So after settling into my hotel yesterday I was glad to be able to shower (17 hours on a plane… groan!) and then hook up my laptop to synchronize all the work I had done. I went downstairs into the Pacific Place shopping mall (It must be one of the ritzier addresses… Hermes, and the lot are there) looking for a power adapter for my laptop, and got my bearings. I came back to the room and wrote a postcard (yes, the paper type) home, and after a couple of calls it was time to journey out in search of sustenance.
Of course the concierge tried to recommend a restaurant in the hotel, but I told him that it was my first night in Asia and I wanted to venture out… preferably on foot. After a couple of questions about what type of food I was interested in he recommended Victoria City for Cantonese cuisine. He gave me walking directions and sent me on my way.
I had not fully realized that the hotel was built on a hillside, so I was surprised when I went down two floors to get to the pedestrian bridge and was still three floors above street level. I then made the rookie mistake of getting outside and walking down to the street. It was nearly impossible to walk anywhere because of barriers, and it took me only a couple of minutes to realize that the elevated walkways were the way to get where I had to go. Back above ground I followed the directions and found the restaurant easily.
As I sat down I remembered a quote from James Clavell's Noble House about restaurant lighting, that the Chinese like to see their food and are suspicious of restaurants that spend money on candlelight. This restaurant was well lit to be sure, and spacious. I was seated by an attentive Maitre D' who hovered because he knew I might have questions about the menu, which was a very different experience from what I am used to! I wanted the Peking Duck, but unfortunately you could only buy it whole. It was also pictured with the head on, which is a bit weird still for me J I ended up ordering shark fin soup with crab meat to start, and a pair of hairy crab imported from mainland China, followed by a bowl of fried rice. I had seen hairy crab on a travel show and was eager to try it.
The soup was delicious, but probably not worth the money. The crab certainly was worth it, and the Maitre D' was impressed that I was so adept at eating it as it was my first time. He did not know that I grew up eating lobster at my mother's knee!
I was glad that I had ordered the rice because as tasty as everything was it was not very filling. However I did not leave the restaurant uncomfortable – neither hungry nor over-full. I did however receive a jolt at the end of the meal when I received the bill.
I have been lucky enough to eat very well in a lot of places in my life. I have dined in some of the finer restaurants in Canada and the United States, and because I do not generally drink alcohol with my meal I am usually not surprised when the cheque comes. Because of that, and especially as I was dining alone, I was quite shocked to get a bill for $500.
Yes, I said Five Hundred Dollars. EEP!
It took me a few minutes to do the math, and realize that although it was still a pricey meal and in excess of my per diem, it was not overly so, and I was glad to pay for such a fine and unique dining experience. For those of you not carrying Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) in your pocket, HKD$500 is about $65, and included the tip… both things I will take some time getting used to!
More to come…