Why fly to Hong Kong and Beijing for the weekend? Because we can. The price was right and dumplings were on our minds. And so away we went.

Two very different itineraries gave us equally different travel experiences. Economy class plus an overnight train led to the new high speed rail service for Seth while Stephan took advantage of a good United Airlines business class fare to make his trip. Once in Hong Kong there were dumplings a plenty. The venerable Tim Ho Wan baked BBQ buns were a hit, though the rest of that experience left a little to be desired. Soup dumplings at Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan Fried Buns were a hit, too, thought the black truffle option was incredibly overpowering (multiple locations, comparable quality).

We missed stops at this bamboo noodle shop, Maxim's City Hall and One Dim Sum, but we did stop in at one of the many airplane model shops to collect souvenirs.