FLOWER MARKET ROAD IN MONGKOK: 旺角花墟道

Easiest to simply take the MTR. The Mongkok East Station (旺角東) is near Grand Century Place (新世紀廣場) and the Diocesan Boys School (拔萃男書院).
The much more convenient Prince Edward Station (太子) is at the intersection of Nathan Road (彌敦道) and Prince Edward Road West (太子道西).
Go east four short blocks on Prince Edward Road West.
On Sai Yee Street (洗衣街), turn left and go up one block.

[Prince Edward Road West runs from Kowloon to Mongkok just south of the boundary between Southern Kowloon (ceded 1860) and Northern Kowloon (leased 1898). Originally named Edward Avenue (宜華徑) , it was renamed Prince Edward Road (英皇子道) in 1924, and in 1958 the Chinese name was changed to 太子道. Since 1979 it has been Prince Edward Road West (太子道西).]
 
In front of you will be the corner of the Boundary Street Playground (界限街游樂場), a little further along the block you'll find the entrance to Boundary Street Sports Centre No. 1 (界限街一號體育館) facing Playing Field Street (運動場道) and a building labeled 香島專科學校 (Heung To College of Professional Studies - sort of the equivalent of Heald College in SF). There are a number of 'not-quite academic' learning institutions on Playing Field Street here, but the Fook Sing Fo Wok Hoi Sien Jau Ka right next to the 7-11 is NOT a college...... though quite likely filled with students at any given time.

[富城火鍋海鲜酒家 (Fook Sing Fo Wok Hoi Sien Jau Ka - no English name, no phonetically transcribed name either): The happy city hot pot restaurant, right across from fong fong fa diem. I have not eaten there. But you should, and report back to me. I'm fairly certain they also do dimsum.]


ALL FLOWERS

But what you are really here for is flowers - so don't go further up Sai Yee Street just yet, but turn right. For the next two blocks, drink in the colours and smells. Along the side of Flower Market Road (花墟道) there will be dozens of shops selling fresh flowers and potted plants. You may have to squeeze past delivery trucks as you walk along - the flowers spread out into the area reserved for parking, and it is just a one lane street.

Yuen Ngai Street (園藝街) on your right in between the two blocks is also worth strolling into.

The Saint Honoré Cake Shop (聖安娜餅屋) exactly at the corner of Flower Market and Yuen Ngai is perhaps worth visiting - Cheesecake, cocoa cream pastry, chocolate truffle cake. Beautiful stuff. But if at this point you really need a snack, you could also go down Yuen Ngai Street to the corner of Prince Edward, and turn right. About six doors down is the place you're looking for.


UNCLE FONG "嘩, 鬼死咁好食!"

Little eggy tarts and many other bakery products. 蛋糕、麵包、曲奇, 雞蛋仔, 杏仁蛋白蛋糕, 天使蛋白蛋糕, 藍莓味瑪芬..... cakes, breads, cookies, kaidanchai, almond slivers angel food cake, blueberry muffin.....
Upon seeing the kaidanchai, your reaction may very well be "holy hootchie mama, what IS that thing?!?" Yes, it does look rather like an outer-space alien left part of his face here on earth. It's hard to describe. Basically a bulgy weird diseased bubbly sheet snack. If that makes any sense.

Spot review from a friend: "wah, kwai sei gam ho sik!" - wow, demon dead so good eat!

Those words were peculiarly well chosen. Apt. Given what the odd thing looks like.

I have never had one.

Eggs, flour, egg yolk, sugar, fresh milk, almond flavour. Poured into a honey-comb waffle iron.
I'm sure it's good. 好正, in fact,
Uncle Fong (芳叔) is a chain of bakeries, related in some way to Maria's.


There's another bakery near the middle of the block, right next to the 7-11: The Supreme (貴族蛋糕), 160A Prince Edward Road West. Maybe the best cheese cake (芝士蛋糕) in Hong Kong. Their various other cakes look very much like the stuff at the Double A (永興餅家茶餐廳 AA Bakery & Café, 1068 Stockton Street) here in San Francisco. Lovely and appetizing.

Most of the businesses in this two-block stretch of Prince Edward Street are related to flowers and plants, interspersed with the odd school-uniform shop, tailors, or shoe seller. Same goes for Yuen Po Street (園圃街) to the east, opposite the loading dock of the Grand Century Place across Prince Edward Street.

If you continue along Yuen Po back to Flower Market Street, you will come to the entrance of the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden (園圃街雀鳥花園) right at the corner. Here is where Hong Kong's songbird aficionados can purchase fine exemplars, plus admire each others' prize specimens. Above the embankment is the back end of the Mongkok Stadium (旺角大球場 - "Mongkok big ball arena") - I have no idea what game is played there, as I am in gonzen not interested in sports.


At this point you are probably ravenous - you may have to go back to 運動場道 and see if 富城火鍋海鲜酒家 still exists.
That really would be a splendid idea. Go for it.
Remember, I would love to hear what it's like - a full report, please.


Or you could walk around.....


If you're totally frantic, there's a Pizza Hut at the corner of Fa Yuen Street (花園街) and Playing Field Street, just up to the right and across.


Pizza Hut..... pizza. Cheese pie. Hmmmmmph.


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But to your left, just down from the corner of Playing Field, on the left hand side of Fa Yuen, is an entire row of eateries - Hakka Concept Kitchen (客家人概念廚坊), a Chop house, a Shanghai fandiem, a small noodle shop, a vegetarian restaurant, a Macanese dining hall, a Saigon noodle soup joint, and right next door to that, at the end of the row, is 七喜粥麵小廚 (no English name). Just ask for "chat hei jook mien siu tsyu".
I've been told that their congee is excellent - "又平啊, 又好食... 呢度既牛肉粥真係好味!" ('cheap and tasty... this place's beef rice-porridge is really delicious!').
The Chinese broccoli with little flakes of dried fish is likewise very good.
They also have pork blood, wonton, fish balls.

Who doesn't like fish balls?

Everybody loves fish balls, right?

Right?

It's just like gefilte fish. Except firm and bouncy.


Actually, I'd be willing to bet that all of the restaurants in this stretch, including the noodle joint across the street with the red awning (麵留香茶餐廳), as well as a large hole in the wall (鳳之味) are pretty darn good. Most apartment buildings here are about fourteen or fifteen storeys tall, so there are a lot of customers living nearby.
Several hundred very particular people at least.

[For casual snacking and desserts, try this place: 四哥台式雪花冰專門店 at no. 211A. Taiwan style shave ice, and sweet pudding type dishes. Red bean soup, lotus seed soup, etcetera. Sei go toi-sik suut-fa bing jyun moon diem.]



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An incomplete list of flower shops in Kowloon:

尖沙咀 TSIM SHA TSUI: 新記花店、 維納斯花廊、 半島花店、 牛記花店、 聯藝花店、 利寶花店、 格蘭花店、 東方花舍、 祥興花店、 花道工作室、 花盧。
尖東 TSIM TUNG: 紫之夢禮品花店、 水橋花、 花城花店。
旺角 MONG KOK: 香港花店送禮坊。 Casablanca Flower Shop、 花團錦簇、 佳佳花店、 山城花藝、 心怡花舍、 繽紛花店、 培記、 百利花卉、 時新花店。
油麻地 YAU MA TEI: 龍寶花店、 秀蘭軒、 妍楓鮮花。
觀塘 KWUN TONG: 雅麗花屋、 水晶花屋、 四季棧花店、 花藝舍、 花藝軒。
紅磡 HUNG HOM: 妍楓鮮花、 有間花店、 而影鮮花批發、 四季花舍、 世界花店、 明華花店。
長沙灣 CHEUNG SHA WAN: 花。果店、 緣份廊、 匯林里花廊、 卓思花藝、 怡豐禮品設計、 沙崙花藝創作、 攸然自得花圃 合興花店。



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