#kolokoytravels - Hong Kong 2016 - Hello Kitty Chinese Cuisine

So as I mend my broken heart over my self-imposed hiatus from booking a piso fare flight via Cebu Pacific ongoing promotion, I decided to just reminisce about my previous travels. Since I'm not yet keen on blogging about my already not-so-recent Seoul trip, I'm blogging about a way more not-so-recent trip to Hong Kong way back April 2016. It was my second time in the city, though my first time to have it in DIY mode, and one thing I very much remember is the Hello Kitty restaurant in Canton Road.

I'm not a huge Hello Kitty fan, and neither my companions, but we all loved themed cafes and decided to give this one a try. Note that though there's a lot of Hello Kitty themed restaurants and cafes all over the globe, this they say,  is the world’s first Hello Kitty restaurant that serves Chinese cuisine.

Getting There

Basing from Google Maps, it looks like it is very near Austin Station. However, the exit (F) leading to Canton Road from the station itself was a challenge and we learned the hard way that it is actually nearer if coming from Jordan Station. Here's the complete address:

Shop A-C, G/F, Lee Loy Mansion, 332-338 Canton Road, Jordan, Kowloon

Now that I'm a bit wiser, the should be accessible via MTR Austin Station Exit B2, walk about 3 minutes; or MTR Jordan Station Exit C2, walk about 5 minutes. Why have I not found out about it before? Tsk.

I'm not sure if it's because we got there way past dinner time, but the actual vicinity is not that enticing itself. Located on a corner dilapidated (for lack of better term) building where alleys are not well lit and few pedestrians can come across, the restaurant itself is a breath of fresh air or view. The huge iconic pink bows is a telltale sign that you reached the right place.

Going in by the gift store at the side, you will be greeted by Hello Kitty itself?, herself?, offering a steamed bun. Don't you dare refuse.

The restaurant itself explodes with everything Hello Kitty (duh) but with a strong ancient China feel. Old school Chinese wooden tables, chairs, and lanterns all engraved with Hello Kitty’s face. Every single detail from the windows, chopsticks, table napkins, teapots and tea cups were branded. There are also ancient style paintings of Hello Kitty depicted as some kind of deity, I think.

Foodgasm

It was late dinner time when we reached the place so we were seated almost immediately even though the restaurant itself is still almost full of customers. Ordering took some time, not because of language barrier (I'm not really sure if there was an English menu back then, there is one now, and we rely on pictures) but because there are so many options to choose with so little budget. Haha. Waiting time is standard 20-30 minutes, of which we took the opportunity to go around and be the shutterbugs that we are. When our food were brought out, instagrammable was the first word I thought of. The details are perfect and I don’t think I’ll ever had such cute food for a few months or so. I’m not sure of how many photos we took of our food before we started eating it but it was definitely a lot. 

Lau Sa Bau

Har Gau

Stir Fried Glutinous Rice

 Saffron Fried Rice with Shredded Chicken in Apple Sauce. Whew.

Steamed Egg Whites and Prawns with Hello Kitty Rice

Hello Kitty Pudding with Milk

For die hard Hello Kitty fans, I believe It will take a lot of willpower to actually start eating as it all looked too good to eat. But I'm not one, so here's an obligatory I-ate-Hello-Kitty-and-I'm-not-sorry shots.

And here's one from our birthday boy Yuki:

Price

As far as I remember, we spent almost Php 5,000 (too lazy to check my credit card statement, and wise enough not to try) for all the above dishes, so yeah it's a bit on the pricey side. Be prepared to fork out some cash as these nice kitty dishes do not come cheap after currency conversion and all. But worry not, I just found out that my favorite online travel activity booking site is offering a voucher. For as low as Php 851, one can avail of the 1 person set which consists of:

1pc Hello Kitty Creamy Egg Yolk Bun

1pc Hello Kitty Shrimp Dumplings

1pc Hello Kitty Baked B.B.Q. Pork Cake

1pc Hello Kitty Pan Fried Turnip Cake

Inclusive of service fees and tea fees

Not bad. I wish I knew about this at that time. Oh well. 

Was the food, good?

I honestly don't remember, except that I enjoyed it. I would recommend for first timers and definitely for hardcore Hello Kitty fans. In my humble opinion, whenever going to themed cafes or restaurants, always keep your expectations to a minimum level. You came for the experience, the theme, the bragging rights to actually say been-there-done-that on Instagram or whatever social media account you have. Tasting good is just an extra icing on the cake. Most online reviews say that the food was meh, bland, too pricey, etc, but they are not thinking about that when uploading their pics, are they? Case closed.

More to come! :)