COMMUNITY

Have Your Say – Nicholas Flood

Author/ Being Neighbourly
6 August 2024

Nicholas Flood is a native of the US, who has been in Hong Kong for 18 months via France. Nicholas is a student and lives on the HKU campus, near the East Gate. He is a member of the Buy Nothing, SYP group.

Can you see yourself living anywhere else?

Honestly I am not truly sure what the future holds as I will graduate this year. I would love to stay in Hong Kong, but I will go wherever I can find a job! And if I do stay here, I would like to stay in Sai Ying Pun, as I think the proximity to everything is really convenient, while at the same time it doesn’t feel like you are in the centre of a huge, bustling city.

Why did you move here?

I moved to Hong Kong for university. I am currently studying in a dual degree program between SciencesPo (a French University) and HKU. So I spent two years in France, and I am now finishing up my two years here.

What’s so great about your home/neighbourhood?

I really love how Sai Ying Pun feels like a pretty small neighbourhood despite just being about a 20-25 minute walk from Central. After 9-10pm it turns super quiet, and even later in the night, you can’t see anyone on the streets. I think the general ambiance of the area is great, as it has many restaurants and shops. I also really like the hills and views of the harbour that there are, especially from Centre Street! It’s nice to just walk around up and down the hills and take a look at the shops and soak up the vibes!

Best places to eat breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner?

I’d like to preface this with the fact that I am a student, so the restaurants I eat at are usually on the lower end of the price scale.

For breakfast I don’t often eat out but I do like the avocado toast from Winstons coffee. They also offer impossible meat products which you can add to their sandwiches.

For lunch, I like Bun Bun, which serves Taiwanese gua bao, which are stuffed buns. My favourite is the fried tofu bun. They offer a lunch special for students at 60 HKD for a gua bao, fries, and a drink !

For dinner my favorite place would be Keep Eat Simple which has an amazing vegan dumplings with noodles. As a Tamjai enthusiast, this is a healthier alternative that still fills the Tamjai craving!

The staff are so nice, and at this point have remembered my face and order. They also have a student discount as well.

For dessert, my favourite place to go is Sweetie’s Dessert as it is literally a three minute walk from my dorm. Their sesame tong yuan are absolutely delicious, and the ginger soup cleanses my soul.

Best places to find a drink?

Moojoo coffee and Winstons are probably my favorite places to get coffee, although I don’t drink much coffee. Moojoo has a great ambiance and I like doing schoolwork there every now and then. And Winstons coffee is really, really delicious.

Best little known gems?

One store I really like in Sai Ying Pun is called Live Zero. It sells products for living a zero waste lifestyle, and the staff are so kind! Secondly, it’s not food or drink, but off of Centre Street there is Yu Lok Lane as well, where there is a small museum and you can see photos and read about the area in the 19th century.