hong kong

One block away from BP International in Hong Kong is a seemingly small Starbucks location on Nathan Road. Once you enter however, you’ll see a Starbucks about twice as big as regular shops. There’s the front window section which is typically sized. Then there’s the coffee bar. Then there’s the back seating area that’s almost as big as the front. All in all, a deceptively big store (for a Starbucks).

Blueberry seems to have been the flavor profile for Hong Kong. No blueberry drinks per se, but lots of blueberry pastries and baked goods. I would have gone for a slice of the blueberry cheesecake but just got a Ristretto Bianco instead.

There was a cool, multi-paneled wall art illustrating coffee plants that nearly stretched across the length of the entire store.

Interestingly, ordering at Starbucks is relatively simple. I guess the lexicon of Starbucks and coffee is universal. Of course, all the drink names are known by the baristas. When I asked for non-fat milk, the worker replied, “Oh, you mean a skinny.” One small change I learned was “no whip (cream)” is just “no cream.”

Oh and hey, Starbucks is celebrating 15 years in Hong Kong. There are a several promotional items for this event tagged #HAPi15th (not sure why the capitalization is as such). Here’s a color-changing #HAPi15th mug.