Hong Kong, Part 2: The enchanted garden =]

It was around 7 o clock, we were standing at the train station, waiting for the train to take us where we were going. The trains in Hong Kong are really fast- there's usually one every two minutes or so. But this train was different. It was the only train which ran on this line. and this line only had two stations. It was a particularly freezing day and the wind was blowing on us- the wait was getting long. We were starting to feel slightly hungry. Since we'd known we'd be eating a buffet dinner, we ate 'light'ly during the day. Only it backfired because by 4 oclock, we were starving and so we decided to have yum cha for afternoon tea. Oops.


Figured out where we're going yet?
The train finally pulls in and the door opens, revealing the warm air inside the train, but more importantly, the beautiful interior of it. As we walk in, the magical sound of chimes comes through the speakers. "Welcome to.......we hope you enjoy the ride" Since it's late, there is barely anyone on the train, and we are fortunate to have half the carriage to ourselves. The ride may have been long but we don't notice- we're too busy ooh-ing and aah-ing, and taking pictures inside the train.


We're in Disneyland!!!
We are even more impressed as the train pulls in at the station, to reveal a beautiful station- it doesn't feel like we're in Hong Kong anymore! A couple more photos and we're out of the station, scanning our octopus cards when we realise that the whole ride (which started halfway across Hong Kong) only costed $13 (~$2 AUD)! I'd happily travel on that train just for the ride anyday!
We make it in time for fireworks (yay!) and then we rush off to catch the (free) bus which runs between Disneyland and its hotels (there's two!). It's not as exciting as the train ride but the night view of Disneyland (not the theme park) is quite interesting- it really looks as if we're in some other country!

The hotel was beautiful, as you would expect of a Disneyland resort. But the restaurant itself exceeded all my expectations (not that I had any in the first place...hehe). The name suited it perfectly- it really looked like a garden, with a water foundtain, white tables and fake green vines and leaves everywhere. Even the sky was painted like the sky!

But the most amazing thing was this:


There were disney characters walking around the place! yes, I tried to smudge our faces out......

And they weren't just walking either- they came to each table separately, and took photos with you. But don't be fooled- these are not the innocent little creatures they seem- they're awfully cheeky too! Mickey and Eeyore had an 'argument' because eeyore had stepped into the photo Mickey was taking with someone. This was despite the fact that the characters made no sounds at all- but their body langauge said it all! Later, Tigger decided to pull of someone's beanie halfway through a photo. When a little kid pulled Eeyore's tail, Eeyore decided to scare the kid by glaring at him. It didn't work- the kid ran away......

They were amazing- they turned every almost every adult in the room into a little kid! If I lived in Hong Kong, I would so get a job as one of these characters......it looks so fun!

Mussels

The food itself was not extraordinary, although definitely better than the usual cheap RSL club buffets I have in Australia....tehehe We start with the cold food- they have a large selection of delicious salads, sashimi and other cold seafood.

Crab Legs

Our favourite are these crab legs- they are very thick and meaty! I usually like my crabs hot and covered with thick, flavoursome sauce but this is an exception. The crab meat is so fresh that it is sort of sweet. I also love the fact that it has been cut up so that there's no need to play around with nut crackers and all that......

Baked Snail with Potato Puree That's what it says on the sign.......

The snails/escargots were delicious and were probably my favourite of the night, although this may have something to do with the fact that I love snails more than that it was cooked really well. Not that it wasn't. The escargots were deliciously rich and garlicky and tasted really good served with smooth and creamy mashed potato. It was a tad oily and the potato was quite filling, meaning that I couldn't eat too much......

Pan Fried Turkey Breast/ Roast Lamb

There was so much to try that eating just one small serving of each thing that I wanted to try left me very very full. I loved the roast lamb- it was nice and juicy. The pan fried turkey breast was one thing that I wished I hadn't wasted my 'quota' on- it was simple piece of turket breast, coated with breadcrumbs and pan fried with a piece of cheese on it. It didn't taste that great, the turkey breast was not tender and the blob of cheese was quite filling.

Mini Hot Dogs

Clockwise from top left: deep fried prawn, corn, brussel sprouts, potato smileys, mini hot dogs
The selection of finger foods, or little 'snacks' were appealing more to the little kids than the adults. I was excited when I saw the potato smileys because they reminded me of Australia- my primary school used to sell them =] The hot dogs were cute, although left mostly untouched throughout the night. The fried prawns were delicious- the prawns were wrapped in a long noodle-like thing (I think it was supposed to be potato) which was extremely crispy when fried.

Selection of breads

Indian Curries /Roti

The selection of curries, although I don't make a point of remember what curries they were, were really nice. I personally find Indian curries appealing, although I rarely have them. They tasted really good, especially accompanied with soft and flaky roti.

Terriyaki Salmon

The selection of Japanese food was quite extensive, and I kept going back for more. The pan fried salmon was delicious- it wasn't over or undercooked and the skin was slightly crispy. There was only a slight hint of terriyaki sauce, but I don't mind because I love the taste of salmon.

Tempura

The tempura display is really pretty, and looks really good.....if only I could eat it! The problem I find with tempura and buffets is that the crunchy exterior softens quite quickly. But since I love fried foods so much, I can't resist them, even if they look soft. Sure enough, they aren't as crunchy as I'd like, but still have a bit of crunch in them and taste delicious.

Karrage Chicken
I love the presentation of the chicken so much that were it not for the presentation I probably would not have eaten it. That, and the fact that it's untouched does make it very appealing. The chicken is freshly fried, and is therefore crunchy, which makes up for it's slightly ordinary taste.

Finally onto the desserts!

By the time I'm ready for dessert, my stomach is bulging out and I can barely eat any more. But that's okay- I have a second stomach, especially for desserts =] I'm pretty sure I do- no matter how much I eat, I can always find more space for dessert!The dessert is really the highlight of this buffet because not only do they have plenty of it, they are mostly disney themed too! Grab any dessert, and there's about a 50% chance that there's a mickey head on it =]

Chocolate Puff

We approach the desserts with a carefully thought out plan- during our first raid, we take at least one of everything there is. Then we share the plate between myself and my sister. The second time we go to the desserts, we only get the ones we like =]Of course, one plate was not enough to fit all the desserts (there were a LOT more than I photographed), and it took us quite a while to get through all the desserts. Especially since we had to take a break every couple of minutes to complain 'I'm too full! I can't eat anymore!' Only to continue a while later. The chocolate cream puffs look really nice and chocolatey- especially with the piece of chocolate stuck on top of the puff. And it doesn't dissappoint either- the puff is light and soft, and together with the cream filling is very very chocolatey!

( clockwise from top left) Mango dessert/ Chocolate mocha mousse/ Selection of little desserts (cupcakes and orange flavoured creme caramel)/Tiramisu

The mango dessert was one of the best- the vanilla flavoured filling which tasted slightly like a smooth custard, complimented the mango paste really well. The mango flavour was really nice- it didn't taste fake, like some other mango desserts I've had before.The chocolate mocha mousse did not taste as good as it looked- although this may have had something to do with the fact that I don't like coffee, and that it had a strong coffee taste. The chocolate pieces however, were deliciously chocolatey and smooth. The tiramisu cups were delicious, except for the ball of cream on the top (which I suspect has some kind of liquor inside it....). Surprisingly enough, this was the first time I've ever had tiramisu, but I didn't like it that much.

Black and White chocolate fountain

The chocolate fountain was amazingly fun to play with- I love that all the fruits already had sticks in them! The fruits were very fresh and all really sweet. Since the buffet didn't have any fresh fruits, we ended up just getting the fruits without dipping them into the chocolate. The slabs of sponge cake on sticks were also a really smart idea- the cake was extremely soft!

The dinner buffet is supposed to finish at 10:00, but I love that they were still bringing out desserts at 10:15........unlike some other buffets, where they stop bringing food out 1/2 and hour before they finish =[ By then we were way too full to eat anything else, but we hung around until the place was almost empty - it felt so sad to have to leave the place!