JAMES WEBB ventures out of the former British colony, Hong Kong's modern air-conditioned shopping malls in search of the authentic side of the intoxicating city

THE DAY after I left Hong Kong a sandstorm blew in from China, ruining the air quality and generating warnings for tourists to stay indoors. The irony made me smile, as part of the problem with modern Hong Kong is that visitors can spend most of their time undercover, moving from mall to mall via covered walkways and the metro.

In the two decades since I started visiting the former British colony, icons such as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel have been gradually hemmed in by the retail meccas.

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Most of the malls are gathered in the main shopping districts in Hong Kong. It would be easy to assume, if you spent all your time in Hong Kong Island's Central district or Kowloon's Tsim Sha Tsui, linked across the harbour by the famous Star Ferry, that very little of the old city remains. It does.

To get a feel for a less sanitised Hong Kong, catch one of the ludicrously narrow vintage trams to the Sheung Wan district and alight at the Western Market, a listed Edwardian building, alas no longer home to a food market but mainly fabric shops.

From here, head south along Possession Street, where the Union Jack was planted in 1841 to annexe the island and inhale as you pass supermarkets. You'll smell ginseng, salty fish and essence of birds' nest soup, rather refreshing after eau-de-air-conditioning.

Eventually, you'll reach Hollywood Road, famous for its antique shops but now rapidly developing a vibe similar to that of London's Shoreditch as artists take root among the tenements.

ART ATTACK
The hip Cat Street Gallery (222 Hollywood Road) is currently showcasing the very colourful contemporary art by Londoners Rob and Nick Carter until July 31.

Running off it at No 4 Po Yan is equally trendy arts organisation Para/Site. A few houses along at No 2 is Lomography, which specialises in the eponymous cheap cameras that are beloved by rock stars. My favourite place to shop is Sin Sin (52 Sai St), a pair of elegant boutiques/art galleries facing each other on a run-down road. They sell lovely, albeit pricey, jewellery you won't find at home.

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ANTIQUES AND FORTUNE-TELLERS
Back on Hollywood Road, the antiques come thick and fast.

You can, if you wish, bargain-hunt among the tat on Cat Street (aka Upper Lascar Row), although I have always found it to be somewhat disappointing.

Carry on walking along to the atmospheric, incense-dense Man Mo Temple, dedicated to the twin deities of war and literature.

The ceiling is covered in enormous pyramidal spirals of incense (watch out for falling ash) and the fortune-teller speaks English.

Eighteen years ago he told me my first child would be a "masculine child". Two lovely daughters later, a boy finally came along.

OODLES OF NOODLES
The next stop is an indicator of creeping gentrification. Classified (108 Hollywood Road) is a rarity in Hong Kong, a cheese and wine deli and café (the Chinese aren't fond of dairy). Eat in and you can sit around a large communal table surrounded by wine bottles.

It has a sister restaurant, The Press Room (also at 108 Hollywood Road), a chic Frenchstyle bistro, named after the area's historic links with the printing industry, that serves traditional dishes such as steak frites.

For something less European, cross to Jervois Street and try Wing Hop Shing's (115 Jervois St), which offers quick-fix baked rice dishes, including its delicious signature clay pot rice with wonderful marinated beef and topped with a raw egg.

Thread your way back to Central along Bonham Strand and Wellington Street, where you will find mahjong shops and places making traditional seals. Here stroll the Graham Street food market, with its medicinal herb stores and, just under the raised escalators at Stanley Street, a group of the last dai pai dongs in the city.

These open-air food stalls are now a threatened species, with licences only allowed to pass on within the family. As less young people want to carry on the tradition, there are only 28 left in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Finish off at an authentic drinks stall with a local beverage called Yin-Yang, a mixture of coffee and red tea that is as odd as it sounds.

THE BIG SLEEP
The Central Park Hotel (dialling from the UK 00 852 2850 8899/www.centralparkhotel.com.hk) offers doubles from £75 per night (two sharing), B&B. It maintains a nice boutique feel, despite its 142 rooms.

Still on Hong Kong island but to the east of Sheung Wan, The Cosmopolitan (852 3552 1111/ www.cosmopolitanhotel.com.hk) offers doubles from £63 per night (two sharing), B&B. It is slightly further away but has charming, friendly service and its shuttle buses run all over town.

GETTING THERE:
Kuoni (01306 747 002/www.kuoni.co.uk) offers seven nights at the Mandarin Oriental from £1,788pp (two sharing), room only.

Price includes Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow and transfers. Hong Kong Tourism Board:
www.discoverhongkong.com