Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, But That Doesn't Mean The Dumplings Aren't Any Good

Title with apologies to BJ Thomas.  Nothings worrying me.

As we were walking back to the meeting point, a few drops of rain fell.  There was no rain in the forecast, nor any rain on the radar.  Suddenly, the skies opened.  We made it to the pergola by the fountain, joining lots of other folks.  Then it really, really started pouring. 

Our caddie told us the heavy stuff wasn’t going to come down for a little while, but fortunately there was no lightning.  I called our driver.  Because of the hedges, I could not see the pick-up spot, so I raced through the rain, across the street.  I soaked by the time I reached the building’s overhang.  Carol came over eventually.  She was soaking wet too.  Good fun, especially as the radar continued to show that the rain that was falling at a rapid rate wasn’t actually happening.  It’s as though the radar asked that old question – who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?

After managing a well-done, yet fairly wet retreat in the heavy rain, we called it a morning.  Our driver took us back to the Mira Hotel.

(Digression: Wow did we luck out being rejected by the Mira Moon and instead being given a suite in the Mira Hotel.  Not only did we have a suite on one of the two club floors, but Kowloon is the better place to stay as a tourist.  We were not far from the Harbor, and within walking distance of great restaurants, museums, shops, and more. 

One of my favorite sayings – although I haven’t used it as much in recent years as in the past – is by Branch Rickey.  “Luck is the residue of design.”  It is an elegant way of saying you make your own luck.  In this case, that didn’t apply, as luck would have it, we were just lucky.  End of digression.)

Our trusty guide on the first day, Bill, had recommended that we eat one meal at a well-known dumpling restaurant, Din Tai Fung, which was located in the Mira Place 1 Mall, right across the street from the Hotel (yes, there is also a Mira Place 2 Mall).  As it turns out, our friends Ava Law replied to my blog post email with that very same suggestion.  Funnily enough, when I mentioned to Carol that we should go there for lunch, our driver Sum pooh-poohed the idea.

Sum, that is his name.  Yes, that was all he gave us.  I guess you could say that was the sum of his name.  (Editor’s Note: You are terrible.  Blogger: At first I thought it didn’t add up.  Editor: You are fired.  Blogger: . . .)

He said the food was good but overpriced.  I suppose it is all a matter of perspective.  I ordered 18 dumpling (12 chicken, 6 pork) without realizing it.  They gave us a small card with the proper way to eat a dumpling (dip it in the ginger, soy, and vinegar sauce, put it on the Chinese spoon, and then poke a hole in it with a chopstick so the hot liquid inside comes out and cools).  We also ordered two beef buns – one with a green vegetable and one without.  We also had side orders of spinach and rice with chicken.

The menu had two columns to mark.  I thought the second column meant bring that a little later.  I thought wrong.  It actually means bring two orders.  That’s how we came to procure 12 dumplings.  On the other hand, we had worked up an appetite, so we ate all of the dumplings.

The spinach was amazing.  The chicken rice was great.  Of course, the dumplings were fabulous.  We were underwhelmed by the beef buns, because they couldn’t compete with the rest of the food, so we did not eat all of that.  I was able to get two cold Perriers, so it wasn’t a choice between tea or hot water.

I usually don’t blog this much about the food, although sum of this post deals with other topics.  (Editor’s note – you spelled “some” wrong.  Blogger:  Wait for it.  Editor:  Oh, I get it.  I don’t like it, but I get it.). 

By the way, if we ate at every restaurant in Hong Kong that friends recommended, we would need a couple of weeks.  We appreciate those suggestions, it’s nice to have so many good friends and so many great options.  Let me rephrase that – so many great friends and good options.  (Editor’s Note: Suck-up!  Blogger: While it has the added benefit of being true, remember my favorite Mark Twain quote!)

When I went off to find the men’s room in the mall food loft, I stumbled across a two-star Michelin restaurant, where I promptly made 9:30 pm dinner reservations.  So in this one mall, there is a classic Chinese dumpling restaurant, and a two-star Michelin restaurant.  Mira Place 1 is NOT your typical American mall!