Ho Ho Hong Kong

On episode #189, we might have gotten carried away with our conspiracy theories, and we talked some smack about one of Hong Kong's newest restaurants, the Flat Iron Group. Well, the founder of Flat Iron restaurants did listen to the episode, and he had some comments for us. This episode, we chat with Flat Iron and Steak King Founder Johnny Glover about his booming business, his origin story, and t...

On this week's episode, we chat about how Hong Kong is one of the most advanced cities in the world, yet somehow, people writing "cheques" to each other seems like a perfectly acceptable thing to do. Then host Mohammed Magdi accidently goes shopping for gold (!) and discovers it's the best investment ever?   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to ou...

Did a Flat Iron Steak/Burger joint take over your favorite neighbourhood joint? Are you wondering where they all came from? How they popped up in Soho out of nowhere? You're not alone! It a typcial Ho Ho Hong Kong fashion, we chose to do zero research, and instead, we dove into the deep end of the conspiracy pool! We're joined this week by a a special guest, the hilarious and gorgeous comedian, An...

It's a meaty (and late) episode this week. Vivek reviews "Vission Nine,"  Vission Bakery's new cake shop. We got through the history of the Laugh Festival all the way up to the huge gala attended by an audience of over 1000 people this year, and Mohammed flies to Egypt last minute, and he may have accidentally started a riot on the plane on the way back to Hong Kong.   Get tickets for Backstage Co...

We catch up with comedian Matt Davis during his recent visit to Hong Kong. Comedian Matt has toured the world with his comedy more than the vast majority of most comedians, dead or alive. At 70 countries and more than 300 cities, Matt is adamant to take his comedy to places most people didn't even know existed.    Check out Matt Davis' website: https://badfamiliar.com/ Get tickets for Backstage Co...

For many years, Mamahuhu was the go-to channel for cross-cultural video content made in China. Founded by filmmaker and director Alessio Avezzano, Mamahuhu produced numerous viral videos, racked in millions of views, and created a cult-like following amongst a lot of expats in China. Our host Mohammed Magdi catches up with Alessio during the latter's visit to Hong Kong, and they reminisce about th...

Couple petpeeves? We got plenty. Couples in-jokes. What could be more fun? Mohammed has been with Annie for a year, while Vivek has been with his girlfriend Gloria for 8 years. We compare notes!    Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/hohopod Leave us a review: (please!)  https://www.ratethispodcast.com/hohohk...

The live standup shows are popping, and this past weekend we had one of our best shows for a while, all thanks to the audience. We chat about what makes a particular audience better than others, and we try to answer some important questions: How open-minded do we want to be as parents? Were we unlucky to not have an accessible ADHD diagnosis when we were kids? Why is smoking so goddamn cool?    Ge...

Ho Ho Hong Kong, your reliable Hong Kong news source, is back with this week's news scoop: We got newborn panda twin cubs! Two non-Americans "weigh in" on who they would vote for at the American elections, why YUU Points is the worst loyalty program in the world, and, everyone is welcome to Hong Kong if they can afford it.   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomed...

Lan Kwai Fong is Hong Kong's most famous street and the city's main party hub. It's ever-changing, yet always the same. We chat about the iconic street, its snacks, its famous 7-11s, and, most importantly, its crowds. Have the international school kids taken over? Are we too old and jaded? We walked through "Lan Kwai" the other night, and we have thoughts!   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:...

We sit down with Malaysian comedian Kuah Jenhan, who was performing his show "Noted With Thanks" in Hong Kong over the weekend with Backstage Comedy . We cover a wide range of topics, from Feng Shui, why the Malaysian ringgit seems to be always crashing, to why Malaysians like haggling so much and does Vivek always "get it"?   Follow Kuah Jenhan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kuahjenhan G...

The Olympics kicked off in Paris, and with them, we got to learn about games we never knew existed. We are Team Hong Kong all the way. Vivian Kong already scored Hong Kong's first gold medal at fencing, or "épée"? Let's be honest, we are all just waiting for Siobhan Haughey to win big.   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://w...

We are back with a classic episode. Just the two hosts and a whole lot of venting. What the hell is going on with the prices in Hong Kong? While it's not a new issue, it really has gone out of control lately.   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/hohopod Leave us a review: (please!)  https://www.ratethispodca...

Chinese comedian Tony Chou is one of the OGs of the Beijing comedy scene. When he started doing comedy in 2013, he worked with Beijing legends like Joe Wong, DaShan, and Des Bishop. Tony was also a correspondent for CCTV for numerous years. We catch up with Tony about his journey, what it was like working for CCTV, and where the China comedy scene is today.   Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows...

A few weeks ago, in response to one of our episodes, we received a lengthy letter from comedian, friend, and podcast listener Nina McGrath. Nina works for Cathay Pacific as Group Safety Manager, Fatigue Risk Management Systems and Human Factors. We chat with Nina about everything air travel related. Where is the cabin crew's secret sleep compartment? Do pilots actually do anything? And Nina shares...

Mohammed goes on a work trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and comes back with a classic tale of robbery, cover-ups, and Malaysian officials corruption (allegedly!) #justiceformo   Check out the Westin KL on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewestinkl/ Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows here:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/hohopod Leave...

Vivek is feeling under the weather. To cheer him up, we reminisce about some of our favorite childhood memories of watching WWE. Then we get into why he probably got sick and how he can avoid getting sick again, and we narrowed it down to every Hong Konger's favorite appliance, the air conditioner! Then we get into a debate about whether it's better to live in extreme cold weather or extreme hot w...

What is retirement in Hong Kong like? More specifically, what are the options for old folks homes in the city? And how does it all work? We do a deep dive.    Get tickets for Backstage Comedy shows here:  https://linktr.ee/backstagecomedy Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/hohopod Leave us a review: (please!)  https://www.ratethispodcast.com/hohohkpod Follow Mohammed on Instagram: ...

Happy Dragon Boating long weekend! We have no idea what a weekend is, what a what a long holiday is, or what day of the week it is most of the time. Vivek had one hell of a gig opening for Jason Leong in front of an audience of over a thousand people in Hong Kong, meanwhile, Mohammed somehow ended up in the same room as the Hong Kong Chief Executive, and the very next day had another rollercoaster...

Ever feel like a chicken talking to a duck? Ever ask a girl out only to be forced to eat lemons? Maybe you've been told that you're a peanut guy? Or perhaps someone has warned you that you're wearing a green hat?    No need to be confused, "Hong Kong Slang" is a little dictionary of Cantonese slang that will supply you with the appropriate knowledge to get by in Hong Kong and make you cool at offi...

Another busy week for us in Hong Kong. Both the hosts were together on an ad for Samsung Hong Kong, our first major ad! Also on this episode, comedian Annie Louey joins us to chat about credit card fraud and how she has been trying to live like a Hong Kong local after spending two weeks in the city. We also save a seat for Jesus.   Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/hohopod Follow...

(This episode was recorded on the weekend when the sun was shining and the weather was nice!) Hong Kong students are gearing up for exam season. Vivek reflects on his own experience, having gone to a local HK school and now being a regular speaker at both local and international schools. We wrap up the first week of the residency at the Grand Hyatt hotel. Back in April, Hong Kong rolled out the ba...

After almost two months, both our hosts are back in the studio in Hong Kong recording the podcast together in human person, and we have a lot of updates to share. Our video studio is almost finished, and the podcast will be on video very soon. And we are starting a Vegas-style residency at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong five nights a week!    Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/hohopod Find...

Vivek Mahbubani and Chris Musni started off in the world of stand up comedy in Hong Kong at around the same time, but different personalities, obstacles and joke-writing styles have lead them to different paths in the world of comedy. In this episode they go deep into how their comedy fates have differed over the years with Vivek having just returned from his Australia and New Zealand tour and Chr...

We wrap up our run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024 and we sit down to debrief and reflect on the past couple of weeks. Annie and Mohammed's show "Too Haram To Handle" received 3 reviews and they are all wildly different from each other. We go through them one by one, including a review we never read before the episode recording.    Subscribe to our Patreon:  https://www.patreon...