#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! :)

2017 Starbucks Philippines You Are Here Series Mug Collection Batch Two

Barely a month after releasing the new You Are Here Series mug collection, Starbucks is at it again with three more designs. Still at Php525 a piece, but you will need to exert more effort in acquiring since all of them are outside of Metro Manila.

Now let the nitpicking begin. Haha! I mean, let's take a look on these three new designs, shall we?

Boracay

Another rehash of the original Global Icon series. They kept the sky blue colorway and the Boracay sand art from the second edition and added some beach stuff. I'm not totally a fan of the island, although I've never been there to justify this but I prefer a more secluded beach where you can be at peace just watching the waves and the sand and at night time, the stars above. Being one if not the most famous beaches in the country, I would not be surprised with its inclusion to the series. Fun fact: Palawan or Puerto Princesa does not have a Starbucks branch and this may be the reason why it does not have a representative to the old global icon series or to this new collection. Bummer.

Baguio

Sunflowers and strawberries from the global icon series edition also grace this design for the summer capital of the Philippines, but this time, red is the dominant color coming from the greens of the old collection. I'm not familiar with the gazebo like structure as the centerpiece (Minesview Park, perhaps?) but I feel I have been on one in Tagaytay at the picnic grove. The design also reminds me of a small Chinese temple. Representations of the summer Malacanang and Burnham Park also made the cut.

Tagaytay

Yet another familiar design from the global icon series, but I do believe Tagaytay is indeed best represented by the Taal Lake and nothing more. I would not settle for anything else. A sunflower also made an appearance. I believe it is because of the cool weather on these areas but I'm never seen an actual sunflower in bloom. Poor me.

Final Thoughts

I may be a bit biased here but if you intend to release a new edition of a collection, would it be better if it would be attacked in a fresher or a unique manner? Seeing these three designs still reminds me of the global icon series. Maybe Starbucks intends to be seen it that way. After all, the You Are Here series collection also aims to remind you of the place they feature. Just my two cents.

Images take from Starbucks Philippines Facebook page.

2017 Starbucks Philippines You Are Here Series Mug Collection Batch One

I know this is a bit late, as they have outed the first batch last February 7, 2017 and has just recently released the second batch (another post, Haha!) , but Starbucks You Are Here Mug Series is finally here in the Philippines!!! But I do not know if I'm gonna be happy about it.

You see, I've been a collector of their Global Icon '08 Series tumblers. I have always meant to post about my collection here since I started blogging again and I believe I have one lurking among my drafts. As always, I tend to forget about it or I'm feeling too lazy to continue writing it. Now that the You Are Here series is here, I guess it would forever remain that way. The launch of this series means the end of the Global Icon series. I may be wrong, but I no longer see it whenever I chance upon a Starbucks Store. Good thing I have managed to collect all except for one (Naga, which I'm still hunting online).

That's the reason why I'm not too happy about the release of the You Are Here (YAH for short) series here in the Philippines. Nevertheless, as the old saying goes, out with the old, embrace the new. Though I will not be collecting one, I will be happy supporting those who wish to collect them all. In fact, I have an officemate who has just started collecting Starbucks mugs and I'm happy to help him on this endeavor.

Now presenting...

Philippines

Starbucks used the Banaue Rice Terraces (Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banawe) to represent the Philippines in this collection. Commonly referred to as a potential candidate to be the "Eight Wonder of the World," these are 2,000-year-old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people.

My thoughts: I do love the Banaue Rice Terraces when I've been there so many years ago, I personally think the Philippine Eagle would better represent the country. Don't get me wrong, but rice terraces are common among Asian countries and would not make an excellent recall.

Manila

They went with a combination of the previous Global Icon series: "Kalesa" and "Jeepney", along with what I believe will be the Manila Baywalk.  I love it! These two icons really best describe what Manila is to me: traditional and modern; the old versus the new.

Quezon City

I really don't get the icons featured here on this design. The buildings may represent the various government buildings located in the city. That's just according to me. The film roll actually represents Quezon City being called the "City of Stars", according to my officemate. While one addicted to Starbucks mugs blog, actually pointed out that this film roll detail can also be seen on the "Cannes" YAH mug. This is also another reason for me not to really love these YAH series. Though it is a vibrant and colorful, it lacks the uniqueness that I find with the Global Icon series. And no, this is not an excuse to hate the YAH series. Haha! Anyway, of the first five YAH designs from the Philippines, this is my least favorite, as I find it to dull when compared to the four and totally lacks recall. Sorry.

Cebu

I see that they have also integrated the colorway and the Guitar design from the first version of the Cebu Global Icon series on this one, plus a building that I'm not sure what it represents. You see, another reason why I'm not too gaga over the YAH series. Cebu is best represented by Lapu-lapu, who graced the second edition of Cebu Global Icon Series, or by a danggit (rabbitfish), which I think is represented anyway by the clusters of fishes near the back of the mug, or the Mactan-Mandaue or the Marcelo Fernan bridges. However, their designs are too complicated to be translated into a simpler manner that the YAH series is aiming for, hence the feeling of being borrowed from a database of designs in a Microsoft's clipart kind of way. I hope you get what I mean. Anyway, using green and orange (two of my favorite colors) places this just above the Quezon City design.

Makati

I also see that they have also used the orange colorways of the original Makati Global Icon Series. I believe the design shows Makati as the business and shopping district of the Philippines, plus traffic (Haha!) as represented by buildings, buses and shopping bags. As mentioned, too lame and no recall factor. The fact that it is orange is just the reason I love this mug. Sorry.

There you go. The first five You Are Here Collection mug from the Philippines. Not bad, but not great, at least for me. Good thing another three (Boracay, Baguio, and Tagaytay) went out, which I will write about the next time. Costs Php525 a piece. If I were to rank them in order of purchase, I will be buying them in this order: Manila, Philippines, Makati, Cebu, then Quezon City.

Edit: I did post something about my Global Icon Series after all. Haha!

All images are from Starbucks Philippines' Facebook page.