Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Hong Kong Disneyland Food Guide

Ah, when we talk about food at tourist attractions, we always think of...

this..
2011_08_21_IMG_04016
or this..
 thumb_600
and having to pay this...
image

But tourist attraction management has *finally* realized that they should stop ripping off their guest's money on poor quality food.

Nowadays, they feed their guests with better food in order to recharge them with energy, so that they spend more money on useless souvenirs. Enjoy the rides and shows better, go back and tell relatives, friends and neighbours everyone the happy experience, so in turn more referral people with positive experience comes back to the park.

Win-win situation. Hence, we see improvement in tourist attraction food.

One such tourist attraction feeding their guests with delicious food is Hong Kong Disneyland!images

Now sit back, relax and go around HKDL on a food hunt! Splitting up the food stalls into 6 categories:
  1. SNACKS PUSHCART (No seatings | grab & go snacks| 3 around the park)
  2. SNACKS CAFE (Seatings available | snacks | 3 around the park)
  3. OUTDOOR-NON AIRCON RESTAURANT (Seating available | meals |
  4. INDOOR-AIRCON RESTAURANT
  5. POPCORN SPECIALTY CART
  6. ICE CREAM CART
  7. BAKERY
=====================================================================

Let's start with SNACKS PUSHCART!

These pushcarts come with no table nor chair. Just buy and go. You get hot food, drinks, popcorn (read on about Popcorn specialty carts), jelly and ice cream (also read on for the one and only ice cream cart in HKDL)!

SNACKS PUSHCART#1
PhotoGrid_1359268232841

Situated on your left as you walk towards facing the castle.
Not really any specialty from this cart, but if i must recommend something, it would be the mickey shape jelly! Other than that, nothing special about it you can't get elsewhere.

SNACKS PUSHCART#2 
 PhotoGrid_1359273913182

Situated inside Fantasyland.
Specialty of this pushcart is the enormous chicken or turkey drumstick! It's ginormous! One chicken drumstick and it is my full meal! Saves time and continue to take more roller coaster rides!

SNACKS PUSHCART #3
 20130127_135938

Situated inside Adventureland.
Specialty of this pushcart is this cuttlefish slices! They smell so fragrant that you can smell it from miles away. They make it fresh on the spot, bake and pressed thinly. If you wanna grab a quick bite, this is good!

=========================================================================
Secondly, we visit these SNACKS CAFE

They provide table and chair seating nearby for resting of your tired feet. Serves hot food on plates, so it is more cafe selling snacks that can also be your main meal.  

SNACKS CAFE #1
Situated along the Main Street, i.e. the entrance street towards the castle, lined with shops on both sides. This pushcart is on the right as you walk towards the castle and comes with outdoor seats behind the pushcart.

The specialty of this pushcart gotta be the mickey waffle! Topped with strawberry and fresh cream on crispy mickey waffle, it is a good energy booster for young kids and young-at-heart! Who doesn't love to give Mickey a bite!

During festive period such as Christmas and Halloween, this pushcart sells limited edition dessert sitting on themed Mickey cup. You eat the dessert and get to keep the cup! Win-win!

PhotoGrid_1359268356427  


SNACKS CAFE #2
Name: "Jessie's Snack Roundup"

Situated inside Toy Story Land. It is the only food stall within Andy's backyard - the Toy Story Land. If you look closely, the cafe is carved out of a old toy box! Cute decoration fitting to the theme.

Specialty is the frozen yoghurt, the only froyo bar in HKDL, Mickey-shaped cookies and rolled-up pizza cone, another creative snack. What i like about this stall is not the food, but the froyo paper cup!

 PhotoGrid_1359273886459


SNACKS CAFE #3
Name: "Lucky Nugget Saloon"

Situated inside Grizzly Gulch, the newest land as I am writing this article. (next land opening is Mystic Point, due sometime this year 2013).

This cafe sells shrimp and chip. Love their chips, fat and juicy! Best thing about this cafe is its cafe decor. Tucked behind the stall, like a quiet sanctuary away from the crowd. Quiet or not depends on the time of the day. At this place, you get to see the starting of the roller coaster!

20130127_142520


SNACKS CAFE #4
Name: "Flying Saucer Snacks"

Situated in Tomorrow Land. What's special is the super foot-long hotdog!

PhotoGrid_1359286745926

========================================================================= Thirdly, we have the Outdoor - non air-conditioned restaurant. 

These restaurant are nice to chill during cooler weather. They can be scorching hot during summer and worst, it can be filled with mosquitoes and bugs during summer! So, take note!

OUTDOOR-NON AIRCON RESTAURANT #1
Name: "Comet Cafe"

Situated in Tomorrow Land. Serves curry rice, wanton noodle and chinese roast on rice.


PhotoGrid_1359286604214


OUTDOOR-NON AIRCON RESTAURANT #2
Name: "Tahitian Terrace"

Situated in Adventure Land.

The only Halal-approved restaurant in Hong Kong Disneyland. So, malay friends, tuan tuan dan puan puan, this is the place to go! (Halal means a special diet allowed under the Islamic dietary guidelines. Generally, means no pork-related products. Even the oil cannot contain pork lard, the plates and utensils cannot have touched pork before.)

Tropical forest setting, serving asian cuisine such as Penang fish curry, Indian vegetarian food etc. PhotoGrid_1359268503580


OUTDOOR-NON AIRCON RESTAURANT #3
Name: "River View Cafe"

Situated in Adventure Land.

Food in this cafe is slightly more expensive, but I think it is not worth the price because it has no air-con. Rustic outdoor setting surrounded by trees, gives me the impression I am bound to be badly bitten by bugs and mosquitoes. So, I usually skip this restaurant.


PhotoGrid_1359273799634


OUTDOOR-NO AIRCON RESTAURANT #4

Name: "Clopin's Festival of Food"

Situated in FantasyLand.

Colourful banners around this restaurant, exceptionally beautiful after sunset when it is lit up with hundreds of colourful lights lines. Restaurant concept is inspired by 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'. Serves chinese soup noodles and chinese roast on rice.

 PhotoGrid_1359286480162

========================================================================= Fourthly, there are Indoor - air-conditioned restaurant.

These restaurants are good for family as some serves you to the table and brings baby high chair.

INDOOR-AIRCON RESTAURANT #1  
Plaza Inn is the name.

Inspired by 'Mulan', a chinese girl who went to the army and fought the war in place of his old father. Situated on your left as you walk toward the castle.

Serving chinese food, focusing on dim sum in Disney characters. I had eaten pig cartoon bun, and mickey-shaped carrots at this restaurant.

On lunch serving, they usually have dim sum in traditional Hong Kong style push-carts. All you have to do is see what you like when the push-carts comes around and order them on the spot.

During dinner serving, they usually have fireworks dinner package. An exclusive corner in front of the castle is marked out for guests dining in Plaza Inn. So, this saves you the trouble of standing around the castle, waiting and holding the good spot. In addition, in this fireworks dinner package, you get exclusive chance to take photo with Disney characters dressed in traditional chinese costume in the restaurant.

I tried this fireworks dinner package before. Food was good, atmosphere and serving in Plaza Inn restaurant was superb. But what was disappointing is the brochure was abit of an over-sell. The brochure shows a family sitting down in front of a table full of dishes and watching the firework display right in front of them. But But But this is not not not the case! You have to stop your food, (let it turn cold), walk out of the restaurant, stand and watch the firework display, then come back to continue your food. Totally different from the over-selling brochure!


PhotoGrid_1359267400933


INDOOR-AIRCON RESTAURANT #2

Name: "Corner Cafe"

Situated on your right as you walk towards the castle. Victorian-style decoration with table serving, so it is good for family with small babies or kids. Baby chair and food will be served to the table, so parents can enjoy and busk in the happy atmosphere without having to fight the crowd nor wait in line.

Serves American Midwestern cuisine such as roast pork-ribs, pan-fried salmon etc.

Nicer place to sit is at the glass platio. From there you are tucked away from the crowd, basking under the gentle sunlight, enjoying your meal, while you people watch.

Specialty of this restaurant is the festival gifts utensils. During the 5th anniversary of Hong Kong Disneyland, there is a limited edition celebratory dish and cup that comes along when you order the food and dessert for your to keep. I was too late and only managed to get the 5th anniversary celebratory cup. The dish is a mickey-shaped plate and was gone before I visit the restaurant.

PhotoGrid_1359268452513


INDOOR-AIRCON RESTAURANT #3

Name: "Starliner Diner"

Situated in Tomorrow Land. Serves fried chicken and fries in a basket and burger combos. The typical tourist attraction food, but in nicer serving baskets and better food quality.

We usually come here for a quick bite as late afternoon tea or supper past 10pm during Halloween season when the park opens until 12midnight!

PhotoGrid_1359286836702


INDOOR-AIRCON RESTAURANT #4
Name: "Royal Banquet Hall"

Situated in Fantasy Land.

My favourite restaurant of all! Why? Because it is a royal dining hall! Aww~ who doesn't want to be a princess once in her lifetime? This is it!

Lovely decoration fitting to the royal banquet theme! Serving international food, from grills to pizza, ramen, sushi and even dimsum!

My favourite food in this royal banquet hall is the Ramen! Love the generous portion of noodle and yummy soup! If you have a few friends to share, you can order the seafood fried rice. Not very yummy, but big in portion for at least 2 to share.


PhotoGrid_1359273990804

========================================================================= Fifth, we have Popcorn Specialty Cart!

I must say popcorn not only goes well with movie and coke, but also with strolling around Hong Kong Disneyland. They are graciously fresh and crunchy, in different flavours, depending on which cart you visit.

POPCORN SPECIALTY CART #1
Situated in Adventure Land as you walk towards the entrance to Grizzly Gulch.

Popcorn flavours: 2 flavours to choose from - Honey Mustard and Caramel!


20130127_140241


POPCORN SPECIALTY CART #2
Situated in Fantasy Land.

Popcorn flavour: 2 flavours to choose from - Italian Salt & Pepper and Caramel

20130127_173728


POPCORN SPECIALTY CART #3
Situated in Tomorrow Land.

Popcorn flavour: Caramel!

20130127_174223

It's pretty obvious Caramel is the top favourite flavour in Hong Kong Disneyland!

========================================================================= Sixth category is the Ice Cream Cart!

The one and only ice cream store in Hong Kong Disneyland. It is located in Fantasyland, right outside 'It's a Small World' ride!

PhotoGrid_1359286548688

========================================================================= Lastly, we have the Bakery!

"Market House Bakery" - it's name.

 The one and only bakery in Hong Kong Disneyland. Located along the Main Street, it sells marked-up bakery from a famous local bakery brand Maxim. Still it is worth trying.

What's worth trying is the Egg Custard Tart. This is Hong Kong famous!

20130127_174855 ========================================================================= Ok, we have gone on a food hunt around Hong Kong Disneyland and hope this gives you a better idea of the food spot and where you can find what you like to eat within Hong Kong Disneyland!

No comments:

Post a Comment