Thursday, August 13, 2009

Crystal Lotus 晶荷軒 @ Disney



After reading KC's review on this place, I cannot help myself but to accept my friend's invitation immediately for a meal in the magical kingdom. It was indeed an effort to travel all the way from Central to the this magic kingdom on a week night, but my anticipation for the food overcame my physical fatigue. The restaurant is located in the Disney Hotel and lotus is its main theme. Several huge lotus shaped chandlers are hanging from the ceiling, all table wares are customized made with its logo and the one thing that really impressed me is the transparent logo on the back of the chair. A very nice touch indeed!





Apparently many of the special items are off the menu and required advance booking. Thanks to my friend, she booked most of those in advance. Unfortunately at the same, it lacks proper English translation for those special dishes, I will have to try my best in doing so. (for those items on the menu, you will find that some have a unique touch of Disney flavor in their English names.)

(1) "Goldie in Lotus Pond" 如魚得水
Just the presentation itself impressed me very much. The two Goldie are fish dumplings. Not only were the two dumplings edible, almost all items on the lotus pond were edible as well. Yes, that includes the green and pink flowers. In terms of taste, I honestly think it was just fair because the skin was very thick likely due to the decoration requirements. But hey, I was too focused on the presentation of it and did not really want to eat it. Well done on the artistic / craftsmanship perspective indeed!



(2) Green Bean Clear Noodle with Lobster and Gold Foil 金箔龍蝦粉皮
Another delicate dish with great presentation. The sauce was spicy but light enough to allow the freshness taste of the lobster to remain. The chilled clear noodle together with shredded cucumbers provided a very refreshing sensation to your taste bud. However, I expected more lobster meat on each severing. Anyhow, a very good dish.



(3) Tasmanian Crab and Pumpkin stuffed in Whole Crab Shell 南瓜焗釀蟹蓋
So good! I rarely start my paragraph with such excited tone but I cannot control myself this time. It was very well done indeed. The minced crab meat together with diced pumpkin bits complemented each other very well. Not only was the presentation great, it tasted very good! The golden crab shape plate (likely custom made) is another very nice touch to the whole presentation.



(4) Steamed Crab Claw in Rice Wine and Stead Egg White Custard
I forgot the name of this dish but it was served together with the crab shell. Instead of the shell, it was the crab claws / clamps. The rice wine flavor was rich and matched very well with the crab meat. O yes, there was plenty of meat as well, plenty indeed! However, the egg white was a bit of a disappointment because it was not as silky smooth as expected. Overall, a two thumbs up dish.



(5) Double-Boiled Conopy and Chicken Soup in Little Coconut 椰皇元貝燉雞
Great presentation once again but the one thing impressed me the most was the little surprise inside the soup. Yes! As you slowly drink your soup, you will find something hiding inside, it is Mickey!! It is a very smart idea. The actually soup was very good as well. Rich in chicken flavors and really gave me a comforting feeling. This soup brought a little smile to my face.



(6) Abalone with fried Rice蠔皇鮑魚炒飯
The abalone was just average but the fried rice was two thumbs up. The cause was thick but very rich in abalone flavor which was a good match with the fried rice as well. If I go next time, I will just order the fried rice by itself.



(7) Crispy Pork Fillets, Chinese Pear, and Osmathus Honey Sauce
Similar to sweet and sour pork but instead of pineapple, it uses Chinese pear instead. It was alright, the pork fillets were crispy enough but the mixture of Osmathus honey sauce was a bit unusual because it was rather light and did not match the meat that well in my opinion.



(8) Sliced Beef Fillets and Young Vegetables in Spicy Sichuan Broth 水煮牛肉
A very spicy but very tasty dish. I am not a spicy person in general but somehow I kept on returning to getting the beef every now and then together with the soup as well. A very addictive dish indeed especially if you are into spicy stuff! Also, very good quality beef, very tender, natural tenderness I may add and not as a result of excessive use of baking soda (based on my picky taste bud.)



(9) Crispy Toffee Duck Breast with Garlic Soy dip
Good stuff again. Heavy on the smoky flavor and tender duck meat. It was good enough on its own without the sauce. Although there were visible layer of fat in between the skin and the meat, you have to eat all of it because the texture would be different otherwise.



(10) Minced Squab and Bamboo Shoots served in fresh Lettuce Cup 生菜片香炒鵪鶉
Very good dish. There seemed to be more meat than lettuce cups so I basically shoved ALOT into my lettuce cup to ensure no meat was going to waste. (I think they can make the lettuce cup bigger!?) The ingredients were diced up pretty fine and the addition of the sunflower seeds provided an extra crispy texture to the meat mixtures. I think there was no need for the extra seafood sauce because it was rich and favorable enough without it. Two thumbs up!



(11) Double-Boiled Whole Chinese Pear topped with Aged Mandarin Peel 陳皮雪梨
A perfect dessert to end this magical meal. When served, the Chinese Pear was still sitting in the sweet warm soup which was rather sweet. The pear itself was very sweet as well but because it was served warm, it was very comforting and satisfying as well. The slightly salty Aged Mandarin Peel was a surprisingly good combination to go with the pear because of the contrasting taste. What impressed me was how the pear was prepared; the inside of the pear was actually hallow without the core and you cannot see until you flip over the pear. A very subtle touch (but I guess it is necessary to take it out because it might add a sour taste to the sweet soup if prepared together.) The dish came with extra honey on the side but I dare not to add more because it would give me a sugar overdose again.



KC's review led me to this magical meal and I wonder when I can experience another magical meal like this one. I certainly hope it is in the very near future. Thank you KC!

Likes:
  • Goldie in Lotus Pond - Excellent presentation
  • Double-Boiled Canopy and Chicken Soup in Little Coconut 椰皇元貝燉雞 - great soup with great surprises in side!
  • Double Boiled Whole Chinese Pear topped with Aged Mandarin Peel 陳皮雪梨 - a perfect dessert to complete the magical meal.
  • Great Services
Dislikes:
  • Abalone with fried Rice蠔皇鮑魚炒飯 - disappointing abalone, great fried rice
  • Crispy Pork Fillets, Chinese Pear, and Osmathus Honey Sauce - relatively weak sauce
Avg Spending: Above HKD 500 per person

Crystal Lotus 晶荷軒
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Disney Hotel
Tel: 3510 6000

4 comments:

Jin said...

Now if this isn't enough reason to make the long trip to Disney, then I don't know what is! Beautiful place, beautiful + excellent food! Thanks for the tip! :)

KC said...

實在是不錯的地方,食物精緻,也賞心悅目,值得專程前往。

很高興知道你及你的朋友也喜歡那裡,我們那晚也吃得很開心。

Waisan said...

Crispy Toffee Duck Breast with Garlic Soy looks good. Never visited Disney Hotel. Maybe I should next time.

Roger said...

Oh, very nice. This looks exquisite. I'd much rather be here dining with my family than gutter cleaning in Victoria BC. Let's trade lives!

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