Classic Chinese Cuisine at Plaza Inn
(angpao tue lai!) :)
As we celebrate the Chinese New Year, let me continue my wonderful food adventures in cosmopolitan Hong Kong. Let me start with these two food outlets that you should not miss when visiting Hong Kong Disneyland.
After all the fun that you’ll surely experience inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, it’s time to focus on the different dining options that you can avail of in and around the Park. Just like any theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has a lot of food kiosks in almost every corner. Here you can enjoy Mickey Mouse waffles, sausages and huge turkey legs.
Since we were pressed for time, we made sure that dinner was memorable and so we headed to Plaza Inn an hour before the fireworks was scheduled to start to avail of our dinner that was prepared for us by our gracious hosts. This will give us ample time to enjoy our dinner and later on, head out to Cinderella’s castle to enjoy the evening display of fireworks.
The organizers who invited us to Hong Kong Disneyland prepared a feast! We were given a set menu (HKD $328) which was very similar to our local Chinese lauriat only it was made more intimate as the set was good for two. A perfect choice when you’re on a romantic date around the park. We learned that Plaza Inn is being operated by the Maxims group and thus, we have very high expectations for dinner. Maxims in Hong Kong is a very popular restaurant chain where regular visitors make sure they include in their itinerary for the restaurant’s signature roasted meats and rice toppings.
In keeping with Maxims’ specialties, our dinner began with a platter of Crispy Suckling Pig, Roasted Goose and Chilled Jellyfish – my favorite items on every appetizer platter! I love how crunchy the suckling pig skin was and the goose was very juicy and tasty. It has just the right amount of saltiness that makes it a very delicious starter to our meal.
After enjoying our appetizer, out came the Thick Soup with Diced Seafood. I love seafood soup as I enjoy biting into the tiny meat in every slurp. While we enjoyed the soup, we were excited for the succeeding dishes that have really made our dinner extra special.
The first main dish was the Sautéed Fresh Prawns with Cashew Nuts and Vegetables. Imagine biting into crunchy, delicious prawns with well-salted cashew nuts and string beans. It’s a very light dish that can be enjoyed alone or with a cup of fragrant rice. This is one delicious menu item that you shouldn’t miss out on when dining at the Plaza Inn.
Whenever we travel to Hong Kong and China, we make it a point to order a lot of dishes with vegetables in it. This is because we enjoy the freshness of the vegetable and how the Chinese chefs can successfully flavor up your ordinary greens. Take for example this Wok-fried Diced Beef with Brocolli. I enjoyed munching on the crunchy broccoli leaves and while I normally would push back the sliced carrots and bell peppers found on my plate, I was able to finish them all this time. Everything was just bursting with flavor be it my beef slices or the crunchy veggies.
No Chinese meal is complete without a bowl of rice or noodles. Since we were enjoying a special dinner at the Plaza Inn, our rice was not the ordinary as well. What we had that evening was Steamed Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf with Diced Chicken, Mushroom and Egg. We can just imagine how long it took the chef to prepare this thus his efforts were all put to good use as we enjoyed every single grain included in our respective lotus pack. I love how the meat, mushroom, egg and rice all perfectly blend together and it was really a pleasure enjoying spoonfuls after spoonfuls of rice. Also, this is a meal on its own. No need to pair it with a viand as the rice was very flavorful enough to be enjoyed on its own. More rice please!
It surely was a delightful dinner enjoyed before heading out to Cinderella’s castle to watch the grand finale of our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland. With its delicious food options and wonderful service, it’s no surprise that the Plaza Inn is one of the top choices of visitors spending a day at the park.
*photos by Paul Ang
