Discover the quirkiest offerings from this booming neighbourhood
Kwun Tong may be home to many a party room, but there’s more to this exciting neighbourhood. An industrial powerhouse back in the 1970s and 80s, Kwun Tong is now home to some of the city’s quirkest activities, cool cafés, creative businesses and unique indoor sport venues. And let's not forget all the brilliant restaurants as well. We search Kwun Tong's nooks and crannies bring you the ultimate guide to Kwun Tong.
Bumperman is a party organiser that hosts activities like archery tag —essentially dodgeball with archery —and bizarre and hilarious games involving fat suits. These activities make for a great party or team building exercise. Simply put on an inflatable fat suit in the shape of, say, a sumo wrestler or a ninja, and take part in silly mini-games like limbo dancing and basketball-like games using balloons. It’s recommended you have around 12-20 players for a one-hour session ($2,500).
One of Hong Kong’s biggest and busiest malls, APM, as you can guess from the name, opens its doors from the early morning to late at night with some stores even opening 24 hours. Along with a cinema and the city’s largest Apple Store, this mall is a shopper’s heaven and a favourite stomping ground for any late-night mall rats.
Okay, so hoverboards aren't really a thing anymore but you can still have fun with them. Doubling up as a hoverboard retailer and repair centre, Azzita Hoverland’s 5,000sq ft indoor playground features a winding indoor track for people to race around on electronic balancing boards. It costs $119 per hour on weekdays and $139 on weekends. Take it a step further and hop on a hover mat, a type of go-kart powered by a hoverboard – but they’re a lot pricier at $99 for a 10-minute ride.
Revamped from a cargo working area where waste paper recycling businesses used to operate, this waterfront broadwalk is a small oasis away from the busy district of Kwun Tong. Though it's only about one kilometre long, the promenade offers spectacular nighttime views of Hong Kong Island's east side and panoramas of Victoria Harbour and Lei Yue Mun. Unique art installations in the form of mechanical cranes and waste paper bundles can be found along the corridor as a tribute to the former landscape. And with the help of dazzling light and mist effects, the installation really lights up the promenade.
Specialising in Chinese and international contemporary art, Geneyclee Gallery has been bringing Hongkongers new exhibitions every month without fail, from Nikhil Patel’s innovative fabric canvas paintings to a show featuring artists discovered on Instagram. Pop along to this art space and acquaint yourself with a diverse range of gifted talents pushing the boundaries of creativity.
GoNature is Hong Kong’s largest indoor climbing gym and offers 6,500sqm of climbing terrain for climbers of all experience levels. Challenge your dexterity on over 100 different climbing routes and bouldering problems. There are also beginners courses for any newcomers as well as kids-only and parent-child courses. The cherry on top? There’re no membership or reservation fee required. From $350 upwards.
Authenticity is key here. A connoisseur of all things historic, this urban-inspired lifestyle store showcases an impressive trove of rustic furniture and lifestyle items collected from various decades. Vintage-inspired clothing made in collaboration with local designers can also be found.
What every city needs - an indoor fishing shrimp farm. HA Cube is Hong Kong’s first and only indoor venue where people can fish for shrimps, lobsters and all things crustacean, then barbecue your catch straight afterwards. The venue provides everything from fishing rods and bait so all you need to do sit back and wait for your meal to take the bait.
Hongkongers are some of the most stressed people in the world and Ikari Area is the perfect outlet to let go of all your pent-up rage. All you need to do is grab a bat and smash things up to purge any and all negative emotions. The rooms are filled with old washing machines, fridges and piles of breakable junk that make for a highly satisfying demolition job. Though it doesn’t come cheap – they charge $300 for 15 minutes and $500 for 30 minutes – it's worth it for the catharsis.
One for the photography enthusiasts, Mint founder Edwin Land and his team have created their own line of Polaroid cameras constructed by passionate artisans, designers and engineers. Adding a modern spin to timeless cameras, you can shop for the world’s first folding instant camera SX-70 and an updated version of the classic Polaroid InstantFlex TL70.
BriKetenia is helmed by French chef David Ibarboure, who had previous stints at the Mandarin Oriental’s Pierre, among other fab restaurants. BriKtenia dishes up top notch French basque-inspired grub using quality ingredients with a price tag to match. Expect dishes with modern touches like foie gras with beetroot and orange.
Chef Wong Wing Chee aims to stimulate every sense with his contemporary Cantonese dishes. Whether it’s a sea cucumber the size of your arm, a tower of shellfish, or abalone air-freighted live from New Zealand, the seafood is always fresh and so are the ideas. For the quality and innovation on show in this smart dining room, it’s worth paying for the seafood’s airfare.
Who doesn’t love a hot pot? The meal you have to work for. First, you make your own dipping sauce, then you cook your own food. But the real work is done by the chefs at Hot Pot Boy, who produce quality broths such as the lip-numbing Sichuan pepper and fish-head stocks. Good quality imported meat and fish is lovingly prepared, ready for the pot. Prices range depending on how expensive your tastes are so choose carefully.
This hip Japanese eatery features corrugated metal walls and lightbulbs hanging from ropes, giving Kokon2 an industrial feel in keeping with the larger Kwun Tong aesthetic. The food doesn’t disappoint – there’s a great range of sushi rolls and sashimi platters, all using super fresh fish sourced from Japan. It’s fairly pricey, but there’s quality ramen and a cheaper lunch menu if you’re on a budget.
Lei Garden serves consistently good Cantonese fare using quality, fresh ingredients that’s earned the multi-branched restaurant Michelin-stars all over town, including one at this branch. The menu is massive, but try the crispiest duck in town and pre-order the chicken baked in sea salt in casserole. Seafood dishes are equally as tasty but are fairly pricey.
A Kwun Tong stalwart that’s stuck fast despite the changes in the area, this restaurant has been serving authentic Indonesian fare for over 20 years. There’s nothing pretentious about classics like chicken satay skewers served up simply, in a cosy setting. The great value menu has earned them a recommendation in the Michelin guide too.
One Michelin-starred MIC Kitchen is the decorated ‘Demon Chef’ Alvin Leung’s modern comfort food offering. The afternoon tea menu offers reasonably priced classics like the MIC club sandwich and fish and chips - with updated twists. The rest of the menu is more akin to his signature X-treme Chinese style seen at Bo Innovation, with an expert blend of Chinese and Western ingredients using innovative techniques.
Moreish and Malt serves up casual dining paired with craft beers from the same team behind Kowloon East Kitchen. As you would expect, they do a good, American-style brunch. The dinner menu features a bit of Mexican, some Asian influences and more American staples and for drinks there’s local brews plus imported draft beers, a selection of whiskies and decent cocktails - try the lychee martini. Best bet is to grab a couple of beers and a sharing platter and settle in.
Moonzen is a big part of Hong Kong’s craft beer revolution. The husband and wife team open up the brewery on Friday nights between 6-9.30pm for beer tastings and brewery tours and its classic brews have epic names such as Thunder God pale ale, Jade Emperor IPA and Moon Goddess chocolate stout.
Tucked away in the back of an old factory building, Oldish has a unique, junk-shop charm. There’s old stuff on the walls and old stuff for sale in the warehouse next to the large open kitchen and dining area. Luckily, the food is fresh. You can get an all day breakfast or access to the unlimited salad bar at lunchtime for around $100. There's decent coffee and fancier Western food and pizza on offer as well.
Here are the best places to eat and drink, and the things to do and see while you're in Kennedy Town
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