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.
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.
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| Lau Sa Bau |
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| Har Gau |
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| Stir Fried Glutinous Rice |
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| Saffron Fried Rice with Shredded Chicken in Apple Sauce. Whew. |
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| Steamed Egg Whites and Prawns with Hello Kitty Rice |
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| Hello Kitty Pudding with Milk |
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! :)
