FROM ABOVE: Young Master’s
award-winning rye ale is on
tap at Alvy’s; the gin wall at
Ping Pong Gintoneria.FROM ABOVE: Sun Yat Sen
Memorial Park; Japanese artist
Daisuke Tajima at Above Second.One of Hong Kong’s most
important marketplaces, Dried
Seafood Street stretches along
Des Voeux Road from Sheung Wan
to Sai Ying Pun. The long row of
shops sells dried abalone, scallops,
flounder and all kinds of marine
life that once came ashore from the
harbor in front of the shops, but the
coastline has long been
reclaimed. Nonetheless,
the market is alive
and well—take a
stroll and play
“guess the food.”
DO If you’d rather just
relax and feel the sea
breeze, head to Sun Yat
Sen Memorial Park, a
rare expanse of green in
this crowded city. Come
early enough and you’ll catch locals
practicing their daily tai chi.
While neighboring Sheung Wan
and Central districts have become
a hub for gallerists, contemporary
art hasn’t quite made it to Sai
Ying Pun yet. But Above Second
(abovesecondgallery.com) is a pioneer
not only because of its geography,
but because it is the only gallery
in the city focused on exhibiting
art inspired by today’s urban
subcultures—from street art and
graiti to comic book illustrations. DRINK Dip into the border of Sai
Ying Pun and Kennedy Town for
a beer at Alvy’s ( b.com/alvyshk;
drinks from HK$34), opened by
local craft brewers Young Master.
Apart from their own range, which
includes crowd-pleasing lagers and
experimental sour beers (their Cha
Chaan Teng Gose beer is brewed
with salted lime, a soda ingredient
at Hong Kong’s old cafés), they stock
beers from around the world.
For a quiet drink in a speakeasy
setting, Ping Pong Gintoneria
(pingpong129.com; drinks from
HK$110) is known for its array of
Spanish gins. Located in what was a
table-tennis training center, the bar
has retained some of the original
décor—a funky mix of old and new,
just like Sai Ying Pun itself.Wa Ter.; 852/2677-2888; mains from
HK$33), a minimalist, family-run
hideaway that packs in the crowds for
Taiwanese street food favorites like lu
rou fan (braised pork on rice) and dan
bing (egg pancake rolls).
Spend dinner rounding out
the culinary journey at BlackSalt
(blacksalt.com.hk; mains from
HK$130), where husband-and-wife
team Taran and Sheela Chadha
serve up creative, modern takes on
Sri Lankan, Nepalese and Bengali
cuisines using their own homemade
masala blends.