Dining in Hong Kong Disneyland
Peak Lookout
An old gem still standing and running smoothly to this day. The Peak Lookout doesn’t have the best views on
An old gem still standing and running smoothly to this day. The Peak Lookout doesn’t have the best views on the Peak, but it still has a lot of welcoming warm charm. The restaurant specializes in Southeast Asian cuisine with gardens and a nice barbecue corner. Offering both indoor and outdoor seating, the restaurant is actually a converted workshop submerged in heritage dating back to 1947. A view of the Lamma Channel and plenty of tropical flora produces a comforting old-school ambience contrasting many of the other newer outlets around the Peak.
Dim Sum Restaurants
Dim Sum Restaurants (Cha Lau) 茶楼
In Hong Kong, many people have breakfast or lunch at Dim Sum Restaurants (cha lau – ’cha’ means tea, ’lau’ means building). We call it ’yum cha’ (drink tea) in Cantonese. To some fami...
Dim Sum Restaurants (Cha Lau) 茶楼
In Hong Kong, many people have breakfast or lunch at Dim Sum Restaurants (cha lau – ’cha’ means tea, ’lau’ means building). We call it ’yum cha’ (drink tea) in Cantonese. To some families, this is a once weekly event. It can even be a daily activity for retired people or housewives.
How to dress:
In Chinese restaurants, especially those located in residential areas, it is not a surprise to see some male customers simply wearing their slippers and taking the horseracing newspaper and a radio with them for entertainment. However, if you go to a higher-class restaurant, then dressing in smart casual is more appropriate.
What to eat:
Aside from dim sum, these Hong Kong Dim Sum Restaurants also serve Chinese cuisine in their own style depending on the theme of the restaurant. However, in the daytime, people mainly order dim sum as main dish, coupled with fried rice and noodles instead of dishes on the menu. I think many Westerners are familiar with the word ’dim sum’ and have likely tried it before in their own country. It is a general term for the small steamed or deep fried dish usually served at 3 or 4 pieces.
What to drink:
In ’cha lau’, customers will be served with their preferred type of ’cha’ (tea). Commonly ordered types are:
Po Lay: Pu-erh – the most common type of black tea. It leaves a taste of herbs that lingers in the mouth.
Sau Mei – peony, white tea with a slightly sweet flavour.
Lung Cheng – ’lung’ means dragon, ’cheng’ is a well, it is a kind of green tea which is light, tastes fresh and has a bit of ’grassy’ undertone.
Wu lung – oolong tea, the finest one has a ’peach’ like aroma and gives a long lingering effect.
Heung Pin: jasmine, floral tea
When to go:
As dim sum is part of the Hong Kong culture, you may wish to spend a morning visiting one of these Dim Sum Restaurants to enjoy the food. As competition among the restaurants is keener than before, many have extended their dim sum serving hours and added more choices so people can also enjoy it at tea-time. If you want to have a greater variety of choices of specialized Chinese cuisine, it is better to visit at dinnertime. Set dinner is also available at some restaurants.
How to order dim sum:
Nowadays most Hong Kong Dim Sum Restaurants use a dim sum order form for placing orders. You just need to check the boxes next to your choices and pass the form to the staff. They will then serve what you ordered within 10 minutes. In some restaurants, there are still ladies that serve dim sum on a cart with heater. They will yell out what they have loudly and customers can pick what they want as the cart passes by. The lady will mark the relevant price category on the record card. However, both the dim sum form and the signage on the dim sum cart are presented in Chinese. Also do not count on the menu on the table, as it just shows pictures of dishes instead of dim sum. You had better learn how to order the basic and common ones direct from the waiter.
What to order:
Cha siu bao (叉烧包): barbecued pork bun
Har gou: steamed prawn dumplings with a translucent wrap
Siu my: steamed pork dumplings
Ngau yuk: steamed beef balls
Chun kuen: spring rolls
Cheong fun: steamed rice rolls (with different fillings such as prawn, scallop, beef, barbecued pork or vegetarian and more)
Cha siu so: baked barbecued pork pastry
Gin cheong fun: fried rice rolls
Gin law pak go: fried carrot cake
Har kok: deep fried prawn dumplings
Yau yu so: deep fried octopus
Law mei gai: sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf
Dan tart: baked egg tarts
Nine wong bau: sweet egg and cream bun
Yeung chow chau fan: fried rice with shrimp, ham and green pea
Gone chau ngau hor: fried rice noodle with beef
Gone siu yi min: vegetarian noodle stewed in soy sauce
Ha kou wor min: noodle with prawn, mushroom and vegetable served with soup
Where to go:
Maxim’s Chinese Restaurant
Luk Yu Tea House
Kung Tak Lam
Did you know:
There are several categories of dim sum, viz. small, medium, large, special, and top. Price is ranging from about HK$10 to HK$30 each.
Tip:
Many Chinese restaurants give discounts if you check your bill before noon or if you visit after 2:00pm. Some even have special offers like ’unit-price’ for all categories of dim sum. Try checking with the restaurant staff when you arrive at the restaurant.
Starbucks Christmas Offerings
One of the great things about Christmas in Hong Kong is the special limited edition food and drink offerings which many outlets serve up specially for the holiday season. Like Christmas decorations, these food and drink offerings capture and imbue the festive spirit, but both only last for ...
One of the great things about Christmas in Hong Kong is the special limited edition food and drink offerings which many outlets serve up specially for the holiday season. Like Christmas decorations, these food and drink offerings capture and imbue the festive spirit, but both only last for a limited period of time which is, perhaps, one of the things that makes them so special.
One of the outlets that has got this down to an art is Starbucks which kicks off every cold Christmassy season with the return of their iconic festive-looking Red Cup. This year the classic Gingerbread Latte and Toffee Nut Latte are back in the cups, along with the new Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha, which features espresso, steamed milk, white chocolate, whipped cream, cranberry sauce and crystallized cranberry sugar. If this drink doesn't say Christmas indulgence then I don't know what will. Alongside the seasonal beverages there are also various seasonal food items such as Cranberry Scones, Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls, a special Turkey and Cranberry Breakfast Wrap, plus the indulgent Elvis Whoppie Twist (containing Peanut Sauce, Dried Bacon and Fresh Banana in homage to the 'King' himself, Elvis Presley).
To further get one into the holiday mood and the spirit of giving Starbucks has also arranged seven special days with seven special promotions for customers (running between December 2 to December 8) and a campaign to raise funds for UNICEF which will run during the holiday season as well.
Repulse Bay Verandah Restaurant
The Verandah is managed by the same group as the Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Like the hotel, the highest quality service and fare are guaranteed. British high tea is served in an environment which transports guests back in time, producing a taste of the colonial history of Hong Kong....
The Verandah is managed by the same group as the Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Like the hotel, the highest quality service and fare are guaranteed. British high tea is served in an environment which transports guests back in time, producing a taste of the colonial history of Hong Kong.
epöch coffee bar & desserterie
Unlike the other traditional soporific brand-named coffeehouses, this place is more of a coffee-hangout or a coffee-club. That’s not to say it is any less comfortable though; it is just more of a chicly trendy spot to grab your daily dosage of caffeine. Like its name, ep&...
Unlike the other traditional soporific brand-named coffeehouses, this place is more of a coffee-hangout or a coffee-club. That’s not to say it is any less comfortable though; it is just more of a chicly trendy spot to grab your daily dosage of caffeine. Like its name, epöch is slightly alternative and unorthodox; with the stylish interior space housing a DJ booth, a magazine and CD corner (with purchasable CD’s), an exhibition space for upcoming art, and of course the seats and coffee bar itself. epöch regularly features exhibits by local artists and they are probably the only coffee shop in the world with their own in-house DJ.
Nevertheless, none of these elements take any focus away from the coffee, as they serve up some of the best quality java in town. I am not exaggerating too, because this place is one of the few recognised illycaffè outlets in town and the only to feature an authentic illy Italian espresso machine. As the full title of the coffee bar suggests, epöch also offers up a selection of the finest desserts in town, with their latest range being made by French pastry chef, Etienne Irazoqui, who once helped make a birthday cake for Madonna. When matched with their music and coffee, a rose-infused pastry or the signature 7-Layer Chocolate Cake will certainly make one feel a little like the ‘material girl’ herself.
