Hong Kong Disneyland - Food with lots of character(s)

Help! Help! There's cream in my ears!

What does a foodie do at Disneyland? Eat, of course, like they would anywhere else. And, um, also go ker-razy at the new Toy Story Land!!!!!

The u-shaped RC Racer is now probably the most exciting ride in the entire Disneyland, and the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop was pretty cool too. I loved the parade of marching soldier toys and the awesome wooden blocks and lights dangling above.

Toy Story Land!

I was being treated to a night at Disney by two very good friends, for a celebration of sorts. I don't know why I suggested Disney since I'd just been to Orlando a few months ago, and I'm really no Disney fan, but anyway, there we were. (I think Toy Story was a big pull - aside from Paris, HK is the only other one in the world, and TS is by far my favourite Disney movie. Aladdin? Talk to my Buzz Lightyear gloved hand (I really wish they'd made that glove into an oven mitt)).

Sunlight streaming into the double-height windows at Grand Salon. Can't complain.

They'd booked everything - afternoon tea at Grand Salon in Disneyland Hotel, a room at the Hollywood Hotel (the main Disneyland Hotel was full) and dinner at Crystal Lotus, also at the Disneyland Hotel.

Spreading Mickey all over my scones. That sounds almost dirty

The afternoon tea was amusing. Can't say I disliked the faux Victorian décor and the double-height windows letting plenty of sun in. We ordered one Western tea set and an Asian one. The coffees that came with them were disastrously watery, but the food wasn't THAT bad. It was edible at least, something that I can't say about the airconditioning-dried finger sandwiches at the Peninsula's Lobby Lounge.

"Western" afternoon tea set

The scones were probably the most problematic, they completely crumbled when I tried to cut them in half, and I ended up with a pile of baked sand. I loved how they presented that jam though, simple yet to the point!

"Asian" afternoon tea set

In the Asian set, there was dim sum at the top - a nice touch since we wouldn't be having character dim sum (it's only available weekends). Again, it wasn't half bad, especially considering that it was served lukewarm.

Somewhere amid Toy Story and Space Mountain, we sat down for a snack and a much-needed coffee - we got that waffle in the opening pic, complete with cream in Mickey's ears (or was it Minnie? I wasn't lying when I said I wasn't a Disney fan). I also came with some syrup - the container of which helped keep Mickey/Minnie's head propped up at an angle to stop the base getting soggy, pretty smart! We also had a quiche, which was not half bad for theme park food. I hear the bakery is run by Maxim's.

Roast suckling pig

Dinner was at Crystal Lotus, the Chinese restaurant in Disneyland Hotel, which was, according to my friend's research, the best restaurant in Hong Kong Disneyland. Being the best restaurant in a theme park hotel might sound a little weak, but the food here was actually very good. It wouldn't be out of place among the top Chinese restaurants in the city.

Long Chinese cabbage with imitation abalone

Take this simple dish of cabbage and imitation abalone for example. I could really taste the stock in the sauce - it wasn't just a gloopy cornstarched mess - and it went beautifully with the cabbage, bringing out its natural sweetness. As for the abalone, imitation or not, is there for textural interest and a standard way of presenting a dish like this. Then again, it could have been tough and shoe-sole-like, but it was quite edible...! Not selling that last part, am I.

Steamed chicken with black fungus and red dates

We also had a steamed fish with preserved olives, a Chinese ingredient that I love, but I dug into it way too quickly before I remembered to take a snap. This was another steamed dish, a classic chicken with black fungus and red dates. It as very well done - the chicken was cut into dainty, bite-sized portions, bone-in as is traditionally served (bones impart flavour and I think Chinese people just like to make their mouths work a bit for the prize), yet it was juicy and flavoursome. We couldn't fit any dessert in - plus we had the HK Chief Executive television debate to catch up on, plus Jagabee, cheap red wine and gossip. For a lot of girls, it's Vegas and manicures, for us, well, we were never normal anyway.

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Grand Salon (afternoon tea)
Crystal Lotus (Chinese restaurant)
Lantau Island
New Territories
Hong Kong
+852 3510 6000


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