Vignettes of the World
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An entry on Hong Kong’s historic restaurants is long overdue. This day I went to La Taverna, Hong Kong’s original Italian restaurant, for lunch.
Established in 1969, La Taverna was the first traditional Italian restaurant in Hong Kong. The original owners of the restaurant were Guiseppe and Aldo Machetti of Milan. They opened the first La Taverna at On Hing Terrace in Central, and then the restaurant moved to the current location in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1973.
I liked La Taverna as soon as I arrived at the restaurant’s Ashley Road location in Tsim Sha Tsui. If we view it without the boisterous dining scene of Tsim Sha Tsui surrounding, it really does remind one of the countryside trattorias in Italy. On its bright colored stucco wall are lit-up neon signs of the restaurant’s name. Large windows with brick finish add a distinctly European vibe.
The interior décor of the restaurant conveys a more traditional impression. We walked down just a few steps into the restaurant’s semi-basement setting. Husk-wrapped Chianti bottles line the ceiling. The main dining hall with an arched entrance express a warm and homey welcome to diners. The aged wooden interior reminds one of a cellar, perhaps signalling that it is time for some wine. It was clear that the owners designed this space to be a home-away-from-home for Italians. Indeed, they have extended serious efforts in recreating Italy in Hong Kong in this space. They sourced all the interiors from Italy.
The tables are large and spacious. As my friend and I sat down, we were ready for a quiet conversation over a leisurely lunch.
For lunch hour, the restaurant offers a set lunch menu and the a la carte menu. My friend ordered mussels on the a la carte menu and I ordered a chicken main course from the set lunch menu. We were both very happy with our meals.
Here’s a description of La Taverna’s beginnings at the restaurant:
About eight months before the opening of the first La Taverna, it was during a party that the consul-general of Italy, Mr. Luigi Bolla mentioned to the brothers that since the Germans and the French had their Goethe Institute and Alliance Francoise, the Italians could do with a place where the community would meet, a sort of club where views could be exchanged and cultural matters entertained. Premises were quickly found and Giuseppe and Aldo, in the free time they could snatch from their trading and industrial activities, were overseeing the works and decoration of the place.
As the opening date got nearer, the “club idea” due to various reasons faded away and it was decided that a fully pledged restaurant would be opened. The name “La Taverna” was taken from one of the three restaurants Giuseppe and Aldo’s grandmother had in Milano, Italy. La Taverna was the one then located in Largo Richini right across the beautiful university.
The Macchetti brothers felt that even if many other Italian Restaurants have been opened in the East in recent years, La Taverna, by offering “the real thing” in establishments of defined character and tradition will maintain its “niche” of dedicated clients, people that have traveled and had the occasion of tasting real Italian food in Italy. This is why many of our clients maintain that La Taverna establishments are “little Italian islets away from Italy!”
At its height, the restaurant has developed a brand name consisting of six restaurants. Now only the Ashley Road location remains. The menu showcases mainly the flavours of Northern Italy. But who can pass on pizzas in an Italian restaurant? They are made to order in a wood fire oven here. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the executive chef Marco Bajma recommends the Spaghetti Vongole as well. But regular customers would know that they can just come, name a food category and be served with the chef’s creative interpretation. This is a type of relationship formed only by decades of good will. And having visited just once, I already understood all the great things that have been said about La Taverna. The hospitality is time-tested and proven true.
The historical descriptions on-site.
The Restaurant Website of La Taverna.
A Blast from the Pasta, Janice Leung Hayes, 48 Hours, the South China Morning Post, October 10, 2013.
Hidden Hong Kong: 9 Historical Restaurants You Need to Visit, Ines Fung, December 20, 2019, Localiiz.com.
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This was probably the first time that I have kayaked in Hong Kong. We went to Hoi Ha in Sai Kung for an exciting day in kayaking.
Hoi Ha, in Chinese, means “beneath the sea.” The beaches in this area, some of them only accessible by kayaking, are blessed with pristine waters. They are also known for the viewing of coral reefs and sea stars. As such, all kinds of adventures are available here, including kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, snorkeling and diving.
In order to protect the eco-system of Hoi Ha, the Hong Kong Government designated Hoi Ha Wan (Hoi Ha Bay, also Jone’s Cove) as a Marine Park in 1996 pursuant to the Marine Parks Ordinance. This status entailed the restriction of certain activities in this area, with the aim of protecting its wildlife habitat. Prohibited activities included fishing, the casting of fishing nets, the use of chemicals to fish, or the carrying away of the wildlife here, such as coral reefs.
And certainly the Ho King Store does its part in maintaining the beautiful natural environment too. After the day’s activities, visitors may use fresh water to shower, but the use of chemicals such as shampoo and bath liquids is not permitted at the facilities.
Photo above: The Hoi Ha Pier
There are a few vendors in Hoi Ha that provide kayak rental to adventure seekers. We reserved our kayaks with the Ho King Store. The Ho King Store offers hundreds of boats for rent, but you must book in advance because they did run out on our date of first choice. We then reserved the kayaks for the next day, and on that day too all the kayaks were fully rented out.
At the Hoi Ha Village we found our way to the Ho King Store, which was half way between the mini bus stop and the beach. It is the most prominent store within the village. We proceeded to changing, and we also stored some of our belongings in a rented locker.
As we were ready to go, we grabbed our life vests (they are a must), and our paddles. Then we walked over to the beach and received our kayaks. Off we went, four kayaks altogether, into the open sea of Hong Kong.
After kayaking, visitors can have a meal at the Ho King Store restaurant. This vendor does offer a full service for the day.
Before we received our kayaks, the staff advised us that we should be seeking refuge in any shore nearby if we see a storm approaching. Do not insist on paddling back to this beach if we can find another shore. Then wait for the storm to ease and paddle back.
I went with a family of four plus the aunt of the two young children. The mother took the daughter with her, and the father took the younger son, in their double-capacity kayaks. The aunt of the children knows the area well. She has probably paddled more than thirty times already. She led our way.
We were “testing the water” first when we started. It was safer to go along the coast, so we headed out from the beach toward the Jockey Club HSBC WWF Hong Kong Hoi Ha Marine Life Center. It lies eastward from the beach that we departed.
The Marine Life Center offers a number of initiatives for community involvement in environmental protection. Besides the standard educational programs, there are also clean-up projects and other conservation activities. The Center also offers boat tours with a glass-bottomed boat so that visitors can observe the marine life beneath the boat.
We boated to the Marine Life Center and enjoyed the views of raw, living barnacles on the underwater pillars of the Marine Life Center.
Then we kayaked to a nearby beach. It was very small, but with clear water and a mangrove right at the beach. We found a sea urchin and the children received a little introduction of this sea life from their aunt.
After staying at the beach for a break, we decided to kayak northward to reach the far-away channel between the coast and the Flat Island. This was the part that became very challenging to me. As I kayaked on the open sea, it took significantly more strength to go against the wind and the currents. The waves were strong and at a certain point I was feeling slightly sea sick. I managed to reach the tip of the coastline, and decided that I would not head out further. I told the group that I was heading back to the safety of the bay instead.
It still took a while in the calmer waters of the bay, but I did make it back to the beach. I then headed back to the Ho King Store to wash up. When the group returned, my friends told me that they had a rough time out at the sea, although they did reach that channel between the main shore and the Flat Island. The aunt had to tow the kayak of my friend, who was taking her daughter in the kayak. I was very glad that I realized my limit, for if I had also gone, I would have needed help too.
Overall, however, the whole Hoi Ha area was full of adventure seekers. We also saw two rescue boats patrolling the sea. The impression was that it would have been quite safe throughout, but as with always, any water sport entails risks even with the best of weather.
There have been fatal accidents here at Hoi Ha before. Safety is paramount and be vigilant in watching the weather and the currents.
In Sai Kung, we took green top minibus Route 7. It probably took us about half an hour on this route to Hoi Ha. Do be mindful that it is peak time to leave Hoi Ha in late afternoon. Be prepared that you may have to call a taxi to head back to Sai Kung, as we did.
The Wikipedia on Hoi Ha Wan (Jone’s Cove)
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It is at the tail of our summer and I joined a group of friends on the last yacht trip that they were organizing for the year. The itinerary is Tai Tam Bay and Deity Beach in the southeastern waters of Hong Kong. On this incredibly sunny day we met at Central Pier 10 for our Italian yacht, which will sail around the Hong Kong Island for the day.
The yacht sailed westward from Central. On our way, we saw beautiful sea views. The scenery of western Hong Kong came into full view, such as the Tsing Ma Bridge, a few uninhabited islands, the Lamma Island, then to Stanley, its famous prison, Chung Hom Kok, Beaufort Island and Po Toi Island.
The yacht anchored at Tai Tam Bay. The Deity Beach was right across from us, perhaps at 80 meters or so. I decided to swim to the shore with a small group. I took a noodle with me, and the swim was very pleasant. The sea water became very clear when we arrived at the beach. I kept floating at the shore, however, because the sand of this beach was very, very rough. It was not very nice to walk on the sand.
When I swam back to the yacht, however, I ran into a scare. My friends that arrived at the yacht maybe just a few minutes before me got on the yacht, no problem. But in just those few minutes, there was an undercurrent that swept through the area. I kept swimming and my feet peddled but the movement of the water kept pushing me to another direction, away from the yacht. I was told that, in that situation, first not to panic, and secondly, go with the currents, instead of fighting it. When it is gone, swim back to the direction you wanted to go.
The To Tei Wan Village is a squatter village that has existed for decades. In 1982, the Hong Kong Government conducted a Squatter Control Survey. The existing squatter structures were preserved as tolerated structures, but any squatter structures built thereafter would be demolished. This is the situation of the To Tei Wan Village today. Indeed, there were very few people at the To Tei Wan Beach (also known as Deity Beach) on this prime day for watersport activities. One member in our group went to ask, and there is a watersport club at the beach there. Members built a little shelter for their canoes on a beach.
Despite the show of a little desertedness, the To Tei Wan Village is actually well known. That is because this is also the entrance into the popular hiking trail of Dragon Back. This area is suitable for water sports, especially during the summer, because the wind is gentle at this season.
Before we knew it, lunch time came. There were two options for lunch in this location. We could sail to the neighboring Po Toi Island for a proper seafood lunch. Another option was to sail back to the civilization at Stanley for takeout. The group decided to do pizza and pasta takeout at Stanley, and ate on the exclusive sun deck on the yacht.
The afternoon came with plentiful sunshine. I decided that, after swimming back and forth the shore, I have done enough activities for the day. So I stayed in the air-conditioned chamber inside the yacht. The others played on the large floating pool. I relaxed with a book, and it was wonderful.
It was soon dusk hour and the yacht headed back to Central. On our way back, we took the eastern route around Hong Kong Island. We passed via the eastern approach of the Victoria Harbour. Views of eastern Kowloon and Hong Kong Island came into view. The Devil’s Peak seemed within arm’s length. The busy traffic of the Eastern Corridor showed the typical hustles of Hong Kong life. But we were on the yacht, relaxing in the company of great friends. It was just in time to view the sunset, and soon enough, our trip concluded at Central Pier 10, where we began.
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