Skyscrapers, Scarfs & Sambag - Lily & Lionel do HK!

New York's is pretty impressive, Shanghai's isn't bad either, but I challenge anyone to disagree that Hong Kong is the proud owner of the most jaw droppingly awesome skyline in all of the world.

Whenever I catch myself whining about stifling humidity, my matchbox sized flat or the maddeningly slow pace at which Hong Kongers walk, I only have to take a quick hike up to the top of Victoria Peak and gaze down on the skyscrapered harbour front to remember exactly why I love this little corner of Asia.

So you can imagine my overexcitement when I heard that the scarf superstars at Lily & Lionel were following up their Manhattan and City of London Skyline Scarfs with a Hong Kong Skyline version... 

This limited edition beauty is available for HK$1,600 from the first HK outpost of Australian fashion boutique, Sambag. Get in there quick though, I got my name on the waiting list back in December and I hear that the stock that dropped last week is selling out super fast.

For anyone who isn't lucky enough to live within swooning distance of the real life skyline, panic not, you can still get your hands on a slice of HK scarf perfection via Matches (£100).

Image via: www.matchesfashion.com

Sheung Wan Wandering

Yesterday was a perfect Hong Kong Sunday - warm and sunny with blue skies and hardly any humidity - an amazing day for a little wander around my favourite Hong Kong neighbourhood, Sheung Wan.

Home to quirky little boutiques and sweet cafes, Sheung Wan has the character and edge that a lot of the surrounding areas lack.    

We started off by popping into brand new Australian boutique Sambag to try on the winter boots that I'd eyed up at the launch last Thursday. After ordering a pair of boots in (none in my size at the mo) and drooling over some seriously bling bib necklaces, we moved on for a little window shopping in the furniture shops around the corner. 

A quick visit to Secret Ingredient HQ to have a nose at next weeks' recipes and then we decided it was time for a little tea pitstop. 

Tucked away on Tai Ping Shan Street, teakha's sunny courtyard is the perfect spot to while away a lazy Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea and something sweet and a little bit naughty. 

Having generally swerved alcohol, carbs and sugar all week, yesterday was my treat day, so I tucked into a slice of scrumptious banana and caramel bread while leafing through HK Magazine and soaking up the afternoon rays.

Teacup drained and every last crumb of banana bread hoovered, we headed off on a leisurely wander around a couple of shops to work off a few calories.

As the sun began to dip, we headed back up the hill via Il Bel Paese, a great little Italian deli, to pick up a couple of bits and bobs, then home to collapse on the sofa with a yummy, healthy dinner and a Downton Abbey catch-up session.

Sunday's don't get much better!

This Week the Mice have Mostly Been...

Friday at last!

This is where I'd usually start my count down to Friday night cocktails or at the very least a gin & tonic or two, not this week though, this week I'm on the Perrier. As I was last week and as I will be for the foreseeable future... No, I haven't joined AA and I'm definitely not pregnant... I'm two weeks into Bikini Fit, a brand HK new girls only health & fitness program. 

Eleven bootcamp sessions down, a lot of chicken and leafy greens consumed and not a single drop of alcohol drunk (plenty of protein shakes though...). I'm definitely already a little flatter of tummy and generally feeling more sparky and energentic - very odd given that I start each morning by doing squats with kettle bells (heavier than my handbag on a really bad day) or hill sprints or burpees or all three and a few dozen press-ups for good measure. We're almost a quarter of the way in now, so still a few weeks to go, but I'll keep you posted on my progress...

When I haven't been dodging carbs or doing circuits, it's been a pretty busy week, so fitness aside, this week the Mice have mostly been...

Willing the HK cold snap to come sooner after eyeing up a delicious array of cashmere and winter boots at the opening party of Australian brand, Sambag's, first Hong Kong boutique. A favourite of Elle McPherson and Nicole Kidman, Sambag is known and loved for its luxe basics. At the launch yesterday evening I was majorly lusting after a butter soft pair of leather leggings and the perfect pair of black knee boots - the sort of boots you put on at the first chill of autumn and don't take off again until spring is tipping into summer... The launch party itself was pretty rocking with free-flowing champagne served by an army of very pretty boys, delicious canapes (tuna sashimi and mini fritatas - totally bikini fit appropriate), cupcakes (less bikini fit appropriate), an awesome DJ and goody boxes of macaroons in the brand's signature duck egg blue. Seeing as I resisted the champagne, the cupcakes and the macaroons (ok I may have had a nibble of a corner of a macaroon but it was the teeniest of nibbles), I definitely deserve to head back next week and snap up those leather leggings, the boots and while I'm there I may as well bag myself one of the heavenly cashmere tracksuits...

Channelling my inner witch and scaring the girls with a spooky Halloween supper. Halloween's a pretty big deal in Hong Kong. Lan Kwai Fong (HK's equivalent of Soho) is descended upon by the majority of the city in various states of fancy dress and drunkenness. I'd almost go as far to say it's as big as the HK Sevens and anyone who's ever been to the Sevens will know, that's one hell of a party... However, due to my current alcohol abstinence, I've been giving LKF a pretty wide berth recently so decided to have the girls round for a little Halloween dinner instead. Sticking to the high protein, low sugar, low carb Bikini Fit eating plan, I rustled up a creepy menu including delicacies like slime soup (aka pea soup), roasted skewered bat and mashed brain (chicken kebabs and quinoa with pomegranate seeds) and witches teeth (flaked almonds). Water all round and tucked up in bed by 10:30 - rock and roll...    

Snapping up tickets for me and a crew of pals for an evening of drinking in a good cause at the Hong Kong Room to Read Fundraiser. If you head down to Play on Wednesday 14 November, you can sip cocktails while polishing your halo knowing that you're helping to raise cash to educate children across Asia and Africa. Tickets are HK$350, which includes three drinks, canapes, a goodie envelope and a donation to Room to Read's Girl's Education Programme. On the night there'll be a raffle and an auction including stellar prizes like a weekend break at the Grand Soluxes Angkor Palace in Cambodia, Marc Jacobs handbags and Tory Burch amazingness. Make sure you RSVP by next Friday 9th November to nab yourself a spot. 

Stocking up on scraps of lace and pretty knicks at my favourite lingerie shop in Hong Kong, Sheer. Girls of HK, if you're sick of lingerie shops with an uninspiring array of miniature sized bras and boring knickers, get yourself down to Sheer immediately. Staffed by girls who understand underwear, know every line that the boutique carries inside out and want to make sure that you walk away with a bagful of super flattering, beautiful underwear, shopping at Sheer is a genuinely pleasurable experience. I always leave the shop with twice as much as I intended to buy... Shopping-phobic boyfriend in tow? Comfy sofas, bowls of chocolates and an array of lingerie coffee table books will be sure to keep him amused while you shop leaving you free to spend up a storm. Prices are reasonable but choice is vast, be warned you will leave considerably poorer than when you arrived...

And that's it for another week! Happy Friday, have a wonderful weekend!
x 
The Mice