Shoot First Eat Later

Lunch at Crystal Lotus, Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

Right after dropping our luggage at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel we made our to Disneyland Hotel to eat lunch at Crystal Lotus restaurant where I got to meet the other bloggers in our group.

The restaurant was beautifully decorated.

It was really nice meeting new bloggers from different fields. There were 2 from fashion, 1 travel and 2 family bloggers. It was really fun eating with bloggers who all take pictures of the food too and no one was hurrying me to finish taking pictures. I have new friends- Doc Gelo, Gael, Kryz, Laureen and Thammie. They were all so nice as well as their family members.

The Disney characters were really too cute to eat. I was so impressed with how good all the food was. My friend Elizabeth has been stayed in Disney hotels in the US and Japan and she said the food in the Hong Kong Disney hotels was the best she has eaten.

The roasted suckling pig was lean and very crisp.

Roasted Suckling Pig with Cucumber and

Sweetened Paste in Steamed Piggy Mask Buns

The dim sum were not only adorable they were so yummy too.

3 little pigs barbecue pork bun &
little green men pork & vegetable bun

Mickey’s seafood glutinous pancake

braised seafood soup with crab roe

wok-fried chicken & longan in sweet & sour sauce

The shrimp was really fresh and delicious.

wok-fried shrimp & Disney root vegetables

My favorite was the creamy curry flavored crab meat topping. I ate it and left the rice below. I really wanted to eat the rice too except for my silly no carb diet.

baked Tasmanian crab meat fried rice in crab shell

I liked the green tea jelly so much!!!

chilled Mickey’s red bean & honey pudding and
chilled Mickey’s green tea jelly

After lunch we were given our tickets to Disneyland. Check out my next post on my adventures in the happiest place on earth.

If Disney’s Hollywood Hotel had an art deco look, Disneyland Hotel had an elegant Victorian design.

If you’re old enough to remember the Christopher Reeve & Jane Seymour movie, Somewhere in Time the hotel would have been the perfect location for the movie.

The back of the hotel had this nice maze called Mickey Maze and a great view of the South China Sea.

I wish I had time to go through the Mickey maze.

Next post is Disneyland! Be sure to check it out.

Disney’s Hollywood Hotel

Last weekend was a bunch of firsts for me. First time to use NAIA Terminal 3, first time to take Cebu Pacific and first time to go to Hong Kong Disneyland. It was truly a wonderful weekend. I just wish it could have lasted longer.

Some friends warned me that there were long lines going in to Terminal 3. I arrived at 6:00 am for my 7:55 flight and the lines to gates 1 to 3 were indeed really, really long. I wondered if I would make my flight. Thankfully I met a friendly porter who suggested we walk to gate 6 where there were no lines. He was right! The 1 minute walk was so worth it. I went in right away. The porter deserved his tip.

When I got to Cebu Pacific’s counter with my printed boarding pass there was no line again. It took 1 minute to check in my luggage. It was the same thing with paying the terminal fee and going through immigration. I finished everything in 10 minutes maximum.

The airport was very modern and clean. I just can’t imagine if all the airlines would transfer here. They have to improve the procedure of getting in to the airport or it would be an even bigger chaos. Also the airport doesn’t seem big enough to accommodate more airlines.

I passed by so many restaurants and coffee shops. The airport definitely had more choices than terminals 1 and 2. The free wifi also worked.

I was impressed with this store called Pasalubong Philippines which carried food stuff from all over the Philippines.

It’s a mecca for balikbayans and tourists to have one last chance to buy native goodies.

I had a cup of drip coffee at Bo’s Coffee and waited for my flight to be called. Somehow their drip coffee didn’t taste as good as the one I had at their branch in Ayala Center Cebu the previous weekend. I wonder why?

I really appreciated Cebu Pacific’s online check-in, printing of boarding pass and seat selection. I got row 1 and it was soooo spacious! The plane was so new it actually smelled new. The best thing was the flight left on time.

After a short snooze I was surprised to hear the flight crew announce a ‘guess the song’ game complete with prizes. They took turns singing Filipino and English songs. Too bad I wasn’t able to guess any title since I wanted that multi-currency wallet he’s holding.

We were billeted at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel which was decorated in an art deco style reminiscent of old Hollywood. It was classy and appealing to both kids and adults.

Studio Lounge

One of the many hidden Micky’s in the property.

Our room had two big firm and comfortable beds. The pillows were the feather kind that flattened. I wish I had more pillows! There were also 3 pairs of disposable slippers sized papa, mama and little one.

towel creature 1

The tv remote control in our room didn’t work but I managed to use the tv’s controls and saw several cartoon channels. What else right? 😀 Who has time to watch tv anyway when you’re in the happiest place on earth?

A closet without doors actually made sense!

Again 3 paper cups for papa, mama and little one. Too cute!!!

I took home the really nice travel toothbrush. Aren’t their towel creatures cute???

towel creature 2

The shower had a useful handheld shower. I see this feature in more hotels now.

Our first room had this view of the pool and the next town. Too bad it was hazy.

You can see the really big property behind our hotel including the pool.

This is the back and other wing of the hotel.

We requested to move to a room across the hall and got an even better view of the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. They had a lots of room for expansion of the park or more hotels.

We also got a better view of the South China sea.

This is the back of the hotel during the day.

It was even more dramatic at night.

back

The pool was closed due to the cold weather.

The Piano Pool Bar resembled the Hollywood Bowl’s amphitheater.

The Studio Lounge at night.

By some stroke of luck we never had to wait for the shuttle to go to Hong Kong Disneyland hotel or Disneyland.

We were very pleased with Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. Housekeeping was impeccable and all the staff were friendly and helpful. It’s definitely a great place to stay on your next visit to Disneyland Hong Kong.

911 Memorial

The highlight of my trip to New York City last November 2011 was a visit to the 911 Memorial.

After lunch at Peter Luger we went straight to the site. We got there 30 minutes before our scheduled time so the females in our group decided to go shopping at Century21. Going to Century21 on the Saturday after Thanksgiving was just crazy. It was so crowded and I was so confused where to shop first that 30 minutes flew by without me buying anything. My cousins were luckier.

My cousin-in-law booked our passes online a month before our trip. This made our visit quick and easy with no lines or waiting involved.

One World Trade Center, the 105 story skyscraper was taking form.

We just followed the signs to the memorial.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum wasn’t open to the public then. Once it opens in 2012 I want to go back to see it.

Looking at the waterfalls was a very serene experience.

The last part of our visit was at the 9/11 Memorial Visitor Center.

Lunch at Peter Luger Steak House

I’ve heard so much about Peter Luger Steak House over the years but I never had the desire to eat there since I wasn’t much of a steak eater. It was only when I started my Cohen diet last year and was forced to eat more meat instead of my favorite carbs that I learned to enjoy steak. Now I actually like steak so I was pretty excited to eat at the famous Peter Luger in Brooklyn.

We arrived at 11:30 am and the restaurant wasn’t opened yet but there were already several people waiting to get in.

We met up with my cousins and aunt who were based in New York and New Jersey. Yes I have cousins all over the US.

Since I can’t eat bread I played with them instead. The spoon messed up my food styling efforts.

I loved the chunks of blue cheese that seemed bottomless.

Luger’s chopped salad $14.95

To all Peter Luger fans please do not send me hate mail with what I’m about to say. For me the steak was just ok. I didn’t find anything special or fantabulous with it. I was expecting an explosion in my mouth since it was my first time to try dry aged beef but instead I found it quite bland and without much aroma.

I didn’t want to drown it in steak sauce to say it’s good. I was hoping the beef would stand on it’s own merit. It was good with blue cheese dressing and lots of crumbled blue cheese though.

Am I just an ignorant steak eater? To be honest I liked the steak at Mamou Too better. I must be wrong since there are legions of Peter Luger fans. But that’s how I feel. All my other cousins liked it though.

dry aged prime beef for 4 $177.80

For our group of 8 adults and 4 kids we ordered only one huge steak supposedly good for four and supplemented it with lots of side dishes. We finished it all. The size of the steak dwarfed the iPhone.

steak sauce

creamed spinach $9.95

I almost caved in and ate the gorgeous fried potatoes but my willpower was strong.

special German fired potatoes $12.95

Since onions were a vegetable I ate the lightly battered crispy onion rings. I really liked eating them with the steak.

onion rings $9.95

My aunt Elizabeth preferred the cheeseburger and baked potato.

cheeseburger

oversized baked potato $5.95

One of my nephew’s artwork.

Peter Luger Old Fashioned Steak Sauce bottle

dessert menu

Eating at Peter Luger was an experience. The waiter was an old timer who was a know-it-all and kinda scary. He dictated how much sides we should order and it was a good thing we listened to him. The servings were huge! The service was really quick and we finished our meal in an hour. They must have wanted us out fast to get more diners in our place.

Peter Luger Steak House
178 Broadway, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211
telephone: (718) 387-7400

Bouchon Bakery at Rockefeller Center

We were on a vacation so we had a slow start on our 2nd day in New York City. After having the free buffet breakfast at the Residence Inn we walked along 5th Avenue towards Rockefeller Center.

The weather was nice and cool and perfect for a leisurely stroll.

New York Public Library

I never knew that the Philippine Consulate in New York had such a swanky address.

Philippine Consulate General

Nice parols were their holiday decor.

Have you seen Benetton’s controversial ad? This was really huge.

Benetton Ad

The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was up when we were there last Nov. 27 although it wasn’t lighted up yet.

We were supposed to take a cab to Peter Luger for lunch but I wanted to stop by Bouchon Bakery first. My cousins didn’t even know it was there. They thought it was still Dean & Deluca. But I knew better since I always see it when I watch The Today Show in Manila.

After my first visit to Bouchon Bakery in Yountville I was lucky to have another chance to go to their other branch in New York City.

These peanut butter cups have been taunting me since Yountville. I was strong enough to resist. But once the DIET is over I’m going back for these babies.

peanut butter cup

They had numerous ready-to-go sandwiches that looked really good too.

We got one raspberry almond croissant and I tasted a little of it. I found that the inclusion of raspberry preserves with almond paste made it too sweet. I prefer a plain almond croissant.

raspberry almond croissant

Naturally I bought my favorite scones, one savory and one seasonal. The savory scone contained smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and chives while the seasonal scone had candied walnuts, oats, cinnamon and honey butter. Both were delicious, crumbly, buttery and not dry. I liked the savory scone just a tad more.

scones

puff tart

coffee cake

Sharon bought a brioche while Lanneth chose the almond brioche. I’m not really a fan of brioche but I was able to try the almond brioche and it was heavenly. It reminded me of a French toast crossed with a custard bread.

brioche

eclairs

I had to practice extreme self control not to buy this double chocolate chunk cookie.

double chocolate chunk cookie

cranberry macarons

Bouchon Bakery menu

This is mine and Sharon’s stash. I chose the scones and the rest were hers. We had them for breakfast the next day and the rest for our road trip back to Virginia. We should have bought more!!!

cousin La and Erin

These are what La and Erin bought.

Chee and cousin Sha with my nephew Ethan

We were too late to watch The Today Show.

I wonder if there was a celebrity in the super stretch limo.

I don’t know who this guy was but I took the picture since I don’t think I’ll ever see all these characters in one shot again.

Minnie, Elmo, Mickey and Woody

Bouchon Bakery at Rockefeller Center
One Rockefeller Center
New York, NY 10020
212.782.3890

Open Monday-Friday, 7am to 7pm
Open Saturday-Sunday, 8am to 8pm

Han Bat Restaurant

We had an early dinner at 5:30 at Eataly. That plus a couple of hours of shopping and our stomachs were grumbling already. So with the help of Yelp we found Han Bat Restaurant.

There were several Korean restaurants near our hotel since Koreatown was at 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway. Han Bat had very good reviews and was nearer to us at 35th street.

The restaurant is open 24 hours a day. We arrived at 10:30 pm and it was still full.

The side dishes were different from the ones I’m used to except for the usual kimchi. There was fish cake, bean sprouts, peanuts with dried anchovies and my favorite the squash salad. I’ve had potato salad as a Korean side dish but this was the first time I’ve encountered squash.

The squash was quite firm like it was blanched for only a few minutes and it was simply dressed with mayonnaise. It was so sweet I couldn’t stop asking for more. I must have eaten 3 small plates of it.

banchan or side dishes

peanuts and dried anchovies

I wondered why there was a huge bowl of salt on the table.

bowl of salt

Erin ordered this bowl of beef broth with noodles and rice. It was totally bland and tasteless. We must have added as whole spoonful of salt to it. Ahhhh….

seolleongtang

The stew made with lots of tofu and seafood was hot and spicy, just perfect for the chilly New York weather.

sundubu jjigae

I just tried some of the previous dishes. It was the delectable marinated short ribs that I concentrated on. I really like eating Korean food in the United States because their beef tastes better and servings are bigger. The ribs were very tender and juicy and just perfect with the cold squash salad. No rice for me!

la galbi

sarap to the bones!!

Han Bat Restaurant menu

(click to enlarge)

New York is indeed the city that doesn’t sleep. Any time you’re hungry there’s great food from a halal cart to delicious Korean food.

Han Bat Restaurant
53 West 35th Street New York, NY 10016
telephone: (212) 629-5588

Hong Kong Disneyland here I come!!!

I’m so excited!!! I’ll be going to Hong Kong Disneyland this weekend.

I’ve never been there before although I’ve been to L.A. and Florida’s Disneyland ages ago. I’ll be staying at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. I’m sure it’s going to be a fun, fun weekend specially with the cool weather in Hong Kong.

Thanks to Hong Kong Disneyland and Cebu Pacific for making this special trip possible. Wait for my posts and pictures of Disneyland. It’s going to bring out the kid in me for sure.

Holiday Shopping in New York CIty

It was Black Friday and I was in New York City. And there’s only one thing more I had to do before I call it a day, shopping!! After an early dinner at Eataly we took a cab straight to Uniqlo on 34th street.

My two cousins have never heard of Uniqlo because they live in Virginia so I introduced them to the wonders of one of my favorite Japanese stores in Hong Kong.

I was amazed at how big the 3 storey store was and it wasn’t even the biggest branch in New York. A branch in Hong Kong could easily fit on one level. There were also lots of stuff on sale.

We all stocked up on the Heattech line. Their under shirts really kept me warm while I was in the US.

Did you know that shopping for clothes and shoes in New York is tax free for any item that costs below $55? For items above $55 up to $110 only 4.375% sales tax will be charged. That’s why the clothes I bought in Uniqlo were much cheaper than in Hong Kong.

Another trivia: Uniqlo is finally opening a branch in Manila at the Mall of Asia in June 2012. Yehey!!!

Armed with heavy bags we went to Macy’s next for a quick browse.

The holiday decor was really pretty.

Macy’s window display was so extravagant and fancy. A lot of planning and work was done for each window which had a story of it’s own.

This window had an interactive video screen. Everything was really impressive!

Tired shoppers taking a much needed break outside Macy’s.

Pedicab anyone?

Whew that was a long and tiring day but I was really happy with my first day in New York City.

Here’s a last look of the beautifully lighted Empire State Building from our hotel room.

Uniqlo
31 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001

Macy’s
151 West 34th Street, New York, NY10001

Eataly, NYC

The first on my list of “must go” places in New York was Eataly. As soon as we dropped off our bags at Residence Inn in Times Square and took a quick detour in Bryant Park we walked 17 blocks to Eataly. The mozarepa must have given us renewed energy to walk so far.

We went in through the gelato entrance.

gelato

Dolci & Chocolate

I wanted to buy a prime rib sandwich by they closed at 5 pm. I missed it by just a few minutes.

La Rosticceria

There were so many eateries but it was all full and this was at around 5:10 pm.

Il Pesce

Luckily we got a table at La Pizza and La Pasta. Unlucky for me since that’s all carbs.

La Pizza & La Pasta

La Pizza menu

We were immediately served warm crusty bread which I didn’t eat.

Erin didn’t like the taste of her ginger ale so I drank it. The Baladin citrus ginger ale was really an adult soda. It was strong and almost medicinal. It wasn’t sweet and tasted exotic to me. I liked it!!!

Italian sodas $5.80 each

We ordered an antipasto misto to share.

The big plate had small portions of roasted squash, figs agrodolce, shaved brussel sprouts w/ pecorino and marinated olives.

antipasto misto $13

Would you believe this was my first time to eat squash? I loved the firm texture and the unbelievable sweetness tempered with a balsamic reduction. I also enjoyed the raw brussel sprouts with a light dressing and lots of salty shaved pecorino cheese. The fresh figs were sweet and sour and it took me a while to like it and I eventually did. Even though I don’t like olives I liked these marinated olives.

I ate most of the antipasto since my cousins knew I can’t eat pizza and pasta. Darn diet! Those are two of my most favorite food groups.

The pizzas had a thin and crisp, dry crust. The toppings were all good but I liked the one with parma ham and ricotta cheese the best. I didn’t eat most of the crust. I have developed a fear of carbs to this day. (Cookies and desserts are not carb in my mind. ha ha)

Fru Fru pizza $22
special oval shaped 3-season pizza: ricotta cheese and ham, mozzarella and tomato sauce, parma ham, arugula and parmigiano reggiano shavings

The waiter suggested this pizza which was his favorite. He was right. The crisp salami was something different.

Pizza Lombarda $22
buffalo mozarella, salame milano, shaved grana padano & basil

ang cute, ng oven 😀

I tried a little bit of the 9 layer lasagna with traditional meat sauce and it was fabulous. The pasta was thin and al dente. The sauce was just right and it didn’t overwhelm the pasta. The ground beef tasted like little bits of steak. The small slice of lasagna was worthy of it’s expensive price.

Pasta al Forno al Ragu $16

The super al dente penne with eggplant and a spicy tomato sauce was simple and very flavorful. Overall we were very happy and satisfied with our meal. When we left the restaurant at 6:00 pm there was already a long line waiting for a table.

Penne Rigate alla Norma $15

Right beside our tables were shelves of dried pasta I’ve never seen before.

I wanted to take a whole wheel home.

wheels of Parmegiano Reggiano

bread galore

fresh meat

fresh pasta

Italian cheese

cured meats

more cheese

wine bar

Pasticceria

I bought this 70% dark chocolate gluten free chocolate torte. We ate it with our espresso from Caffe Vergnano. It was a bit dry but I liked the deep and rich dark chocolate flavor.

Caffe Vergnano’s espresso

A couple of our friends who lived in New York haven’t even been to Eataly. They know it was always full and hard to get a seat. We were just lucky that we went at 5:00 pm. There were so many things to see but somehow it wasn’t very conducive to shop there. I wanted to buy a piece chocolate but I couldn’t find a cashier. The shopping areas were all mixed together with the eateries that there were almost no boundaries. It was still an experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Eataly
200 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010
telephone: 212.229.2560
Open Every Day

Holiday Shops at Bryant Park

As soon as we dropped off our things at the Residence Inn we walked to Eataly for a very late lunch. We had to pass by Bryant Park and we made a quick detour through the park to see The Holiday Shops.

We were there last November but I just found out that they have extended these shops until February 26, 2012. I really wanted to walk leisurely to look at all the quaint shops but we were really hungry and wanted to reach Eataly as soon as possible.

I managed to take some shots of the shops and eateries I passed by.

Crepe Cafe

A skating rink called Citi Pond was open to the public during the holiday season.

I had to stop when I smelled something so good at Toparepa.

Toparepa

I’ve never seen mozarepas before. I thought they were just pancakes. I learned that these were called arepas, a popular snack from Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries made from cornmeal. The Americanized version added mozzarella cheese in the middle and the mozarepa was born.

Toparepa’s menu

We bought a mozarepa topped with goat cheese, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes to share between 4 adults and 2 kids.

goat cheese, pesto & sun-dried tomatoes mozarepa $6.50

I loved, loved, loved it! Imagine eating a corn dog with the dog. I really loved the gritty texture and sweetness of the arepa mixed with the gooey mozzarella cheese and contrasted with tangy goat cheese. The flavors from the pesto and sun-dried tomatoes completed the explosion of flavors and texture in the mouth. I hope some enterprising Pinoy would bring mozarepas to Manila. I’m sure his would click here.

Max Brenner

My eyes widened as big as those cookies as I gazed in awe. I HAD to buy some cookies!!! The chocolate chunk cookie cost $5 each but they were worth it. It was really huge and loaded with chocolate. I ate bit and pieces of the cookie and it lasted til the next day.

Dumpling Soup House

I guess arepas are really popular in NYC. Even this Chinese noodle and dumpling shop sold arepas.

Big Apple Cider

I really wish I had more time in New York since I wanted to go back to Bryant Park and check out each and every shop and food store. Alas I never got the chance to go back even though it was just across our hotel. Nevertheless I was happy with our quick stroll and snack in Bryant Park.

The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park
Special Extended Season
January 14 – February 26, 2012
http://www.TheHolidayShopsatBryantPark.com