words romana dalgleish, yasmine simillion, wing cheng

Not all the food at theme parks comes in a
McDonald’s wrapper

If local tourist attractions like theme parks and gaming centres aren’t your idea of where to look for great food then you’re not on your own. We’ve all eaten too much candy floss and parted from our breakfast after a few too many spins on a particularly unnatural ride. So it’s only fair that, when you think about visiting some of these touristy places, you also plan a packed lunch. But if youfind yourself making the trip without the necessary culinary preparations, here is a run down on eating options at such places around Hong Kong you might have to visit. Who knows, you could even enjoy them.

Hong Kong’s Ocean Park, with its mix of thrilling rides and more wholesome animal-oriented attractions, has been the source of many family and childhood memories dating back to 1977. Mascots Whisker the sea lion and Chief the Parrot may not be as cute as Minnie or Mickey but Ocean Park’s spectacular cable-car views
of the South-Chinese sea gave it an exclusive invite into the list of Forbes’ most popular amusement parks in 2006.

The park’s unique surroundings hasn’t prevented it from keeping an eye on the future and it hasn’t stopped expanding and coming up with new attractions. The Amazing Animals area is the latest; it is the new home of giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le and all their animal friends. Along with the Amazing Asian Animals came the Panda Café, an eatery that hardly needs any other attractions to support its appeal. It’s not just hotdogs and hamburgers here and parents don’t have to worry about all the junk their kids might be stuffing into their mouths – Ocean Park offers quality food that makes a visit here even more worthwhile.

At the Panda Café you can expect a selection of various Asian cuisines. The café sticks to the attraction’s theme with giant pandas and bamboo decorations somehow maintaining a classy atmosphere. It offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and is an ideal place to charge your batteries for an undoubtedly eventful day with the Hong Kong-style congee with fish maw and black mushrooms ($55). Otherwise a dim sum selection includes shrimp dumplings, pork siu mai or barbecued pork buns ($28 each.) To live up to its name, the Panda Café offers food from where the pandas originate – Sichuan province – so there is a bit of spice on the menu. We tried out the diced chicken and dried octopus with rice ($55) adorably shaped (or slightly creepy, you choose) as a panda’s head – it was nicely flavoursome with a bit of a kick.

Panda Café’s sister establishment is Café Ocean, which reflects the traditional Hong Kong cha chang tang experience. On the menu
you will find stir-fried noodles with beef fillet in sweet soya sauce ($62) as well as Hainan chicken with rice ($72). For dessert you just have to go for the Hong Kong style egg tarts, served with coffee or tea ($32).

We couldn’t leave without trying out some of the rides. First stop was the Crazy Galleon. The boat tilts you to a 45° angle and promises those exciting but excruciatingly horrible butterflies in your stomach. But if that appears too tame, you might want to face The Dragon. Made up of 842 metres of corkscrews and with full 360° rotations, this rollercoaster isn’t for the fainthearted. Although it is probably not the smartest thing to do after an elaborate lunch, it is nevertheless very intense and in hindsight doesn’t go for long enough.

The easiest way to get to Ocean Park is via the Citybus route 629 that runs from Admiralty MTR Station or Central Pier No 7 and which will drop you off at the Ocean Park entrance. The bus fares are $10.60 for adults and $5.30 for children. Admission prices to Ocean Park are $208 for adults and for $103 for children (3-11). Children under 3 and adults over 65 get in for free. www.oceanpark.com.hk

Hong Kong Park, Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Wetland Park and the Zoological and Botanical Gardens all have something different to offer when it comes to stepping out of Hong Kong’s concrete jungle and into a tamed adaptation of the wild. Essentially they’re all great places to take time out and feel almost at one with nature, but when it comes to eating, Hong Kong Park definitely has the most to offer. While the Wetland Park has Café de Coral and the Zoological and Botanical Gardens a kiosk selling soft drinks and typical snacks, Kowloon Park boasts a McDonald’s restaurant at one end and a McDonald’s kiosk at the other. Hong Kong Park, however, reigns with L16 Café & Bar, fully equipped to feed ravenous explorers. For starters we tried the Parma ham with fresh melon ($80) and the minced prawn wrapped in lettuce ($62). It left us wanting more, so we looked at the main dishes: Both the pad Thai (62$) and smoked salmon and spinach linguine ($118) were beautifully savoury.

Admission to all three parks is free. To get to Hong Kong Park get off at Admiralty and walk out via the C1 exit. To get to Kowloon Park get off at Tsim Sha Tsui and exit at A1. If you would rather visit the HK Botanical and Zoological Gardens, jump on the 3b, 12 or 13 bus from Central, and to get to the Wetland Park change to 705 Tin Shui Wai Circular at the West Rail Tin Shui Wai Station and get off at Wetland Park Station.

Disneyland is all about innocent fun but thankfully that doesn’t have to mean hotdogs and popcorn. Hong Kong’s Disneyland has nine restaurants all catering to the different types of diners. Wherever you turn, you will find food, from traditional Chinese dishes to standard international cuisine. Much of it is sold from kiosks and stands but the key word when it comes to eating at Disney is options: there are plenty, just like the rides. For quick and easy international food, try the Royal Banquet Hall. Feel like Disney royalty while you dine in what resembles the castle out of The Beauty and the Beast with high arched ceilings, drapes and statues celebrating various Disney heroes. The Royal Banquet Hall is great for Mickey Mouse shaped pizza; we tried the royal pizza with smoked duck breast, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and cheese ($55) while for the kids sushi is shaped into Mickey Mouse ($32) and served with miso soup. However, if mouse-shaped food isn’t your thing, a mildly spiced Kashmiri chicken curry with roasted cashew nuts and raisins ($55) with naan bread ($25) should go down well.

For some typical Western food and a great view of goings on around Disneyland, you might want to stop off at the Corner Café with its great variety of dishes and some handy pictures on the menu to help you choose. The café has a glasshouse feel, as you sit on spindly chairs amongst the greenery and look through the glass at the people walking past. All in all it’s a relaxing place to sit, let alone eat. The assorted green salad topped with smoked salmon is served with balsamic dressing ($70) and most exciting for kids of all ages are Mickey Mouse shaped waffles served with black (chocolate) and white (vanilla) ice cream ($42)!

If you’re after traditional Chinese food or overwhelmed by all the Americanisms, don’t panic! The Plaza Inn, contrary to its name, is the perfect place to take some real time out from Disney while still in Disneyland. For tourists that tend to avoid things they’re not sure about, the Plaza Inn offers a great way to sample traditional local food without the stress of stepping into the unknown of a cha chang tang. While you teleport out of Disneyland, may we suggest the braised broccoli with three kinds of mushrooms (oyster, straw and black) in oyster sauce ($98) and the wok-fried fresh garoupa fillets with seasonal vegetables ($288).

Disneyland may not dish up five-star meals but they know what they’re doing and they do it well. To get to Disneyland via MTR jump on the Disney Express from Sunny Bay Station, which is easily accessible from both Central and Kowloon stations. With an Octopus card the journey will set you back $20.70 from Central. Other ways of getting to Disneyland include taxi and buses and there will also soon be a ferry. A day pass into Disneyland costs $350 for adults, $250 for children (3-11) and $170 for senior citizens. www.hongkongdisneyland.com