QANTAS

Our last and best meal in Hong Kong and the flight home

It’s Monday morning and we fly back to Brisbane later in the evening. Today we had our last and best meal in Hong Kong before the flight home.

No it wasn’t breakfast. This is the last breakfast I had at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. It was certainly not our best meal in Hong Kong.

A photograph of Scrambled eggs with condensed milk and jam on toast with dim sum
Scrambled eggs with condensed milk and jam on toast with dim sum

After breakfast we set about packing our bags. Our check out time was 12 noon and Miss14 and Ms18 had done most of their packing the night before. As for Ms20 and me, we needed to sort out our suitcases and things. We’d agreed that we would try to check out at about 11.30 so we could have one final meal somewhere close.

I was very impressed with my daughters. They had planned for a long time for this holiday. They came with plenty of room in their suitcases and they bought enough to fill the gaps without any extra bags necessary. Ms18 in particular had packing down to a tee. She was like a travelling expert. Her suitcase was immaculate in the way everything went together. She is so neat.

Me on the other hand, I travel a lot but for this trip I just threw everything into my bag. My focus for this holiday had been keeping my daughters happy and shooting some photographs for Yummy Lummy. I brought along a bag for my camera body, lenses and power supplies.

We were ready by 11.30 and set off for Times Square. My plan was to get a table at Lei Garden which I had heard was a very fine Chinese restaurant. When we arrived we secured a table on the understanding we would be finished by 1.30 pm. That wouldn’t be a problem.

The yum cha menu looked pretty good and we set about discussing and agreeing on what we’d like to eat.

You can see what we asked for in this photograph of our request sheet.

A photograph of our request sheet yum cha menu at Lei Garden
The yum cha menu at Lei Garden

The steamed dim sum came out first and occupied most of the table.

Steamed dim sum at Lei Garden
Steamed dim sum at Lei Garden

Everything was delicious.

The deep fried dim sum came out next.

A photograph of Deep fried dim sum at Lei Garden
Deep fried dim sum at Lei Garden

I love turnip cake. My grandmother used to make it for me. I could eat it all day.

Then things got a little out of order. We were served egg custard tarts but there was one more fried dish to come.

A photograph of Egg custard tarts
Egg custard tarts
A photograph of Deep fried dumplings with sticky rice and pork
Deep fried dumplings with sticky rice and pork

This was simply the best meal in Hong Kong of our holiday. That’s not to say we didn’t also enjoy the hospitality and ambience of cheap and cheerful local establishments like Toby Inn and Eat Together.

After lunch Miss14 was determined to spend her last Hong Kong dollars on her Octopus card so we explored some little shops.

As we walked back to the hotel to wait for our bus to the airport we stopped at McDonald’s for a soft drink.

I'm Swarm Mayor of McDonald's

The bus ride to the airport was uneventful. I wrote a couple of quick TripAdvisor reviews for the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Buffalo Tours.

When we got to the airport we were allowed into a lounge and had an afternoon snack.Meatballs and potato Wonton

Of course the girls wanted to do more last minute shopping. They found another Victoria’s Secret shop!

Victoria's Secrrets

We boarded QF98 HKG to BNE without delay or problem and were on our way back to Brisbane after a fantastic holiday.

On QF98

Yes, we shared an overnight flight with two babies!

On board QF98 with two babies

The food on the flight home was pretty good.

I had a nice duck salad and caramel mousse for dinner and eggs for breakfast.

Duck salad Caramel mousse Eggs with sausage and potato

When I got to my parent’s place I said goodbye for my daughters. It had been such a great holiday and their absence left a hole in my heart. It had been my best ever holiday. We made the most of everyday and every waking hour. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

To satisfy my craving for Atlantic salmon I had salmon for lunch and tea in Brisbane.Salmon sandwich Salmon and coleslaw

The following day I flew back to Canberra. I managed to get an upgrade seat (thank you Qantas) and enjoyed a toasted sandwich for breakfast.Toasted sandwich

So this isn’t the last post for this Hong Kong holiday. I’ll post a summary with tips on travelling soon.

If you’ve been to Hong Kong what was your best meal in Hong Kong?

 

 

Weekend wrap

Birthday ice cream cake made by Miss17. Three layers of Queensland nut with extra Queensland nuts, choc chip mint with TimTams and Coconut with 100s and 1000s.
Birthday ice cream cake made by Miss17. Three layers of Queensland nut with extra Queensland nuts, choc chip mint with TimTams and Coconut with 100s and 1000s.

This weekend has been one of the best. I got to celebrate my 50th birthday with my parents and daughters. After the Friday, it carried on in a similar vein to most weekends in Brisbane. That is, driving daughters to and from gymnastics training, to and from gymnastics events, having breakfast out as well as dinner.

So on Saturday morning I took Miss19, Miss17 and Miss14 to Groove Train for breakfast. Miss19 tried the corn fritters for the first time. She thought the fritters were okay but not a super breakfast. I had a taste and agreed the fritters were a little dense but did have a really nice corn flavour. Miss17 had a breakfast burger which of late has become her ‘thing’. Miss14 surprised us all and selected the granola. I went for the eggs Florentine and asked for a side of smoked salmon.

Eggs Florentine and smoked salmon from Groove Train Chermside
Eggs Florentine and smoked salmon from Groove Train Chermside

I was pretty happy with the eggs and salmon. I got so much salmon I was able to share some with Miss17 who really likes smoked salmon.

After dropping Miss17 and Miss14 at training I spent some time with Miss19 who was busy with an assignment and wrote my birthday blog post. We avoided lunch in preparation for afternoon tea and dinner while Mum and Dad enjoyed some really great smelling tomato soup.

At 3 pm we picked up the gymnasts and drove to Cold Rock to see if my birthday ice cream cake that Miss17 made had survived the power outage from the previous day’s deluge.

GOOD NEWS, the cake survived. It looked fabulous. Three glorious layers and extra scoops on top. The ground layer was Queensland nut ice cream with extra Queensland nuts added. The middle layer was mint chocolate chip with TimTams. The top layer was coconut ice cream with 100s and 1000s added. The cake was superb and the perfect afternoon tea.

Birthday ice cream cake made by Miss17. Three layers of Queensland nut with extra Queensland nuts, choc chip mint with TimTams and Coconut with 100s and 1000s.
Birthday ice cream cake made by Miss17. Three layers of Queensland nut with extra Queensland nuts, choc chip mint with TimTams and Coconut with 100s and 1000s.

After afternoon tea we went to the Kedron-Wavell Services Club for dinner in Cafe HQ. Miss19 had to go to work so it was Mum, Dad, Miss17, Miss14 and me.

Mum and Dad had the tempura battered snapper, Miss14 had beef nachos, Miss17 had crumbed flathead and I had surf and turf.

Mum's tempura battered snapper and chips from HQ Cafe Kedron-Wavell Services Club
Mum’s tempura battered snapper and chips from HQ Cafe Kedron-Wavell Services Club
Mum's tempura battered snapper and chips from HQ Cafe Kedron-Wavell Services Club
Mum’s tempura battered snapper and chips from HQ Cafe Kedron-Wavell Services Club
Miss17's crumbed flathead and chips from HQ Cafe Kedron-Wavell Services Club
Miss17’s crumbed flathead and chips from HQ Cafe Kedron-Wavell Services Club
My surf and turf, prime rib on the bone with garlic prawns at HQ Cafe at Kedron-Wavell Services Club
My surf and turf, prime rib on the bone with garlic prawns at HQ Cafe at Kedron-Wavell Services Club
My surf and turf, prime rib on the bone with garlic prawns at HQ Cafe at Kedron-Wavell Services Club
My surf and turf, prime rib on the bone with garlic prawns at HQ Cafe at Kedron-Wavell Services Club
My surf and turf, prime rib on the bone with garlic prawns at HQ Cafe at Kedron-Wavell Services Club
My surf and turf, prime rib on the bone with garlic prawns at HQ Cafe at Kedron-Wavell Services Club

 

On Sunday morning, Miss14 and my parents went to a gymnastics event while I took Miss19 and MIs14 to breakfast at 63 Cafe Wilston. They had waffles and I had what was called the Stockman’s treat. The Stockman’s treat consists of lamb’s liver, bacon and gravy. I asked for a couple of fried eggs too.

Liver, bacon, fried egg and gravy from 63 Cafe Wilston
Liver, bacon, fried egg and gravy from 63 Cafe Wilston

 

I’d have to say this was a pretty good breakfast. I’d happily have it again.

On the flight home back to Canberra (QF1549) I enjoyed some delicious cheese and a piece of coconut cake. 

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After getting home I went and bought some food for dinner and switched on the TV to watch New Zealand defeat Australia in the Rugby League test match. I wonder what the result might have been in the wet conditions of Friday night with Dad and me there to cheer on the Kangaroos.

For dinner I made some salmon with noodles. A nice light meal after a huge weekend of eating.

Curried salmon and noodles
Curried salmon and noodles

 

So that is the weekend wrap  I’m exhausted

Blueberry whipped cream Queensland nut waffle

My last breakfast in Hawaii was a Blueberry whipped cream Queensland nut waffle at Eggs ‘n Things in Waikiki.

Blueberry whipped cream and Queensland nut waffle
Blueberry whipped cream and Queensland nut waffle

This was a very good waffle. The cream while it looked bulky was basically full of air and very light and fluffy. I’m assuming no calories. I also poured maple syrup and coconut syrup all over the waffle. 

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There are so many tourists and very few locals here. 

The Royal Hawaiian from the Aqua Waikiki Wave
The Royal Hawaiian from the Aqua Waikiki Wave

After breakfast the bags got packed and Honolulu International Airport (HNL) was reached. 

The flight back to Australia was QF4 HNL to SYD. I was treated really well on the flight. The attendants ensured I had the menu selections I wanted and it was about the best international flight I’ve ever flown.

Prior to departing I bought a copy of Muriel Miura’s Spam cookbook. Not only does it contain amazing recipes but also some great facts about spam. 

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Lunch was a grilled salmon salad. Delicious 😀 

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Chocolate mousse. Yummy 🙂 

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This melon flavoured ice bar was really good. 

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Dinner was dolphin fish (not the sea mammal). My first time. It was wonderful. 

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Panna cotta was good.

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Breakfast before the bus ride back to Canberra was yoghurt and muesli. 

I’m still craving a Queensland nut waffle.

 

Hawaiian holiday day 1

We arrived at the Honolulu International Airport yesterday for our Hawaiian holiday aboard Qantas QF3 SYD to HNL. The flight was comfortable and smooth on board the Airbus 330. If you want to see photographs of the meals prior to, during the flight and last night please check out YummyLummyBlog on Instagram.

Today we got up early because we had a tour going out to Pearl Harbor to see the USS Arizona memorial, the battleship USS Missouri and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl).

For breakfast I sought out and enjoyed spam and eggs.

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For lunch I had a chili dog with sauerkraut and pickled jalopeño pepper.

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For dinner we found a Japanese noodle restaurant known as the Ringer Hut and I had pork and kimchi hotpot.

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I’ve added some of the photographs from Pearl Harbor into a slideshow gallery. When I get more time I’ll process as many of the photographs as possible and post them. You can see some on my main instagram account garydlum.

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So this is the beginning of our Hawaiian holiday. Have you ever been to Hawaii? What did you do?

Thank you QANTAS Airways @qantasairways for the upgrade

The beef cheeks were amazing on this Qantas Airways flight

On Friday night I flew from Canberra to Brisbane to spend the weekend with my daughters.

When I checked in I scored a free upgrade to Business Class. This happens every so often and I’m always appreciative when it occurs. Some people say there’s a formula that airlines use for this sort of thing. I have no idea if QANTAS Airways does this, I guess they do, all I know is that I’m grateful for it. 

I love QANTAS and I love QANTAS business class. I know a lot of my friends don’t care one way or another but for me QANTAS combines the two best parts of the world, viz., Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia. This is why I love QANTAS.

Anyway on the flight I had dinner and the meal was beef cheeks. They were tender and tasty and I’m glad the serving is small because if I could I’d eat a roasting tray full of these things. The mushrooms were creamy and seasoned just right. The polenta chips were also delicious. I’m not sure how long this meal will remain on the menu but if you get a chance and it’s an option I’d go for it. If you like red meat you won’t be disappointed. 

QANTAS Airways beef cheeks with mushrooms and polenta chips
QANTAS Airways beef cheeks with mushrooms and polenta chips

If you have any comments or questions please send me a comment in the space below.

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