I thought Jelloman was joking when she brought me the news that we were going to Lamma Island (南丫島) with 4 other families on the upcoming public holiday. I told her we would absolutely get killed lining up for the ferry with the holiday crowd under the heat. That, of course, wasn't going to change her mind so I knew I had to come up with a plan. Then I got some tips from a colleague of mine - book a table at Lamma Rainbow Seafood Restaurant (南丫天虹海鮮酒家) and get free shuttle ferry service to Sok Kwu Wan (索罟灣), the East coast of the island (and back) he said. No lineup with the weekend crowd? Sounds like a great plan to me!
We were told we had a choice between 3 pickup spots - Tsim Sha Tsui (next to the clock tower), Central and Cyberport. Since everyone lives on the Kowloon side, it was a no-brainer that we all met up at Harbour City before 11am for the first ferry (advance booking with the restaurant required).
I thought all along that it was going to be a tiny little boat that would show up to pick us up but what turned up in front of us was a very proper vessel, one that could accommodate almost 60-70 of us. They even have an air-conditioned lower deck but all of us decided to stick around the upper deck to enjoy some sunshine.
It took a little more than half an hour but we finally made it to the pier at Sok Kwu Wan. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of a crowd on this side of the island.
In fact, it looked more like a typical weekday rather than a holiday.
Before we even had time to explore the East side of the island, it was time to get on another boat to kick off our cultural tour on Lamma Fisherfolk's Village (南丫島漁民文化村).
The boat ride literally took a couple of minutes and here we're.
The kids couldn't wait to get their photo taken on the dragon boat.
We got little nugget some small fishy so he could feed to the big fishy. That was a lot of fun.
Then, it was time for those who love to hike.
Our hike lasted a total of 15 minutes. As some of us were getting a little dehydrated, we decided that it was of our best interest that we turned back.
The next event was, of course, our early dinner at Lamma Rainbow Seafood Restaurant (南丫天虹海鮮酒家).
I'll leave the picking of seafood to the experts.
Instead of picking out our seafood, I decided to take a long rest at the outdoor seating.
Fresh coconut for everyone! Little nugget was loving it...
Deep-fried squid with salt and pepper (椒鹽焗鮮魷) - This came piping hot from the kitchen. The squid was very fresh and tender. Love the thin and crispy batter sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Fried clams with black bean sauce (豉椒炒蜆) - Always a crowd pleaser! haven't had this for a long time.
Fried shrimps with spicy sweet and sour sauce (積奇蝦) - Not bad but I would rather have it fried with sweet soy sauce.
Fried Boston lobster with ginger and spring onion with e-fu noodles (薑葱焗波士頓龍蝦 伊麵底) - The lobster was pretty meaty and that's always a good sign especially when we have a big group.
Steamed Garoupa fish (清蒸游水石斑) - Very nice. The meat still had that nice bouncy texture so you could tell it's pretty fresh.
Rainbow special fried rice (天虹炒飯) - I was expecting a bit more "wok hei" (镬氣) with their signature fried rice so that by itself was a little disappointed. This wasn't bad but I was hoping it would arrive on our table still steaming hot like it would at our dai pai dong (大牌檔) and it would burn my lips with my first bite.
We quickly ventured back to the pier and there it was the Rainbow Boat waiting to take us back to TST.
That was a wonderful half-day trip. I was particularly thrilled that mom joined us as she's never been to the island. My only disappointment was the fact that we spent too much time at the fisherfolk village so we didn't save enough time for a short hike. I guess we would have to wait for a different time.
Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$
Address: G/F, 23-27 First Street, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2982-8100
Opening Hours: 10:00am - 11:00pm daily
