Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jordan, exit C2)
At this humble shop, 80-year-old Mr Chan, one of Asia's few remaining master knife-
sharpeners, uses nine different stones to grind each blade, and alternates between water and
oil. If you bring him your blade, he charges between HK$100 and HK$600 with a three-
month wait. But if you buy from him, and he has a great selection, he'll do it there and then.
Prices range from HK$200 for a small paring knife to around HK$2000 for a Shun knife.
His customers include chefs, butchers, tailors and homemakers from all over the world.
He's had clients send him Japanese willow knives for his magic touch. Choppers, cleavers,
slicers, paring knives, even scissors - he's done them all. Find his shop close to Bowring St.
BOOKS
HONG KONG READER
2pm-midnight; Mong Kok, exit D3)
Run by a handful of young people, this is a bilingual bookstore-cafe with an intellectual
bent. If you're looking for the likes of Derrida or Milosz, this is the place to go. Check the
website for the latest literary readings, though most are conducted in Cantonese. Hong Kong
Reader is above a 1010 telecommunications shop.
MARKET
TUNG CHOI ST MARKET
The Tung Choi St market is a cheek-by-jowl affair offering cheap clothes and trinkets. Ven-
dors start setting up their stalls as early as noon, but it's best to get here between 1pm and
6pm when there's much more on offer. Beware, the sizes stocked here tend to suit the lissom
Asian frame.
FOOD
TAK HING DRIED SEAFOOD
One of very few honest dried-seafood stores in the area, this delightful old corner establish-
ment has glass jars stuffed with dried scallops, crocodile meat and bird's nests, though you
might prefer the figs, cashews, candied lotus seeds and ginseng.
MALL
SINO CENTRE
This shabby go-to place for all things related to Asian animation and comics will give you a
taste of local culture. Its tiny shops carry new and back issues of Japanese manga, action
