Named after the Chinese Goddess of the Sea who is worshipped in Hong Kong by fishermen and sailors who need protection when they voyage out on the South China Sea, Tin Hau is a small neighbourhood flanked by bustling Causeway Bay and industrialised North Point. It’s home to boutique hotel Tuve, which marries smart minimalist design with earthy elements that bring nature in. Trendy coffee shops have arrived, and a sprinkling of destination-worthy restaurants, as well as a vintage store that celebrates the American midwest with plenty of plaid and denim. But be sure to check out the neighbourhood’s eponymous temple garden, the site of which dates back to 1747, built by members of a Hakka family from Guangdong.
EAT
SuperHooman
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Just a stone’s throw from Tin Hau tube station sits a smart, industrial oasis that’s all galvanised steel and brushed concrete. Located on the ground floor of Tuve Hotel, SuperHooman serves excellent brunch. From avocado toast to acai and grain bowls or homemade potato rosti with poached eggs, there’s a refreshing absence of surprises on the breakfast menu. Be sure to order one of the vibrant fruit juices and a perfectly roasted brew.
16, Tsing Fung Street, Tin Hau; instagram.com/superhoomanhk
Ganguya
This late-night Japanese robatayaki provides blasts of authentic flavour in an environment that’s kitsch and quirky. It’s centred around the Japanese style of showcasing fresh ingredients at a counter that guests can choose from to be grilled by a chef using a wooden paddle. Ganguya looks like a toy shop, as the sign outside suggests, with action men figurines sitting beside anime characters. It’s a laid back affair, though there’s also just as much attention to detail, particularly with regards to the selection of meats, which are all premium quality.
16 Ngan Mok St, Tin Hau; keyakihk.com
AnOther Place
Chef David Myers fuses classic French cooking with Asian influences at his new restaurant in a spacious industrial building on the Tin Hau harbourfront. In the huge space on the fifth floor, there’s a bar lounge and balcony next to the restaurant and a wine store, where guests can buy a bottle from a helpful oenophile before settling down to dinner BYOB-style. The menu is seasonal and features heavily on high-quality cuts of steak.
5/F, Block C, Sea View Estate, 2-8 Watson Road, Tin Hau; anotherplace.com.hk
DRINK
Take Your Time
Head to this plant-fronted coffee shop in Tin Hau for vibrant juices, smoothies and their popular fruity ice tea. There are herbal and seasonal ice teas available, but it’s the watermelon tea with the yoghurt top that gets our vote or the best-selling red dragon fruit smoothie with mango yogurt.
Shop 1, G/F, Lee King Mansion, 83 Electric Road, Tin Hau
Preface Coffee
More than just a coffee shop, Preface Coffee is an immersive workshop space, created by a tech and design-driven education company in Hong Kong. Always reliable, their brews are medium roasted and best enjoyed at one of the blonde-wooden seats beside the large floor-to-ceiling windows. Here, locals sit and watch the world, on the colourful streets of Tin Hau, go by.
G/F, Parkview Center, 7 Lau Li Street, Tin Hau; prefacenomad.com
NOC Coffee
Impeccably designed with industrial furnishings and sleek white-washed countertops, NOC’s Mercury Street branch makes the most of its location on the ground floor of The Mercury, a warehouse-inspired serviced apartment building. It’s the seventh branch of NOC, which has become synonymous with good, strong coffee, an excellent selection of cakes and pastries, plus a healthy menu that subscribes to the brunch zeitgeist.
G/F, 23 Mercury Street, Tin Hau; noccoffeeco.com
SHOP
Midwest Vintage
Photo: Edmond So/South China Morning Post at Getty Images
Midwest was originally established as a Trading Company, exporting used clothing to countries throughout Asia as well as Russia and Eastern Europe. But due to the high demand for products in Hong Kong, the trading showroom was transformed into a retail store. Find a wide selection of vintage Levi’s, band shirts and leather jackets, belts and accessories.
Shop 58, G/F, Victoria Centre, 15 Watson Road, Tin Hau; midwest-vintage.com/en/home
DO
Nail Bar
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This immaculate, white-washed salon is one of nine branches of Nail Bar around Hong Kong. The chain provides professional manicures, pedicures and gel manicure treatments, as well as brow shaping and eyelash extensions. Express mani-pedis are also available for Hongkongers in a rush.
Nail Bar, 4 Lau Li Street, Tin Hau, Hong Kong; nailbar.com.hk
Tin Hau Temple Garden
The temple complex that gave Tin Hau MTR station, and the surrounding neighbourhood it’s name is worth a visit. Originally built in 1747 by a Hakka family from Guangdong, the current structures date back to the mid-19th century. It’s famous for the intricate Shek Wan figurines on the temple roof and eaves, and the quality of its stone carvings around the entrance. As well as, the impressive main altar dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea.
Ming Tak Mansion, 10 Tin Hau Temple Road
Victoria Park
Named after the statue of Queen Victoria at it’s centre, the park is a 19 hectare oasis of calm amid Hong Kong’s urban sprawl. It is the largest park on Hong Kong island, popular with grandmas doing tai chi in the mornings, a colourful flower market during Chinese New Year, as well as the annual Hong Kong Flower Show, but remains popular year round with nearby office workers.
Editor
Emma RussellCredit
Lead image: Tuve Hotel
