Hong Kong Trip: HK Disneyland

(Late Post: This trip happened last 2012)

It was my first time to go out of the country. It was fun and very memorable. Of course, a lot of us, our first time out is usually in Hong Kong. Why? Because it's very near the Philippines, there is no visa and... they have Disneyland! Haha!

The weather that time was cold and I basked in that glorious weather. A  definite sweater weather. I loved it!

While waiting for our tour guide, we decided to grab some breakfast at the airport. Our first taste of Hong Kong!

Our hotel, Rambler Oasis,  was located over at the New Territories which is far from the busy hustle and bustle of known Hong Kong but is near the HKG International Airport (19kms.) and Disneyland (short train ride if coming from Tsing Yi station). From the hotel, we ride a mini bus going to the MTR station. From these vantage point, we got to observe how the locals are in their daily routine. It was our short time of calm before we experience the rest that Hong Kong has to offer.

Now, one of the highlights of the trip was to go to Disneyland. It's a childhood, and oh well, adulthood wish to come to the US to experience that but thank goodness there are some in Asia already and the most affordable is the one here. So, park that US Disneyland wish for now.

Love that their Disney Train has details that is so obviously..Disney. Such as the windows in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head.

 And we have arrived!

Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks (Wikipedia). 

Ticket is priced now at HK $499, or roughly Php2,994. A bit steep but worth it especially if you grew up watching and being a fan of Disney movies and characters. 

Love the scenery, the vibe and the weather! 

Taking in the sights at the Main Street.

And look, we met some kababayans who are part of Disney. The marching band! All Pinoys! Super proud of them. They chatted with us shortly and they proceeded with what they do best, to entertain the visitors with their lively music.

For lunch, we tried out these. A bit expensive also but good thing was that the serving sizes were big. And tasted good too.

Was not able to ride a real elephant, but this would do for now. Dumbo!

Some more of the sights! We were not able to explore the whole park because we were a bit tired already but we were happy with what we saw.

The finale for us..the parade where I heard the song "It's A Small World After All" and it made me tear up a bit. Flashes of childhood memories welled up and it made me nostalgic, that's why. But then, I see all the beautiful floats and the Disney princesses and other famous characters and it made me giddy as a child once again. Crazy, I know.

Happy smiles for us! 

So happy to have been here! 

Practicing his train ticket-vending knowledge.

Tired travellers on a very cold night. This is the life for me! 

Lovely day, it really was. Very special. Time spent exploring famous or unknown places is the best feeling for any traveler.

Next time I go here, I have to really wait for the fireworks show. That's a promise I made to myself.


~Lovelee~

Check out my previous posts:

Hong Kong City Tour

Bacolod City Food Trip (Part 4)

My testament that Bacolod City indeed have great food spots is that I have already come up with 3 parts of my Bacolod City food trip from the past few years. Places that I have tried and loved. Some, I repeatedly visit in my annual homecoming to my dear province and some, I take great joy and excitement as I try it for the first time. New discoveries are always around every nook and cranny of this beautiful city.

Check out my previous posts:

Bacolod City food trip Part 1 (2012)

Bacolod City food trip Part 2 (2013)

Bacolod City food trip Part 3 (2014- first for this year)

So for the late part of this year, me and my family had an epic foodie experience and I want to share this with everyone.

Here they are:

1) BAR 21 RESTAURANT
Address: 21 Street, cor. Lacson Street, Bacolod City

This is still at the top of my list of to-go-to places upon landing in the province. This is practically an institution already and they really deliver great food for their customers. I only wish that they don't run out of Batchoy because this is one of their bestsellers and is one of the best tasting that I have tried. Even better than my experience in Iloilo's Deco's.

PEPPER STEAK
My ultimate favorite. Never fails to satisfy. The steak was tender and was nicely complimented by the mashed potatoes and the fried caramelized onions.

LENGUA
My brother's favorite here. 

MUSHROOM BURGER
This picture only shows half of the order because this was shared by my dad and my brother. It was good but something that I would not order again because I can have this in Manila. Serving size was big and filling. 

Extra order of fried caramelized onions for Php30. One plateful! So I shared this with my dad and brother. So loved this. Added crunch to our food and I actually like eating it on its own. 

2) CAFE BOB'S

Address: Lacson St. corner 21st St., Bacolod City

Also another go-to place that one should not miss. Calea is good and gets a lot of raves but Bob's has a lot to offer also that can keep up with its other competitors. And their prices are very very reasonable. All below Php100. 

Plus, they have sugarfree cake and pastries options and Calea does not. 

SUGARFREE MANGO CHEESECAKE
For my dad. He was one happy camper that night. 

OREO CHEESECAKE
For less than Php 100 only. Can be shared by 2 actually. It was good, says my brother. 

I forgot the name of my cake but I remembered that I liked this very much. It's a cheesecake that I liked, amongst all the rest. 

SUGARFREE CHOCOLATE GELATO
For my dad again. He was on cloud 9. 

3) SANDERS COFFEE AND SAUSAGES HOUSE

Address: El Court Building, Lacson St., Bacolod City

This place is highly recommended by my relatives and I was happy that we finally got there to give it a shot. Their prices are, the same with a lot of places in BCD, very affordable. I will try this again next time to order some of their other dishes. I get a strong feeling that they will also taste great.

SPARERIBS WITH RICE
The spareribs look a bit small here but it's much bigger when seen in actual. And this is for Php88 only! So flavorful and so good! This was a great near-midnight meal, I must say. Haha!

4) DECO'S LA PAZ BATCHOY

Address: G/F North Wing, SM City Bacolod, Rizal St., Reclamation Area, Bacolod City

SPECIAL BATCHOY
One of Iloilo's original (they share the same spot with Ted's and it's not yet clear which one came with the idea first). Well, for this serving, I am not very excited because it does not taste spectacular compared wo what I had in Iloilo. But my dad liked it. 

5) PEPE'S RESTAURANT  & BAR

Address: Piazza Sorrento Building, 13th St. corner Lacson St., Bacolod City

My first time was way back in 2008 and this year is my second time. But I'm mighty glad to be back. Their prices here are a bit above average but they do deliver in terms of quality and taste. It's a nice hang-out place with family, friends and loved ones.

Pitcher of Iced Tea

GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD (w/ Raspberry Vinaigrette) Php 169
This alone is totally filling. I liked the combination of sweet and sour of the vinaigrette, it well-complimented the salad.

PEPE'S BURGER Php 149

BEEF SALPICAO Php 199
It is a bit saucy and not the way that I was used to having Salpicao but it is good in its own way. 

GRILLED SPARERIBS Php169
Now this I want to order next time!

GRILLED FILLET MIGNON Php319
My brother's order. He said it was good but he said that he should've ordered it medium rare or medium well next time. 

6) CALEA PASTRIES AND CAKE

Address: Balay Quince, Lacson St., Bacolod City

The most popular dessert place! It's almost synonymous with Bacolod. Their choices are otherworldly and prices are very reasonable too. I started eating here way back in 2007, if I'm not mistaken. 

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
Very chocolate-y. For all the lovers of choco out there.

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE
My favorite of theirs. The crust is different than the rest, it's chewy and nutty, so I like this. Remember, I'm not a fan of cheesecakes so this is very rare. 

PISTACHIO SANSRIVAL
It crumbled but it was good. Not my favorite compared to other pistachio sansrival out there but it was worth a try.

Sweets on sweets!

7) XIN CHAO VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

Address: G/F Hi-Strip IV, Circumferential Road, Bacolod City

This is a new place that I definitely could not pass up on. Why? It's Vietnamese! I always try to look for Banh Mi sandwiches so this called out to me. 

The place is pretty simple and neat. No frills or whatsoever. What you see is what you get. But oh boy, their prices are very dirt cheap! It made me so happy when I saw their menu. 

FRESH SPRING ROLLS Php50
It's not the nicest thing that I have seen in a fresh spring roll but it's ok. I actually liked it. And for that price, why not?!

ICED COFFEE Php50
Very refreshing! Loved this and so cheap too.

BANH MI Php50
I love this! The cost of the Banh Mi that I had in the streets of Ho Chi Minh was Php35 so imagine my happiness when I saw that theirs is Php50 only! So happy! I ordered 3 orders to go so I can share it to family. I just hope that they add cilantro because that's what makes it very authentic-tasting. But other than that, it's very satisfying. The assorted meat and hams tasted good.

The makings of Banh Mi sandwich.

7) QUINO'S CAKES AND CUPCAKES

Address: Ascalon Building, Lacson St., Bacolod City

Our very generous relatives recommended a new dessert place on our second to the last night in the city, but when we got there they were close already so we were a bit disappointed. But, the next day, they brought us a couple of boxes of pastries and a cake from Quino's! Initially look at them and we were all delighted with their appearances. And the taste that followed was simply divine. We were so happy with our dessert loot that night and we were able to take a lot home when we got back to Manila.

QUINO'S CUPCAKES
Very rich in taste and not too sweet. And the sizes are just right so you won't feel too full after finishing a couple of these babies.

PUFFYANI
A miniature-sized cream puff. Very delightful to the tastebuds! I believe this is one of their bestsellers. A must-try definitely.

RAINBOW CAKE
Oh my gosh! I finished this one whole. It's not very sweet and the cake was very moist. For me, it's love in every forkful. And this costs Php125only. 

So there! Part 4! I have friends who recently visited Bacolod and would say to me that they loved everything especially the food. Very affordable but tops at quality. 

I'm looking forward to my part 5! =) 

~Lovelee~

Check out my previous posts:

Bacolod City food trip Part 1 (2012)

Bacolod City food trip Part 2 (2013)

Bacolod City food trip Part 3 (2014- first for this year)

Project Pie - Creating Pizza Combinations of Your Own

I really am just an ordinary not-so-fan of pizzas, unless it is something very extraordinary than what I usually encounter in other pizza parlors. I mean, I like Shakey's especially when we have our family's favorite DVD nights or Yellow Cab too, but they all seem to be the same to me.

But this changed when I finally tried Project Pie. The concept of create-your-own-pizza appealed to me and much more so when I finally experienced it.

 So here we go:

STEP 1: Choose your base sauce--red or white. I went for the red.

 STEP 2: Choose your toppings.

STEP 3: Pick up your orders

My very first create-your-own pizza!
My toppings are..are you ready?
For the cheese: Mozarella, Feta, Gorgonzola, Ricotta and Parmesan
For the meat: Pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon, Canadian bacon, Prosciutto and anchovies
For the veggies: Green bell peppers, tomatoes, caramelized onions, mushrooms, garlic, black olives and red onions

My second pizza creation, done on a separate visit to the same branch.  Much of the same ingredients but much more!
For the cheese: Mozarella, Feta, Gorgonzola, Ricotta and Parmesan 
For the meat: Pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon, Canadian bacon, Prosciutto and crumbled meatballs 
For the veggies: Green bell peppers, tomatoes, caramelized onions, mushrooms, garlic, black olives, pineapple and red onions
SUCH A WINNER! =)

For dessert, had their Banana Nutella Pie and it's good to share because it's very sweet. Well, for me it was. 

Thirsty from all that dough? They have a Php65 drinks that you can refill up to 3x. May it be Coca-Cola products or their China Mist iced tea. Great value for your money. They also have imported beers or wine available.

With my first creation.

I definitely enjoyed my experiences and the place is really filled to the brim but somehow, you will find a place to sit in. The servers are nice and attentive and they seem to have fun with their jobs so in return, customers feel that positive vibe and that's very good.

Honestly, Php285 is a bit expensive especially if you just order a simple pie but if you order almost everything on their toppings list, then that gives you satisfaction knowing that you get what you paid for. You might think it small but when you get all that toppings, you will definitely feel full. And happy.


RESTO FACTS: 

PROJECT PIE

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/projectpiephilippines


~Lovelee~