

The goodie bag was actually very decent. It felt like a Glambox or Birchbox kind of combination. There were several full size Benefit products. Apparently Sassy has a very unique relationship with Benefit Hong Kong and that’s why they were able to get such good sponsorship from them. Here is the list of what’s in the generous goodie bag:

 

Benefit: Push-up liner (Full size) US $24

Benefit: ThePOREfessional (Full size) US $31

Benefit: FirstClass Gloss (Travel Size) Full size US $26

Victoria’s secret:Night (Perfume sample) Full size US $52-$68

Tatcha: Supple,Moisture rich silk cream (Sample) Full size US $150

Tacha: Polished,classic rice enzyme powder (Sample) Full size US $65

Penny Price, Memoire: SPF LipBalm (Sample)

Penny Price, Memoire:Nourishing face oil serum (Sample)

Citrus Sweets: Lollipop

Ice Watch:Wristband

After entering Palm Court, there were 4 different booths where you can receive free services. There was a photo booth from Venture Studios HK, Smokey eye makeup booth from Hollywood Hair, Brow waxing booth from Benefit, and a Manicure Booth from Sense of Touch.

I first lined up for the Smokey eye booth since I’ve never really tried a smoky eye. They were very professional and explained everything really well. I’d say the experience was pleasant! But smoky eye isn’t really my style. Different kinds of bite-size snacks were also served, like macaroons! Every time the food came out, it would disappear within 30 seconds. I really wanted to try the manicure booth, but since I already had gel nail on and they wouldn’t be able to remove it, so I went for the to the brow waxing booth to accompany my friends. 

At around 8:30pm, the raffle winners and Instagram were announced! I’ve never seen such an amazing list of prizes before! They were ranged from HK $500 up to HK $14,000. To name a few, you could win a photo-shoot session, skin care set, makeup brush set, spa package, hair salon voucher, happy hour for 10 at a restaurant, and 6 bottles of sparkling wine! (See the full list here) The raffles were $20 for 1 or $100 for 6, and all the money goes towards Cancer Fund Pink Revolution. Unfortunately I didn’t win, I am really unlucky when it comes to these drawings or raffling things. But regardless, it feels good to support charity, and plus I got free drinks, snacks, and a makeover! 

See here for pictures from the event on Sassy’s Facebook page.

Blog 45 (Video) | PMQ x Night Market

PMQ was recently renovated and reopened to provide a stage where creative people gather. It's like a breath of fresh air in this hustle and bustle city of Hong Kong. It's very quiet in PMQ, but now occupied by over 100 shops opened by independent artists. They come from all fields of expertise from leather goods, to cup cakes, handmade jewelry, to music related accessories you name it and they've got it. The styles also range from ancient Chinese, vintage, modern, to futuristic. So far they've kept it very exclusive, and not many big name brands get to rent a spot in PMQ (other than Vivienne Tam, taking up an entire floor on the Staunton side, I guess someone's gotta pay for the bulk of the rent so these artists can have lower rent!) On the lower floors, there are also lots of bakeries and cafes where you can just chill and relax. Unlike street vendors or large department stores, you can actually take photographs freely throughout PMQ. It is currently my favorite place in Hong Kong. A place where I can relax and get a dose of extra creativity at the same time.

Here are some more facts about PMQ, as well as recent photos taken

(Click to see the Floor Plan on PMQ's website)

• PMQ stands for Police Married Quarters. It was built in the 1880s first as a school but then converted into a dorm for the policemen's families in the 1950s.
• It is located between Staunton and Hollywood road with the entrance on Aberdeen Street. 
• There are 2 buildings on Staunton and Hollywood road side, both have 7 floors, and they can hold up to 130 stores. 
• In the middle on the Ground floor, it's the Aberdeen courtyard, which is used for various events, like the previous leather show and now the Night Market Oktoberfest.
• They often have workshops that teach you how to make jewelry, bake some delicious dessert, and also paint your next masterpiece. 

 Lanterns from Mid-Autumn festival

 The backyard on Hollywood Road side

They call it Plateau, but I would personally like to call it Sky Garden. It's located on the 4th floor and connects the two buildings. 

Since opening of PMQ, the Night Market has been the main event taking up Aberdeen courtyard for the most part. Starting from the entrance, there are various stalls selling jewelry, clothing, leather goods, and towards the back you'll find all the food stalls. They serve wine, beer, cocktails, BBQ skewers, and even oysters! For Oktoberfest they had live bands playing as well as beer drinking contests on the side. You can find more in the video I posted below.

Don't worry if you missed the night market and Oktoberfest. There are plenty of events coming up. Go to their main website to read more about recent happenings.

Oct & Nov Events in HK

As summer comes to an end, and people are back from their summer getaways, end of the year events are coming up. In the next 2 months, Hong Kong is going to be super busy with lots of amazing events where you can enjoy music, food, beer, wine, and parties you'll never get in the crowded and overrated area LKF. If you don't already know yet, below are 5 events happening in the next month or so that will keep you busy until the Christmas holidays


October 17 (Fri) & 18 (Sat) 

PMQ Oktoberfest

Time: 6pm - 10pm
Location: 35 Aberdeen Street, Central
Live Music & Beer Drinking Contest
Website: http://www.pmqnightmarkets.org/index.php/events-2014

PMQ was set up just earlier this year. It has 2 buildings with 7 floors on each side and can hold over 130 stores. "PMQ is a stage for creative happenings" as exactly what their website says, PMQ is full of small creative shops with hand craft items from leather goods, paintings, stationary, to clothing and electronic accessories. In between the 2 buildings is a big court yard, where they hold many events, for example the Night Market, and now Oktoberfest.

Click here to see the recap blog & video of PMQ Oktoberfest

October 18 (Sat) & 19 (Sun) 

Secret Island Party 

Time: 11am - 6am
Location: Instructions on website
Tickets: Saturday $550 Sunday $370, around $100 for ferry ride
Website: hushup.hk

Out on a small island, a group of fun people gather. They dance to live music with DJs spinning up House music and Hip Hop. There's also various events throughout the day time and outdoor cinema at night. Food & Drinks are located throughout the island, and you also have an option to rent a tent to stay overnight. This is the perfect to make new friends and meet new people.

 
October 30 (Thur) - Nov 2 (Sun) 

Wine & Dine Festival

Time: 12pm - 11:30pm (hours ranges differently by day)
Location: Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (Free shuttle bus from East Tsim Sha MTR station)
Tickets: Free entry. Get "Wine pass" for tickets to get wine and food ($200 for 8 tickets)
Website: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/in/see-do/events-festivals/highlight-events/wine-dine-festival.jsp

This year will be Wine & Dine Festival's 5th year in a row. Last year there were 180,000 people attending and more than 300 booths of wine and food vendors from all over the world. There is no way you will walk out sober and you will enjoy the night for sure. There's also delicacies from Abalone, to premium prosciutto, and even dessert.

Click here to see the recap blog and video of Wine & Dine

 

Nov 28 (Fri) - 30 (Sun) 

Clockenflap

Time: Whole day event
Location: West Kowloon Cultural District
Tickets: Advance Tickets (until Nov 17) $510 for Fri, $680 for sat & sun
Website: http://www.clockenflap.com/  

8 stages, 50 bands/singers/DJs from all over the world, Clockenflap is definitely the largest outdoor music festival in Hong Kong. Find the lineup on the website, they will have 3 waves of announcements for the line up. There's also 3 bars with food & drinks at the event.


Nov 28-29 

Electric Run

 
Time: Check-in at 5pm, release at 8pm, post party at 11pm
Location: Central Harbour Front
Tickets: $500, Normal Registration till Nov 20
Website: http://electricrun.hk

This is the first Electric Run in Hong Kong, so we are not quite sure what will happen. But bust out your rave outfit, because after the run there will be DJs, food, and drinks!