Hong Kong Hustle

Davena Mok, 34-year-old director of the youth marketing consultancy A-Vibe, shows us the Hong Kong hustle from back alley eats to chic island living.

Brief bio, occupation:  Davena Mok is Director of A-Vibe, a street-level PR/marketing/events company based in Hong Kong. With a background in journalism and a job that specializes in targeting the niche youth market in Asia, Davena’s no stranger to the region’s underground tastemaker culture.

Length of time in city: 12 years

EAT & DRINK

Favorite high-end restaurant:

SEVVA, 25/F, Prince’s Building, Central, 2537-1388.
Style guru/socialite Bonnie Gokson’s Sevva is the spot for ultimate poshness. Touting “easy glamour dining,” its high-end modern Asian menu, cake-shop dessert counter, chic décor, amazing terrace with panoramic views of Hong Kong’s harbor, and cheek-kissing socialite guest list makes for an unforgettable experience.

Best deal restaurant:

Tung Po, 2/F, Java Road Market Complex, North Point, 2880-9399.
One of the best down-and-dirty eating adventures in town. Un-fancy, noisy, glaringly neon-bright, canteen-like—and endearing. Fast and furious service, delicious classic local dishes, Tsingtao served in bowls.

Best street food:

Graham Street/Stanley Street, Off the Mid-Levels Escalator, Central.
Underneath the infamous “world’s longest outdoor Escalator” lies a series of ghetto mini-kitchens with tables and stools in the laneways. Market-fresh dishes range from fish-head soup to braised pork ribs, steamed black-bean beef mince, and vegetables with garlic. No fuss and cheap!

Favorite cafe:

Sift, 46 Graham Street, Central, 2530-4288.
A quaint little dessert bar owned by the friendly Jennifer Cheung, a New-York-trained pastry chef. Her sweet treats are little artworks of sinful delight, and the smooth’n’rich hot or iced chocolate is divine.

Best place to work on laptop with free Wi-Fi:

SoHo.
Nearly every cafe or restaurant in Central’s “South of Hollywood Road” (SoHo) dining area has free Wi-Fi. Easy options include Brunch Club (70 Peel Street, 2526-8861), Cafe O (61 Caine Road, 2111-3131), Life Organic Health Cafe (10 Shelley Street, 2810-9777), and Staunton’s Bar & Cafe (10-12 Staunton Street, 2973-6611).

Best bar:

Racks MDB, 7/F, M88, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central, 2868-3762.
A billiards club and hipster hangout with dive-bar cool and non-pop music. Smoke-filled when busy, but quieter evenings are great to grab drinks with friends, shoot pool, listen to local DJs, and gawk at local celebrities and models outside of their “work clothes.”

READ

Best bookstore:

Basheer Design Books, Flat A, Island Building, 439-441 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, 2126-7533.
While everyone loves going to Page One bookstores, the creatives head for Basheer. Loads of books on graphic design, fine arts, photography, architecture, interior design, street art, fashion, and much more. Also look out for special exhibitions held here.

Best magazine stand:

Fleet Arcade, Fenwick Pier, Wan Chai.
This random, occasionally deserted mall services Hong Kong’s visiting naval personnel, and the low-key magazine shop on the second floor is a splendid little secret. Shopping for magazines here—priced at the direct HK-to-US dollar conversion—is the best bargain ever.

SHOP

Best boutiques:

On Lan Street, Central.
This quiet pedestrian street is the best boutique fest in Hong Kong: D-mop, Comme des Garçons, Maison Martin Margiela, BBC / Ice Cream, Hoods, Christian Louboutin, soon-to-open Dsquared2, and others. Nearby are Visvim’s FIL, eYe Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons and See by Chloé stores, and Diesel’s flagship.

Lane Crawford, Shop 3025-26, 3/F, ifc Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, 2118-7683.
Hong Kong’s premier department store isn’t technically a boutique, but its creative inspirations, distinctive designs, friendly free concierge service, on-hand personal stylists, DJ bar, and well-curated assortment of top brands make for an unparalleled shopping experience. Find someone with a gold VIP card to score a 10 percent discount!

SIGHTSEE

Favorite art space/gallery/museum:

Random “guerilla galleries” showcase special brand-supported art shows around Hong Kong. A-Vibe has worked on cool exhibitions for Diesel’s Brave space, Evisu’s store-touring Cube Gallery project, special Nike projects, and Quiksilver’s surfboard-art show.

Favorite outdoor space:

Gough Street.
This quaint two-block stretch (between Aberdeen and Shing Wong) is off the main drag in Central, and blends traditional and new: old-school noodle shops, slick restaurants, local designer boutiques, and sleek homeware stores.

Best touristy thing to do:

Ride the Star Ferry. Just HK$2.20 (US 30 cents) each way gets you fantastic views of the neon-lit skylines.

Only a local does or knows about:

Take a junk trip to Dai Long Wan. Booking a wooden boat for 30 friends, taking off from Central or Sai Kung pier, and sailing out to the amazing Dai Long Wan beach is an experience that defines a classic Hong Kong summer. You always have a feast, get drunk, swim in fresh waters, tan up, and love this city even more.

The must-see thing in your city:

The Big Buddha and hiking trails on Lantau; the hippie village lifestyle on Lamma; the traditional fisherfolk on Cheung Chau. The outlying islands are easy day trips for a taste of the country life, and these three (out of 260, most unpopulated) are must-do’s.

What is the best place to people-watch?

The MTR.
Perch inside the super-efficient, snazzily clean, well-priced subway and watch the fashionable, sweaty, student, local, and tourist crowds roll through.

EVENTS

Best events in each season?

Horse racing & Rugby Sevens.
Two of Hong Kong’s favorite pastimes: 1) getting drunk while betting on horses, and 2) getting drunk while watching rugby. Horse racing season runs from September to July; the three-day Rugby Sevens run every March.

TIPS

Anything else you want to mention?

Happy Foot, 11/F, Jade Centre, 98-102 Wellington Street, Central, 2544-1010 (plus other locations).
Do not leave Hong Kong without getting a foot massage! You can read gossip magazines, watch DVDs, or catch up with friends in a private room—while finding out that your liver is unhealthy, your sinuses are blocked, or you don’t get enough sleep.

Best website for local info:

HongKongHustle
Run by an anonymous scenester who’s got his hustle down, this site covers the city’s “nightlife, street fashion, culture and cool.”