Tai Po: the ultimate neighbourhood guide

This hipster lifestyle store originally started out in Causeway Bay as more of a treasure hunting spot. But it has quickly evolved into a two-story concept space in Tai Po offering ‘farm-to-face’ skincare products as well as tableware and homeware. It is also an art space for residents artists and creatives. Thinking of switching to a more sustainable lifestyle? This is the perfect starting point.

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This famous pudding shop has been around for more than 20 years with locals continually flocking to buy soy-based groceries like soy milk, soybeans, and spicy bean sauce. However, the place is most famous for its tofu pudding, topped with brown sugar. There’s only a couple of seats in the tiny shop so it’s better to grab take out. Be warned, there's going to be a long queue.

Tsz Shan Monastery is home to the world’s biggest bronze statue of Guan Yin (goddess of mercy, also known as Kwun Yum in Cantonese). Sitting 76m tall, the statue is twice the size of Lantau Island’s Big Buddha. The 500,000sq ft monastery took 12 years to complete and is designed in a style mirroring that of the Tang dynasty. The Buddhist compound features several grand halls, a striking Bodhi tree, sweeping gardens, and a ‘brilliance pond’. There’s a strict limit on how many people can visit each day, so make sure you book in advance online. 

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Simply one of the coolest photo spots in Hong Kong, the reservoir is a 2km long stretch leading into Plover Cove Country Park. If you happen to have a 360-degree camera, even better. The trail provides a one-of-a-kind vantage point to its surrounding waters and the greenery of the New Territories. Make your way through the country park for more amazing scenic landscapes.

A little way off from Tai Po town centre is a quiet fishing village where OG Hongkongers still practise fishing as a livelihood. Facing the Shuen Wan Typhoon Shelter, this quaint village and its humble huts will gently remind you of an old Hong Kong. If you want to know more about the life of villagers and fishermen in the area, pay a visit to the Fishermen's Culture Gallery.

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In between the old country houses of rural Hong Kong sits a gourmet coffee shop that blends in perfectly with the relaxed atmosphere and surrounding greenery in Tai Po. The homey coffee shop even has a swing-set table that you can enjoy your beverage on – just be careful not to spill anything! 

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This famous Cantonese restaurant is extremely popular among locals, especially for its claypot rice and cheung fun. It’s also a favourite spot for Hong Kong stars, so you might be lucky enough to grab a celeb selfie while you slurp up your meal.

Hong Kong is more than just an urban jungle, there’s also a real-life jungle. Okay, it’s more like a forest. This 460-hectare nature reserve is the city’s most extensive woodland area, and is home to more than 100 species of vegetation and fauna. You can go on nature walks through the reserve ranging from 3km to 10km in length and get lost between the lush trees, streams, and blissful silence.

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This excellent Thai restaurant near Plover Cove reservoir is a little out of town, but still draws crowds thanks to the quality of the food here. There are various tasty Thai curries and the tom yum gong soup is spicy and full of enticingly aromatic ingredients. Even though the seating is a little cramped, the friendly neighbourhood vibe and outdoor tables make it well worth a visit.

Built in commemoration of the handover in 1997, this large-scale sleek and spiral architecture sits 32m-tall in the centre of Tai Po Waterfront Park. Circle up the tower and take in the magnificent bird’s eye view over Tolo Harbour and the entire Tai Po Park like you’re Simba atop Pride Rock. The tower itself makes for an impressive photo as well.

Looking for a real escape? Grass Island is where you’ll find true tranquillity (and cows, lots of cows.) The meadow covering the island is what gave Tap Mun its English name, Grass Island. The island so perfectly far from everything else that you have to take a Kaito ferry there. It can take around 35 minutes if you’re going from Wong Shek Pier, north of Sai Kung. Or, if you’re departing from Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier in Sha Tin, it will take up to an hour and a half.

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Anyone for a pint? King’s Belly is a classic English pub in the heart of Tai Po. As you might expect, there are comfy sofas, live sports, and British pub grub classics like beer-battered fish and chips and full-English breakfasts. Of course, there are plenty of pints to be had too including Guinness, Magners cider, and Boddingtons.