BCAA

12 BCA A .COM FALL 2017 iStock, VEA Restaurant & Lounge MUST-SEE HONG KONG Hong Kong never stops moving. Double- decker trams careen along streets jammed with red-and-white taxis; suited-up business people rush to and from office towers; food-stall vendors dish egg tarts inside thrumming street markets as five-star hotels lay out English-style tea service; worshippers light coils of incense at Taoist temples with soaring skyscrapers in the backdrop. While this city of 7.3 million consists of three main regions – Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the outlying New Territories – most short-term visitors stick around the central island, traipsing about gorgeous Victoria Harbour. But those craving a calmer pace should also venture into the New Territories to witness a surprising fact first-hand: Hong Kong is three-quarters countryside. 1 Ride a vintage tram up Victoria Peak The steepest funicular in the world, built in 1888, carries passengers up the 552- metre-high mountain overlooking downtown, for panoramic views of Victoria Harbour, dotted with boats and lined with glass-clad skyscrapers (of which Hong Kong has the most of any city in the world, at 316). 2 Demolish some dim sum (and then some) This Cantonese meal consists of small plates – think steamed pork buns, radish cakes and rice-noodle rolls – served in bamboo containers. There are dim sum joints on virtually every corner, but Mott 32 serves a modern take, prepared with niche ingredients like Iberico pork and black garlic, from its chandelier-laden space in the basement of a downtown financial building. Not into dim sum? How about French- Chinese fusion? Try the eight- course seasonal tasting menu, paired with craft cocktails (a first for Hong Kong) at VEA Restaurant on Wellington Street. DIG DEEPER: THE UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK A world away from bustling downtown Hong Kong, but just a half-hour drive to the northeast, lies the fishing village of Sai Kung, and this 50-sq.-km preserve off the coast. Hop on a "junk" boat or join a guided tour to see the geological main attraction: hexagonal basalt rock columns, created by flowing lava 140 million years ago. VEA Restaurant's "Life in the Jungle" dish features crab with leek ash and black garlic pebbles. A built-in-1888 funicular railway carries passengers up Hong Kong's Victoria Peak.

• Cover