…IF WE HAVEN’T GOT WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR! 😜
In an effort to keep up the support for our home-grown independent businesses, AND to offer a public service for those of you looking for Hong Kong-centric gifts that (shock horror!) The Lion Rock Press haven’t got covered… I will be blogging about my personal guide to a few of the best goodies I’ve come across this year. Next up, those devils-to-buy-for…. MEN!
I have either bought these things for myself or others, have had them bought for me, or have them on my wishlists for Christmas, birthdays, and other random excuses to splurge on amazing goodies from our clever #HOMEKONG indies…
FASHION & LIFESTYLE GOODIES
You may know that I’m absolutely mad about tea towels… we all need them, right? So let’s get some nice ones!! And let’s face it ladies- a lot of the time we buy things for him that we’d actually just like to have in our homes?! There’s no shame in it!! I would actually love to make them at The Lion Rock Press if it wasn’t for the fact that other people have done such a brilliant job already! My favourites are from ByMamaLaterre (surely he will adore the Hong Kong Transport design which is also available as a reusable facemask!), Paper Roses (Dumplings), Zest of Asia (Chinese Thermos Flasks) and Pinyin Press (Chicken Feet). Pinyin Press also do brilliant Lucky Cat oven gloves– I’ve got one red and one blue- if he’s a bit of a whizz in the kitchen! I am constantly buying tea towels because they’re great and completely ageless… you need them whether you’re 28 or 88! I can’t seem to leave Thorn & Burrow (fave shop for gifts in Sai Ying Pun AND stockist of myriad HK-themed gifts including LRP) without another of the wretched things! I’m addicted! Can you ever have enough?!
Spread across 3 floors on Wellington Street and described as a modern barber’s shop and gentleman’s lounge, brilliantly named The Duke’s Man Cave offers beard-shaping and trimming as well as clean, stylish haircuts. Stocked with cigars, darts, video games, films, whiskies and sports channels, this man cave is perfect for father and son bonding time… or an escape from reality for a couple of hours with buddies- with the added benefit of coming home looking and smelling better than when he left.
JEWELLERY & WATCHES
There was a time when every male in my life connected with the 852 got a pair of cufflinks for their birthdays. There was something about those gorgeous frilly Elizabeth II twenty cent coins from Patinova that I just could not resist. Recently, my eye has been caught by their Dancing Chinese Lion cufflinks for the upcoming Father’s Day to drive away those pesky evil spirits, and I recently chipped in for their Dragon Boat Paddle cufflinks for a leaver who was an avid member of the Dragon Boat community- what a cool keepsake!
Since I can’t help myself but buy cufflinks, I’ve also been a long-term fan of Dee Gogh from whom I bought this awesome pair of English Lion links for my husband’s milestone birthday (now betraying his age- sorry!). She also does currencies other than HK, so have a browse. Other goodies I think are well worth consideration are her money clips, guitar picks and- for those naughty boys- she does awesome lighters which you can have engraved with their nickname. What a great talking point they are- especially for old HK friends and family who are now living overseas.
If it’s a watch you’re after, Von Burg currently has an unbelievable almost 90% off sale! They’ve been manufacturing watches in HK for 50 years through three generations and are only recently online. They sell their own watch brand “Claro” as well as other brands of note such as Breitling. Another of my Sheung Wan secrets are the watches at SquareStreet who are also having a fantastic sale, as luck would have it! I find their Novem watch rather exquisite. Designed right here in the 852 by Swedish-born Alexis Holm, these watches have serious cool factor. Make sure you check out their stunning range of phone cases too- if you’re shopping online they’re offering 10% off for first-time customers. Shopping is thirsty work- so settle down at the in-store KAFFE and enjoy a cup of Swedish coffee and a bite of my other guilty pleasure- HK’s very own Conspiracy Chocolate! It’s all about fika there- and I love it!
How about asking China ABCs to make a piece of custom Alphabet Art? Go for his name or nickname, your family name, or simply DADDY… a uniquely Hong Kong memento.
China ABCs Alphabet Art
Although known for her Zodiac Collection, I am loving Eleanor McColl’s HK PEOPLE collage. Like us at LRP, Eleanor ‘celebrates the ordinary’ and we share a love for the overlooked icons of the city like the “cardboard grannies”. In a simple black- or bold bright coloured frames- these would make a killer gift. They’re what I tell my husband is called a “joint gift”…
SAY CHEESE!
Perhaps no gift means more than a set of beautiful family photographs and Hong Kong boasts a HUGE amount of brilliantly talented photographers- many of them amazing women who I know personally. I will shout out the divine Jenna Louise Potter and Claire Woodrow from her eponymous business. They’re a great place to start! Consider also a private photography lesson if he’s keen snapper- most photographers offer this service on request.
FAVE BOOK
YOU THINK YOU’VE SEEN IT ALL?
One of my more unusual obsessions is terrariums- essentially a twist on the traditional pot plant- a decorative micro environment of living flora usually in a sealable glass container. There are really lovely ones- like The Burt from ByDeau– which make extremely tasteful gifts and are perfect for those short of space… an office desk for example. Delightful! But the ones I especially adore are a bit more off-key. I have this one called Paint Me Like A French Girl which can actually be customised (you can choose hair colour for example) and it makes me laugh every time I see it.
A few of my other faves are Bright Side Up (perfect for hikers), Soulmates (for the romantics out there) and Snappy Snaps (especially good for the INSTA BF/HUSBEAST) from Glass Farm and they make wonderful presents which are always a talking point. You can even make your own from scratch with the kits… a LOT of scope for banter, but I have to warn you- they are addictive!
CHEERS!
Since finding out about our growing Craft Beer market here in HK, I’m now obsessed with buying cases of that rather than a crate of Asahi cans from Park n Shop when we go round to friends… and wow it’s always so well received and a great conversation starter. With names like “Big Wave Bay” and “Dragon’s Back”, the Hong Kong Beer Company has nailed the fun local names although, naturally, I find it more fun to take a mixed case of Lion Rock Brewery beers and try and pass it off as my new line- the Pale Ale always goes down a treat. Mak’s Beer brew their cold ones in Tsuen Wan using a number of locally-grown ingredients including goji berries, date, mint and dried longan. Yardley Brothers Beer began when two UK brothers started brewing beer in the living room of home in Lamma. Now they sell a number of unique named beers including Hong Kong Bastard Imperial IPA and !Quit Your Job! Saison. I am also infatuated with the artwork on their website.
From an aesthetic POV though, my favourite is Young Master Ales whose labels are to-die-for and, being teetotal myself, this is of extreme importance! They’ve got a big range of beers and I buy their gift vouchers for those hard-to-buy-for HK boys!
There’s tons of others like Black Kite Brewery , Kowloon Bay Brewery, Gweilo (check out their SKYLINE cans!) and- the ultimate in design porn for me- Moonzen– the boxes they come in are incredibly beautiful- we keep them all to send our LRP orders!! Check out these stunning Moonzen gift sets– amazing value for HK$200 IMO since we’d usually spend that one a bottle of nice wine to take over which has got like a hundred zillion air miles… so much better to support our local micro breweries!
For more online options, check out Tai-Pan Beer Co. who also have delish KOMBUCHA for the health conscious from Macau-based Blissful BomBooch! Plus Hong Kong’s very own fabulous crafty beer store, Beerhound, which currently has 5% off all local beers in June- enter HKLOCAL at checkout and enjoy!
What about a 12-month beer subscription from The Bottle Shop that ensures a year of artisanal local brews delivered right to his door? What fun he will having holding court with his buddies as he imparts all his new-found local beer knowledge to an enraptured crowd (eye roll).
Or have you got a man who is GIN CRAZY? Look no further than GINSANITY monthly beer club! Every month he will receive a unique bottle of gin that is only available in Hong Kong to Ginsanity Gin Club members. To top up the box they include the chosen pairing mixers, tasting notes from the distillery with suggested cocktails and a couple of treats to enjoy. What more could he want?! It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
GET OUT THERE
Hong Kong is an explosion of all kinds of fantastic experiences and here are a few of my suggestions for the sporty and outdoorsy type or the culture vulture- all of who will be more than satisfied with a gift of any of these gems!
Give him the opportunity to shoot up baddies or save a ship from sinking at Sandbox VR in TST. Sandbox is a futuristic VR experience for groups of up to 6 where you can see and physically interact with everyone inside, just like the real world. Inspired by Star Trek’s Holodeck, their exclusive worlds let you feel like you’re living inside a game or movie. That’s pretty wild! Whether it’s a journey to space or surviving a zombie ambush, there’s something about this thrilling and mind-bending experience that transforms your relationships. You may think that a hyper-reality zombie attack experience might not be your thing, but book it for him and his buddies and prepare him for a transcendental journey!
Back in the real world, equally thrilling is the chance to go on a SNAKE SAFARI in the New Territories and learn about some of Hong Kong’s indigenous snake species- as well as other fauna and flora you will find along the way! Run by brilliant and knowledgable “herpers”, this fascinating insight into our local biodiversity is a unique experience. At night, with only a head torch to guide you, discover how fascinating these much maligned creatures are- I guarantee you will never look at an overhanging branch in the same way again! If this is a bit too much, how about starting with a wonderful BIRD WATCHING TOUR with your own private twitcher? Or a trip to see our critically-endangered pink dolphins with Hong Kong Dolphin Watch– you can even charter you own private tour with them, so get some families together and experience the magic of seeing these magnificent creatures in the wild- before it’s too late!
A more sedate pace is not to be sniffed at, and some of my favourite EVER days were spent doing walking tours around Hong Kong. I’ve done lots of them, and my favourites have been SUNSET SURVIVORS with Lindsay Varty (grab up to 7 other people for a private tour- you’ll be astonished to go inside a traditional pawn broker and meet tradespeople from many of HK’s dying industries- SO fascinating), a Mongkok Food Tour by HK GREETERS (book a private one for you and him or another couple- SO fun and yummy- we laughed for hours!!) and a brilliant deep dive in Sheung Wan with WALK IN HK. Since I work in Sheung Wan it was unbelievable to me to find places I’d walked past every day and never noticed, or never knew about- I was in absolute raptures! Jason Wordie is, of course, almost synonymous with walking tours in Hong Kong and my favourite of his is still the Happy Valley Cemetery… if your man is a history buff it is unbeatable.
I’m exhausted from writing this, and I’m sure you’re exhausted from reading it! See! So many great things to buy for him right here in HK- regardless of how hard you think he is to buy for! Other ideas are restaurant vouchers to support our struggling F&B community, private yoga classes, private meditation or personal trainer sessions, a sports massage at a local specialist or a couple’s foot massage and champagne at Ten Feet Tall!
If you’re still reading, THANK YOU for taking the time to hopefully learn about some local independent companies who rely on your patronage- especially during these uncertain times. We have SO much talent, and SO many passionate and creative people right here on our doorstep- let’s show them our support! Get shopping!
