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Cheese Wonder Pop-up Store @ Hysan Place

Popular Japanese dessert brand Cheese Wonder opened a pop-up store in Hysan Place today. The store is offering its signature frozen “No-bake Cheese Cake” and “Double Cheese Cream Sandwich Cookie” from now until 14 July.

The “No-bake Cheese Cake” features an almond biscuit base topped with a double layer of no-bake cheese mouse and cheese soufflé, which is then frozen. Interestingly, it’s almost like three desserts in one – eaten frozen, it’s a bit like cheese ice-cream; semi-thawed, the ice-cream consistency is still there but the moose has more structure; completely thawed, the flavours and textures are more obvious.

“Double Cheese Cream Sandwich Cookie” (box of 6, $182) is a double layer of creamy Hokkaido mascarpone and cheddar cheese wrapped in an almond biscuit base. These are not as nice as No-bake Cheese Cake, there’s too much almond biscuit base and it overpowers the cheese fillings.

The No-bake Cheese Cake (box of 6, $246) is imported fresh from Japan, and there are limited quantities each day. YaiChi founder Elmas Low suggests arriving before 2-3 pm to be certain… Alternatively, you can order online here and have them delivered directly to your home.

Cheese Wonder Pop-up Store @ Hysan Place
1/F Atrium, Hysan Place,
500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay
Opening Hours: 11am-8pm

Hong Kong 1-0 India

A 93-minute Stefan Pereira penalty saw the red tide, which had engulfed the new Kai Tak Stadium, erupt in joyous celebration as Hong Kong beat India 1-0 in an AFC Asian Cup qualification game.

A record crowd of over 42,000 packed the stadium, creating an atmosphere quite unlike any previous Hong Kong football international. To celebrate the first football game in the new stadium, the HK Football Association arranged the city’s first-ever massive Tifo – the massive banner, covering three sections, screams “Hong Kong Team Kick Ass”.

Fan representative Chester, who helped coordinate the surprise, revealed on a radio program today that the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) masterminded the project.

“I cried multiple times last night,” Chester admitted. “First, when we raised the Tifo, then again during the players’ entrance video – something we’ve only seen in Premier League or J.League matches before.”

“You could really feel how much preparation went into making Kai Tak feel like home,” Chester added, describing the experience as “goosebump-inducing.”

Hong Kong v India – AFC Asian Cup
Date: 8pm, 10 June, 2025
Venue: Kai Tak Stadium
Tickets: $200, $80

images: HKFA

Hong Kong Pride!

The fly on the wall in the offices of the Hong Kong Tourist Board and the Chief Executive might be excused for pissing itself while listening to the discussions about the latest Hong Kong prommotional image…

All those tourists coming to Hong Kong looking for big balls and lots of action… finding none and leaving empty, longing and unfulfilled… Hong Kong’s strong ‘tourist satisfaction’ rating will become limp in the eyes of the world. With not even Jia Jia and De De able to raise some excitement.

Jia Jia and De De

Hong Kong’s twin panda cubs, born in August 2024, were finally named today, after a public competition which saw over 38,000 entries.

The winning names, Jia Jia (加加) for “Elder Sister”, and De De (得得) for “Little Brother”, were submitted by Lee Yuk Fan, and chosen by the judges who “opined that the names were rich in meaning”.

To quote the press release:
“Elder sister” is named “Jia Jia”, with the Chinese character for “Jia” (加) conveying the message of support. Having the same pronunciation as the Chinese characters for “home” (家) and “auspices” (嘉) in both Cantonese and Putonghua, “Jia” also features an element of family and a sense of auspicious grace, embodying the prosperity of families and the nation as well as the happiness of its people.

“Little brother” is named “De De”. As the Chinese character “De” (得) means “to succeed”, the name has the connotation that Hong Kong is successful in everything. “De” also shares the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for “virtue” in both Cantonese and Putonghua, suggesting that giant pandas, our national treasures, possess the virtues cherished by Chinese people.”

Images: Ocean Park

Cirque Returns to Hong Kong

Cirque du Soleil returns to Hong Kong this week with Kooza, a circus-themed extravaganza that has been extensively reworked since its first appearance here in 2018.

As Duncan Fisher, Chief Show Operations Officer of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, said at the launch, the Central Harbourfront venue is a stunning location: watch the sunset before the show commences, enjoy a night-time Star Ferry ride across the harbour afterwards while marvelling at the beauty of our home under lights.

There is something wonderful about seeing a show under the ‘big top’ – so different from our many bland concrete box venues with terrible acoustics – you feel part of the show. Especially since Kooza 2.0 is a much more engaging experience than the original.

While the underlying story remains the same. There are new acts – I don’t want to give too many spoilers here – and much of the cast has changed, bringing new and different skills to the show. The band is tight and sounds great under the big top.

After having been a Cirque ‘desert’ – 4 shows in thirty years – the future looks far more exciting with Mr Fisher saying that he hopes to bring a different show to the Hong Kong harbourfront every two years and establish Hong Kong as a signature Cirque city on a par with New York and London. Can’t you just ‘see’ senior government and HKTB officials making heart signs with their hands on hearing that!

If there’s one criticism of Kooza, it’s that there’s not an ounce of localisation to the show… How difficult would it be to tweak the clown parts to include a little play on the local stereotypes of each city visited? There is a ‘dog’ in the show which was funny – but I looked at it and thought with Hong Kong’s current panda obsession, how funny it would have been if it had been a panda…

Kooza’s season in Hong Kong has been extended to 13 July.

Images: copyright Simon Durrant

Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza
Date: 21 May – 13 July 2025
Venue: Central Harbourfront
Tickets: $1,988, $1,698, $1,298, $998, $758, $600, $450
More info:
Wednesdays: 7:30pm
Thursdays: 7:30pm
Fridays: 7:30pm
Saturdays: 1pm, 4:30pm, 8pm
Sundays: 1pm & 4:30pm

Fifty Years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Scarily 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Disney wants fans to do the ‘time warp’ again!

The film’s half-century milestone is being celebrated with a new 4K Ultra remaster that will be released in cinemas and on Blu-ray later this year.

https://youtu.be/_Ov8yLJkknY?si=ScUc3tDptGFh1hhp

The Rocky Horror Picture Show – Official Theatrical Trailer 1 (https://youtu.be/_Ov8yLJkknY?si=ScUc3tDptGFh1hhp)

The 1975 film stars Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon as a newly engaged couple who seek help at the castle of gender-bending Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) when their car breaks down.

Based on the musical play by Richard O’Brien – with a screenplay by O’Brien and director Jim Sharman, and produced by Lou Adler and Michael White – The Rocky Horror Picture Show broke the mold with its legendary late-night screenings, complete with shadow casts, fan costumes, and interactive rituals, the film pioneered a new kind of audience participation that redefined the cinema-going experience.

Even today, 50 years later there are weekly screenings around the world, making The Rocky Horror Picture Show the longest-running theatrical release of all time.

The new 4K restoration release features a newly mixed Dolby Atmos audio track, bringing enhanced depth and dimension to the film’s iconic soundtrack.

“It’s a privilege to help preserve the legacy of a film that has meant so much to so many,” says Kevin Schaeffer, Director of Disney’s Restoration & Library Management. “Bringing The Rocky Horror Picture Show to life in 4K allows us to honor its bold, genre-defying spirit and ensure that audiences – both longtime fans and first-time viewers – can experience it as it was originally intended, with stunning picture and sound.”

“When The Rocky Horror Picture Show was first released, no one thought it would be around very long let alone…50 years,” says producer Lou Adler. “What began as a small, rebellious project has become a global celebration of individuality, community, and creative freedom. This anniversary is a tribute to the fans who kept it alive and kicking all these years.”

Film Synopsis

Fasten your garter belt and relive the time-warping, gender-bending cult classic! When a newly engaged couple’s (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) car breaks down on a rainy night, they wind up in the creepy castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry). There, they have an adventure that will thrill you, chill you and fulfill you like never before!

Read the Guradian’s How we made: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Hope fully there will be a Hong Kong release!

Cultural Beat Drone Show, 1 May 2025

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) launched a new seasonal thematic promotion Hong Kong Cultural Beat with a drone show over Victoria Harbour on 1 May.

Themed around Hong Kong’s cultural festivals—the Tin Hau Festival, the Tam Kung Festival, and the iconic Cheung Chau Bun Festival—the 12-minute show featured a fleet of 1,000 drones. And while beautiful, if we’re being honest, the drone show sadly paled in comparison to some recent ones seen north of the border.

Click on any image for the full gallery

image: HK Tourism

M2M Live @ Queen Elizabeth Stadium – 29 April, 2025

The enduring love and popularity of live music was on full display last night at Queen Elizabeth Stadium as many of the predominantly female audience for Norwegian duo M2M‘s concert were younger than 25… ie born after the duo’s albums were released and the songs first became hits.

Truth be said it didn’t feel like 25 years ago that we were first listening to Don’t Say You Love Me, Everything You Do, Pretty Boy, Mirror, Mirror… the songs sounded as fresh today as they did when first released – perhaps it was just me who felt a tad ‘old’ when Marion and Marit were talking about how long ago the songs were released.

It was fun to hear the hits live, but perhaps the most emotional part of the concert was to hear Marion sing It’s All Coming Back to Me Now – her duet with Meatloaf. There’s a great live version of Meatloaf singing and chatting with the audience and recounting a story about him and Marion (can’t find a link, but here’s a link to the music video). Great to hear the other side.

Click on any picture for the full gallery of images

Set list:

The Day You Went Away
Everything You Do
The Minute
I Don’t Wanna Talk About It
Love Left For Me
Pretty Boy
Here I Am
Don’t
Under The Surface
If A Song
What You Do About Me
Driving
Don’t Save Me
It’s All Coming Back To Me Now
Mirror Mirror
Everything
——
Don’t Mess With My Love
Don’t Say You Love Me

M2M – The Better Endings Tour
Date: 8pm, 29 April 2025
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Stadium
Tickets: $2,088, $1,288, $888, $688 from Urbtix