Birthdays are always one of my favorite celebrations in the year, both for loved ones and myself. It’s a time where friends and families are gathered together over delicious food, drinks, and a lot of laughters. It is also special moments like these that reminds us of how grateful we are for what we have.
This year i have been very blessed to have yet another lovely birthday celebration with my dear friends and families, where the celebration took place over the entire month with great food, company, and a lot of great memories. There was a mix cuisine of American, Italian, Japanese, British, Spanish, and some lovely birthday surprises in between. I’m sooooo thankful for everyone that is in my life right here right now, and i’m truly touched by my dear friends who know me so well, and purposely prepared the surprises with birthday cakesand gifts. I know it sounds cheesy with the birthday surprises and all but i just can’t help it, lol.
It was a chilled Friday night on September 6, just a day before my special day, where a sleep over at BFF’s place was organized so we could kick start my birthday in style the next day. As BFF took an early morning hike up to the peak, i lied in bed until the warm sun from the window beamed in and touched my face. It was a beautiful day and i couldn’t have asked for anything else better that morning. BFF and i both quickly got dressed and went downstairs and hopped into the closes cab within our sight. I asked “where are we going?” and she replied with a smiling face “it’s a surprise”, and i couldn’t help but feeling all giddy inside. As we approached Admiralty and drove up to the JW Marriott Hotel, i had a good feeling we were headed to Cafe Gray Deluxe Hong Kong, and i was right. We were greeted by a smiling receptionist who got our names down and ushered us to a table in the middle of the restaurant.
Cafe Gray had a cosy ambiance with wooden decor against the lovely dangling chandeliers high above us, and the magnificent window view of the Kowloon area and ocean from a distant. I ordered one of my fave dishes, the Cafe Gray Black Angus burger in caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, tomato confit and some batter diped fries, and BFF had her fave eggs benedicts. It was a really relaxing afternoon where there was not a care in the world or a rush to go anywhere. We finished the meal by having a cuppa cappuccino where complimentary chocolates were given as well, much to my surprise. We slowly gobbled down the chocolates and without any warning, a waiter appeared from behind me holding a plate with a dessert on it that had “happy birthday skat” written in chocolate sauce. I was beyond speechless and the only visible sign I had was this big happy smile and touched look on my face. It was a delicious banoffee cake with rum raisin ice cream and it was orgasmic, to say the least, lol. My BFF has always been there for me and she’s just the sweetest and most understanding friend one can ask for. She’s been there for my good times and bad times and vice versa of course, and it’s truly a blessing to have her there celebrating my special day with me.
The rest of the afternoon was spent over some retail therapy where I went to Calvin Klein for some long due new lingeries, and a quick stop over to Zara and H&M for some light shopping spree. Following that night, dinner was arranged at this steak house called “Steik World Meats” in Tsim Sha Tsui, where BFF had invited Ben to come along. Ben was such a sweet heart and got me a box of my fave Laduree macarons and i just couldn’t wait to get my hands on those delicious and beautiful looking sweet treats. We spent the entire night just slowing savoring our food and sipping on red wine, where the night gradually ended at Vibes over more wine and some birthday shots.
As we entered the door to BFF’s flat, i quickly kicked off my 4 inch heels and jumped onto her bed and was falling asleep. Little did i know, another surprise was coming my way. BFF told me to come to the living room and there she stood with her slightly tipsy face, and was holding these two mini but oh so cute birthday cakes, a tiramisu and mango/strawberry flavored one. With the appetite of a horse at such late hours, most likely due to the slight over drinking, we finished the cakes rather quickly. To end the night, i finally got to open my present and it was this lovely Marc by Marc Jacobs scarf with leopard print that my two BFFs had gotten me. I would say it was the perfect ending to the night for my birthday.
Surprises were definitely up in the air for my birthday this year. Mr. A just happened to be in town on the week of my birthday and offered to take me to the peak. His big and friendly smile was just the same as i last remembered, and it was really nice to see him again.
It was a sunny weekend where the day started with some delicious Japanese ramen and gyoza (pan fried dumplings) before we started our journey to the peak. After a much fulfilled lunch, we slowly paced ourselves to the Tsim Sha Tsui star ferry where we would take the ferry to cross over to HK island. Upon arrival, we caught the bus 15C that did not have a roof, which made it a fun and touristy ride for me, as i looked high above the sky scrapers and scenic view of Hong Kong. A walk around the peak whilst enjoying the greenery and sipping on coffee over chit chats at the local cafe, while overseeing the view of Hong Kong, made me remember what it was like to enjoy the moment.
We decided to have dinner at Pearl on the Peak, especially as i’ve heard quite good reviews of this restaurant. As we arrived to the front door, we were quickly escorted by a friendly staff who seated us to a table that was facing the entire view of Hong Kong. We both ordered the wagyu steak as we are such steak lovers, along with two glasses of red wine. The red wine was completely divine and complimented just right with the juicy steak. I ordered the organy flavored crepe with orange ice cream for dessert, where the chef made it live, right in front of my very own eyes. It was an interesting and different experience to see how my dessert came into fruition, where flames came into vision after the cognac was gently poured over the orange, and slowly simmered on the pan.
The night ended with a quiet stroll around the peak where we embraced all that the nature had to offer. There was also this cute giant heart stand where lovers would write messages on this heart paper provided for free, and they would eternalize their love by hanging the message on the heart. One could say it’s a cheesy doing but i kinda think it’s a sweet gesture if you’ve found the one.
As the time ticked away and it got closer to closing time, we took the next peak tram and headed back down, where we took one more glance of the beautiful Hong Kong night view. It was a very cosy, or as the Danes say it, “hyggeligt” night, and a nice way to end my birthday at the peak.
All photos accredited to me
CinZilicious 