SAFE HAVEN AT THE END OF A JOURNEY

At the end of Beckett, on Pacific Avenue, there are two eateries which I miss, and one place where they do very nice congee. So obviously it's one of my favourite alleyways in Chinatown, and one which has acquired layers of fond memories, from heading to good food and toddling off afterwards content, lighting up my pipe, and enjoying the afterglow.
Milk tea, something with rice, hot sauce, and comforting noise.
Not necessarily a social event, but being social.
While happily not required to.

Porkchops, mainly. At the regent those are often on one of the set lunches, with a bowl of soup and a thick slice of garlic bread. At the New Hollywood, pan-grilled chop with tomato over rice, soup, and a warm roll. In both cases a cup of Hong Kong Milk Tea is part of the programme. While observing the other patrons, and half-listening in on what's going on around me.

To the right in the painting above is the Ping Yuen Housing Estate, to the left the backends of buildings on Grant Avenue. The business with the orange awning at the end is New Hollywood (荷里活茶餐廳 'ho lei wut chaa chanteng'), which also has lovely baked goods, as well as a full chachanteng menu. To the right of that, not visible, Yin Du wonton Noodle (銀都雲吞麵 'ngaan do wan tan min'), and next to that, which you cannot see, New Regent Cafe (新麗晶西餐廳 'san lei jing sai chanteng'). Invisible entirely is a transdimensional portal in the brick wall to the left, which leads you to Eight Legs Cafe.

Which I only know about because they allow pipe smoking.


For reasons which are obvious only to me, I associate the three pipes below with that place.

At the moment I am enjoying a cup of hot strong milk tea. Long after lunch, and past tea-time. My days are rather unstructured these days, I do not have to get to a chanteng before two for the lunch set, and dinner has kind of faded. In any case it's no longer outside the house.

Just came back from a stroll at dusk. With a pipe.

It is quiet in the apartment now, my apartment mate has not returned yet from her office. There is a lovely fragrance of garlic wafting in from the air well. I wonder what I should have as a snack. There are no more cookies, we ate them all. It's been a long time since I had a warm egg tart (蛋撻 'daan taat') or an old wife cake (老婆餠 'lo po bing').

Tomorrow I'll check to see if some of my haunts still exist.
And whether they are doing any kind of business.
I hope they come through this.

TOBACCO INDEX


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