My Weekend in Photos: Hong Kong Disneyland

 

 

 

Sunday Treats No. 59

Donar (Lamb Kebab) - Hkd79.00

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Ebeneezer's Kebabs & Pizzeria
Shop A, G/F Winfield Commercial Bldg.
6-8 A Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hongkong

Dimdimsum: Home of the Best Dimsum in Hongkong

Named as one of the best dim sum by global guide Timeout, Dimdimsum is one restaurant you should not want to miss when in Hongkong. In fact, it took us about an hour and a half from PMQ to get to their Jordan branch and yet, neither CS nor I complain a single word. I thought that coming here mid-afternoon was a good idea but we still waited for another hour, guess this is really one of the best because when there are local customers, the food must be superb.

The place was packed with no single seat left unoccupied. Unlike in the Philippines, it is considered rude not to share your table to strangers and linger too long if you're done eating.

What we ordered

Iced Milk Tea - Hkd10.00

A perfect mix of bitter and sweet flavors, their Iced Milk Tea may be heavy on the tummy but somehow cleanses my palate for the next basket of dim sum to arrive.

Beef Meatball with Sun-dried Tangerine Peel - Hkd17.00

The meatballs were tasty but could be better if it were firmer.

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings - Hkd27.00

One of the best hakaw I have ever tasted! Each dumpling is full of fresh succulent shrimp with no extenders so you'll never feel robbed at just Hkd27.00 for 4 dumplings per basket.

Chicken Feet with Soya Sauce - Hkd19.00

I usually prefer my chicken feet really soft to the point that the meat separates itself off the bone but Dimdimsum's take on the popular side dish made me love a tender but still gelatinous version.

Shanghai Soup Dumplings with Black Truffle - Hkd22.00

The soup was the best part of the dish but I'd probably skip this next time as there are more items I'd love to try here. Besides, Din Tai Fung still tops my list of the best Xiao Long Bao on the planet!

Steamed Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf Wrap - Hkd23.00

I like my Machang as a complete meal with more ulam. I remember eating a better version from a Chinese lady in one of the weekend night markets here in Manila with egg yolk and loads of mushrooms so another item scrapped of the list of my must-try's in Dimdimsum.

Apart from Tim Ho Wan, Dimdimsum is one of the highly recommended dim sum places in Hongkong from foodie friends, locals and tourists alike. With its reasonably priced dishes, I don't mind the long walk, the long wait and the cramped space - all for the love of good food!

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Dimdimsum Specialty Store
26-28 Man Wui St., Jordan
Kowloon, Hongkong

Tel.: (852) 2771-776

Website: www.dimdimsum.hk

My Weekend in Photos: Hongkong

Cafe de Coral: Hongkong Fast Food at its Finest

Ever since CS introduced Cafe de Coral to my all-rice diet plan years back, I instantly became a fan. In fact, its the first thing I look for upon arrival in Hongkong and the last meal I eat at HKIA before I fly home. When my friend A told me to choose where to eat on our first day, I brought her to CdC only to find out that she haven't tried it yet! She obviously liked it as much as I do because every time I ask her if she likes to try something else, we always end up lining up at CdC.

Founded in 1968, Cafe de Coral's first restaurant was established at Causeway Bay a year later. Since then, it now operates over 580 stores all over the world and is considered as the largest fast food group in Hongkong along with other brands such as The Spaghetti House, Super Super Congee and Noodles, Oliver's Super Sandwiches and many others.

What we ordered

Barbecued Pork with Rice

Fried Pork Chop and Minced Pork with Rice

Baked Porkchop Rice

Soy Chicken and Barbecued Pork with Rice

White Chicken & Roast Duck with Rice

If you're on a budget (price range is between Php200.00 - Php400.00 per rice meal) but looking for tasty and value for money dishes in Hongkong, Cafe de Coral is the perfect dining spot for you. With a vast menu that changes from time to time, you'll never run out of new dishes to try even if you're staying in the city for days. Just look for the distinctive logo, check out the menu and take a photo of the dish you wish to order so you can just show it to the staff at the counter, pay in cash or use your Octopus card, queue in the pick up area to claim your order and enjoy your meal!

Sunny Day Hotel: A Lucky Find in Hongkong

When in Hongkong, location is everything!

That's why I always stick to the hotels in the Tsim Sha Tsui area for its convenience and accessibility to food, transportation, shopping, money changer and majority of tourist spots. While Hotel Benito is still my number one choice, I am still on the lookout for new hotels to add in my roster of accommodations that I can recommend to family and friends who are planning a trip to Hongkong. As I was browsing Agoda, I was lucky to chance upon Sunny Day Hotel, a fairly new hotel along Nathan Road with positive reviews from Tripadvisor, on an irresistible promotional rate!

It was a no-brainer so I immediately booked a family room even if it was just myself and my good friend A going on the trip. With a very affordable rate, staying in a family room good for 3 adults in Hongkong standards is like sleeping in a basic 20sqm standard room size here in Manila.

I was delighted to see that all airport buses are now equipped with a TV screen indicating the famous landmarks/hotels on each bus stop. I don't know if its a new thing but it was the first time I've seen one. Great help for first timer travellers who are worried on missing their bus stop.

With our luggage in tow, my friend and I alighted in Kimbereley Road at bus stop no. 12 just outside Sunny Day Hotel. Same goes for your return trip as the A21 bus going back to the airport stops in front of the police station situated across the hotel. Now that's a convenient location!

The hotel lobby is located on the second floor of the building. Do take note that there's no elevator that services the hotel guests from the ground floor so you'll have to carry your luggage to the lobby by yourself. Our flight from Manila arrived in Hongkong early morning so we just dropped our bags at the hotel and headed out to have lunch at Cafe de Coral and exchange our Php to Hkd in Mirador Mansion where a good number of money changers offer decent exchange rates.

There are 2 elevators that service the entire hotel so waiting to get to your floor and back to the lobby is to be expected. Guests are also warned not to bring durian inside to avoid penalty.

For just Php3700/night for a family room, Sunny Day is probably one of the best value hotels I have ever booked in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. The 22sqm air-conditioned room has a double and a single bed, an LCD television with a few English channels, free internet access, complimentary bottled water, coffee and tea maker, a refrigerator, ironing facility and a spacious toilet and bath.

Pros: Affordable rates, clean and spacious family room, generous supply of bottled water and toiletries, towels are changed everyday, one of the best egg waffles in HK is sold just around the corner and of course, the hotel's excellent location! Just to give you an idea, here are various modes of transportation and their distance to the hotel that you can utilize during your stay:

• 2-minute walk to/from Jordan Station (D Exit) - MTR
• 5-minute walk to/from Tsim Sha Tsui Station (B Exit) - MTR
• 15-minute walk to/from China Ferry Terminal if you're Macau bound
• 8-minute drive to/from Hung Hom Railway Station
• 50-minute bus ride to/from Hongkong International Airport

Cons: No lift from the ground floor to the lobby, internet connection kept dropping out, thin walls in between the rooms, elevator was slow and shaky and inflexible check-in and check-out time.

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Sunny Day Hotel - Tsim Sha Tsui

182 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Kowloon, Hongkong

Tel.: (852) 3760-8999

Website: www.sunnydayhotel.com

My Weekend in Photos: Macau + Hongkong