Christmas came early for the two of us (but mostly me), as we got to see what Hong Kong Disneyland had in store this festive season!
We entered the park shortly after it opened, but there were already long queues to meet the characters, so we had to settle with just the Christmas tree instead. Also, check out my uncharacteristically practical OOTD, complete with sensible shoes. Age has well and truly caught up with me.
Our “Mickey and Minnie” pose, nicely rounded off with Edwin’s grimace.
After touring Tomorrowland, we headed back out to Main Street to have an early lunch. Right now, there’s a special Christmas set available (HK$268 for three courses, no beverage). We ordered one set to share since we wanted to have room to sample other food elsewhere in the park.
The mushroom cappuccino is from the à la carte menu and is available year-round. It’s one of my favourite soups ever. It’s rich, creamy, and deeply satisfying, especially on a cold day!
The appetizer from the Christmas set is smoked duck breast with Fanta balsamic emulsion served with tomato and orange salad. “Fanta balsamic emulsion” might sound quite out there, but it actually went quite well with the salad. I was imagining that the duck breast would be sliced, not shredded, so that was a little disappointing. Also, the cranberries were rather sour and unnecessary. Still, an okay effort, I guess?
For the main course, there were two options to choose from: slow-cooked turkey breast and beef short rib with molecular Coca-Cola served with chestnut mashed potato and red wine sauce, or pan-fried pink perch with Sprite lemongrass sauce served with cheese tortellini and baby vegetables. We picked the former as it sounded more “Christmas-y”.
While the turkey breast was on the drier, everything else on the plate was surprisingly good. The beef short rib was wonderfully tender, and the sauce tied it all together.
Finally, the dessert was chocolate mousse with Coca-Cola crème brûlée and mixed berries on mango coulis. (I got all these descriptions directly from the menu, by the way.) It was somewhat confusing because I didn’t taste any crème brûlée at all. Was it hidden under the mousse? If so, what was the point then?
If the description had simply been “chocolate mousse and mixed berries on mango coulis”, I wouldn’t have any complaints about it, because it was a good dessert. It’s possible that someone just got overly creative with the naming. Oh well.
Even Christmas wreaths look better when they’re Mickey-shaped.
On the Jungle Cruise! We usually pick the tour with an English-speaking guide, but this time we picked one with a Cantonese-speaking guide, as I’d read somewhere that the overall experience is better. It makes sense, if you think about it. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to be funny in a second language?
So was it better? I’d say yes, but only marginally so. There were some jokes that weren’t in the English tour because of the word play that wouldn’t have made any sense in English. On the other hand, a number of jokes also went over my head because to be honest, I’m not that fluent in Cantonese. Still, it was nice to experience something new, given that we’ve been to Disneyland so many times now!
Went back out to Main Street to catch the last bit of the parade!
I wanted to grab a churro from Toy Story Land, but the snack stall there was closed for the day. Got a lightsaber churro from Tomorrowland instead, along with a BB-8 slushie. We also bought a couple of Tsum Tsum headbands – they were too cute to resist!
Another addition for the holidays was the Christmas-themed afternoon tea set (HK$218 with two hot beverages) at Explorer’s Club Restaurant at Mystic Point. Seems like all we did was eat, but to be fair, we did do a lot of walking as well!
Explorer’s Club Restaurant is a quick service restaurant serving food inspired by the cuisines of India, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. So it made sense that various elements of the tea set reflected that. The two little buns on the left were veggie buns, while the two on the right were shrimp dumplings. The Duffy bun contained lotus paste, and Shellie May’s was red bean paste. Overall they tasted fine, but it would have been better if they were served piping hot instead of lukewarm.
The middle tier was my favourite part of the tea set. While the chicken satay with peanut sauce didn’t really taste like the satay that I’m used to, it was nonetheless warm and moreish. The real hero was the mini patty in the pita bread. Along with a squeeze of lemon juice and the yoghurt sauce, it really got me yearning for a larger version.
It wouldn’t be an afternoon tea set without the sweet stuff! Loving the watermelon Mickey. We’re not fans of cheesecake, but this version was alright. The profiteroles were delicious – I only wish there was more chocolate to go around!
After the fireworks show, there was an acapella group singing (what else) Christmas carols at Main Street Station, featuring Santa Goofy.
And that’s all, folks! Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this post or found it somewhat helpful. Also, huge pat on the back, because we were in Disneyland just yesterday and I’ve managed to put the post up today. Major progress! We may or may not squeeze in another visit to Disneyland, but if we do, hopefully I’ll be just an efficient the next time!
Daydreams and Day Trips 