Day 2

Ok, Ok, so our trip is all about food. There's no point in pretending.

After our morning hotel room "tea ceremony", sitting on our window seat and looking out at the peek-a-boo harbour view that glimmered between vertical lines of glass and cement and eating fruit with our malaria pill, we set off in search of lunch.

The best dim sum in Hong Kong is in Maxim's Palace, a sumptuous red and gold chamber housing trolleys, set upstairs in the City Hall, overlooking the land reclaiming project and the harbour beyond. Not cheap, but oh my goodness good.

Dinner too was of great importance. I recently connected with an old high school girfriend, courtesy Google, who is a lawyer here. She invited us to dine at the China Club: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Club and ordered local food - vegetable broth, battered eggy prawns, roast chicken, pea shoots - all of which got cold rather quickly as catching up took over our attention. The place is owned by David Tang, who owns the fab fashion shop Shanghai Tang: http://www.shanghaitang.com/shanghaitang/ and he's done it up in all its Art Deco glory, library chairs with creamy white antimacassars, polished wood veneer doors and chrome lamps. David Tang's rather alternative artwork is everywhere, as are other pieces he feels adds the right wackiness - paintings, china, objets d'art.

Being on the top floors of the old Bank of China Building, the views are spectacular, and nightcaps can be had on a narrow balcony lit by the new Bank of China Building. Had but not enjoyed by those who have an aversion to heights (sorry Martin). I wanted to steal a menu, or a piece of the china with its retro red and gold star design, or a etched glass Russian style tea cup, but played good. Muriel's the one who has to answer to the membership committee!

Muriel and me

Ceramic fish bowl with body parts - hmmm