What does gourmand heaven look like?

Hong Kong. Having arrived this Friday on the island where Gourmands go to die and reach heaven, I cannot claim at all to be disappointed when it comes to my expectations of culinary delights. I am visiting my friend, fellow blogger and President of the Cooking Society at the University of Sheffield, for a holiday which I was promised would leave me fat and satisfied. I've only been here for a day and already experience the latter, and at the rate I'm going I'll soon be fat too. The first thing I did when I arrived at my destination was indulge in trying something I've always wanted to experience: bubble tea. And after being hit by a solid wall of humid heat once I left the air conditioned airport, a cool taro bubble tea was just the thing to cool me down. Plus it was bright purple! My favourite colour. I don't think the taro was for me but there was a wall of varieties just calling my name, and I loved chewing on those tapioca pearls. Dinner the night I arrived was livelier and larger than I was really prepared for having just ended a twenty hour journey. Still, I attempted to pick up and use my chopsticks and dug into a lovely Chinese meal out with my friend's extended family that seemed to go on for ages. As soon as we thought the meal was over, a new large dish was placed down. I had to take a time out at one point but I loved the grab and share atmosphere as we sat around the classic round table to eat. And we ate duck, char sui pork, pork with a lovely crispy skin chicken or goose feet in a plum sauce, snap peas and red peppers with something else I ignored I favour of the peas which I love, fried rice, noodles, vegetarian sea food, jellyfish, and something my friend tried to. Convince me was Swallow's nest, but which I think were actually battered shrimp balls with stringy bits of batter that looked like a bird's nest. I lost track of the dishes at some point, finally snapping out of a food induced pseudo-coma at the arrival of something gelatinous with a red bean paste filling, which were deliciously sweet and chewy, along with some watermelon to clear my tongue of the almost overwhelming sweet taste. Today was a bit more moderate, in both length, content and cost. Lunch was Korean, at a restaurant my firnd stumbled across in the classic way that the best restaurants are found - while lost. We arrived at the restaurant to be greeted with a pitcher of tea, and a selection of mini starters which I must stress came free. Potato salad with apple, spicy kimchi (fermented Chinese cabbage), sweet potato in a sweet sticky sauce and two other dishes I did tnot try. What a lovely way to be greeted. The main I actually paid for was Bulgogi (marinated barbecue beef) on a bed (veritably king sized) of rice. I usually avoid beef when I eat out, but this was the juiciest, most tender & flavoursome beef I've had in a loooong time. This also came with a side of seaweed flavoured with pork bits in a mini bowl of broth. The main was eaten before I could take photos but once I figure out how to upload my photos I'll delight you with images of my starter. The real kicker was the bill though -at HK$55 which roughly translates to £5, I think that meal was not only delicious but in credible value for money. I doubt I could eat as much as I did today in England for the same money. I'm still full from dinner and a day of sightseeing so I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a description of the lovely meal my friend's lovely mum made, but be sure to expect something yummy, filling and served with fluffy rice. Happy summer-holidaying, student_gourmand