Hong Kong 3D Museum and Victoria Peak

Day two of our holiday adventure started with a big surprise. Ms20 had called me a few weeks ago and mentioned she had found a great place to visit but I needed to purchase the tickets in advance. When I took a look at the website for the Hong Kong 3D Museum I found is confusing and didn’t quite understand why Ms20 thought this place would be cool to visit. Most Hong Kong websites are very good with Chinese and English. I found this one very confusing. Thankfully Google translate works well.

Anyway after a breakfast of soggy waffle with watermelon and lychee covered in condensed milk we were off.

Danish with watermelon and lychee on a waffle and condensed milk
Danish with watermelon and lychee on a waffle and condensed milk

Our short walk to Causeway Bay MTR Station takes us to Times Square. With the current release of the new Star Wars movie there is all this giant lego around the place.

X wing fighter Times Square Hong Kong
X wing fighter Times Square Hong Kong

I really like the funny billboard advertising in Hong Kong

Funny Hong Kong Advertising bill boards in the MTR
Funny Hong Kong Advertising bill boards in the MTR

The HK3DMUSEUM is a series of diorama type rooms filled with painted mural type art. Various parts have painted structures that come out from the background surface and blend in with the rest of the painting. The purpose is to have your friends and family stand in the art so you can shoot photographs. The floors have spots that recommend the best shooting position. It is way cool. I shot about a hundred photographs of my daughters in the largely anime scenes. We are a fantastic time and didn’t expect this to be so good. I don’t normally share photographs of my daughters on-line so I shot a few photographs with just the scenes. That said, I spoke with all three of my daughters and in a non-leading way asked how they would feel if their faces appeared in my blog and each one said they didn’t mind. So you will see some images here of Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20.

Welcome to HK3D MUSEUM from Ms18
Welcome to HK3D MUSEUM from Ms18
Welcome to HK3D MUSEUM from Ms20
Welcome to HK3D MUSEUM from Ms20
Welcome to HK3D MUSEUM from Miss14
Welcome to HK3D MUSEUM from Miss14
Miss14 and Ms20 on a boat
Miss14 and Ms20 on a boat
HK3DMUSEUM with Miss14 and Ms20
HK3DMUSEUM with Miss14 and Ms20
HK3DMUSEUM with Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20 and some busty anime characters
HK3DMUSEUM with Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20 and some busty anime characters
HK3DMUSEUM and Miss14
HK3DMUSEUM and Miss14
HK3DMUSEUM with Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20 in a mirror room
HK3DMUSEUM with Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20 in a mirror room
HK3DMUSEUM with Miss14, Ms18 and me
HK3DMUSEUM with Miss14, Ms18 and me

You get the idea. I shot quite a few photographs there.

Hong Kong 3D Museum

After the HK3DMUSEUM we walked to the Wonderful Worlds of Whampoa.

Along the way we got a good view of Hong Kong Island across the water.

Hong Kong Island waterfront from Tsim Sha Tsui.
Hong Kong Island waterfront from Tsim Sha Tsui.
Hong Kong Island waterfront from Tsim Sha Tsui.
Hong Kong Island waterfront from Tsim Sha Tsui.
Hong Kong Island waterfront from Tsim Sha Tsui.
Hong Kong Island waterfront from Tsim Sha Tsui.

The worlds of Whampoa consist of different shopping centres. As you may imagine we went to Fashion World!

There’s also a boat in Whampoa but not in the water.

Wonderful Worlds of Whampoa
Wonderful Worlds of Whampoa

One criticism of Hong Kong shopping is there are not enough Dad seats so I can sit outside a store while the girls are inside. Don’t get me wrong I usually walk in to start with and then once I know they’re going to spend more than 10 minutes (sometimes up to 30 minutes) in a shop I will stand outside and stare at my iPhone!

 

When I posted this image on Facebook a friend commented on my excellent man spreading 

After looking around Fashion World we walked over to Whampoa garden and found a place to eat, viz., Chào Chào restaurant.

I saw pickled pig trotter and thought of gee gyok. A favourite dish Mum used to make. It uses vinegar and lots of sugar and involves slowly cooking a pigs trotter to extract the calcium. It’s a dish traditionally served to postpartum women 40 days after confinement. I love it. This version wasn’t very good. The meat was tender and had some taste but not as I remember it.

Pickled pork trotter in vinegar and sugar
Pickled pork trotter in vinegar and sugar

After lunch we went and visited the goldfish market, a flea market, the flower market and the bird market.

Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Flowers
Birds
Birds
Birds
Birds
Poultry
Poultry
Rabbits
Rabbits
Tortoise
Tortoise
Fish
Fish
Fish
Fish
Goldfish
Goldfish

After an afternoon looking at all sorts of odds and ends, we went back to Central Station and looked around for a place to eat. We walked around a few back streets and found the Honolulu Coffee Shop. This was an odd looking place but the waiter we had was very funny. I had roast pork with noodles.

Honolulu Coffee Shop Roast pork and noodles
Honolulu Coffee Shop Roast pork and noodles

After dinner we walked to the lower terminus for the Victoria Peak Tram. Victoria Peak is one of those must do tourist attractions. It’s great at night especially f the air is clear. The haze and smog in Hong Kong is pretty bad at the moment so when we went up it was hard to see everything clearly. Getting up and down is a nightmare in terms of human crowding and the crushed feeling you have being sandwiched between hundreds of people. Most people in Hong Kong seem to have no situation nor spatial awareness and do not respect personal space as we might in Australia. I found it very confronting to come across such rude behaviour (well rude in my opinion but normal for most people in Hong Kong).

It took a couple of hours of waiting to get to the Peak and then another couple of hours to descend by tram. If you visit Hong Kong, it’s a must do but be prepared for queueing and for contact with other humans, occasionally intimate. Some woman fondled my backside.

Hong Kong from Victoria Peak
Hong Kong from Victoria Peak
Hugging on Victoria Peak
Hugging on Victoria Peak

It was a really long day. It was close to midnight when we got back to the hotel.

Have you visited Victoria Peak? What was your experience?

 

Stanley Market and Ladies Market, Hong Kong

The Yummy Lummy Cooking for one podcast
The Yummy Lummy Cooking for one podcast
Stanley Market and Ladies Market, Hong Kong
Loading
/

My daughters and I have been planning an overseas holiday for about a year. Originally we were going to Florida in the middle of December as part of a gymnastics event. Unfortunately that fell through. As an alternative we agreed on Hong Kong. There are a lot of good reasons for Hong Kong. Food. Hong Kong Disney. Food. Ocean Park. Food. No jet lag because it’s in AWST. Food. It’s only an eight hour flight from Brisbane as opposed to more than double that to Florida. Food. Shopping at markets. Food. Photography. Food. Mostly importantly, I’d have much more time with my daughters than if we all went as part of a large gymnastic team event. Did I mention food?

So my part of this adventure started when I flew to Brisbane (BNE) from Canberra (CBR) on Christmas day to enjoy a day with my parents and brothers. I didn’t eat dinner! When I woke up on Boxing day (Saturday 26 December) I still felt full.

Public Art

QF950 CBR to BNE flight snacks
QF950 CBR to BNE flight snacks

I greeted my daughters at my parents’ place early in the morning and we all hugged in a huge amount of excitement. I may have squealed.

The flight from Brisbane (BNE) to Hong Kong (HKG) was pretty uneventful. We flew Qantas (QF97). We managed to get the A and B seats in rows 23 and 24. Sweet! Unfortunately my entertainment console didn’t work but I wasn’t upset. I had lots of books and podcasts on my iPad to keep me going as well as yam biscuits and Mum’s almond shortbread biscuits.

Yam biscuits and almond shortbread for QF97 BNE to HKG
Yam biscuits and almond shortbread for QF97 BNE to HKG
Soon after takeoff from BNE
Soon after takeoff from BNE
Beef cheeks on QF97
Beef cheeks on QF97
Chocolate mousse on QF97
Chocolate mousse on QF97
Chocolate mousse on QF97
Chocolate mousse on QF97
Weis' ice cream
Weis’ ice cream
Slider and hot dog on QF97
Slider and hot dog on QF97
Slider and hot dog on QF97
Slider and hot dog on QF97
Slider on QF97
Slider on QF97
Cloud porn over the South China Sea
Cloud porn over the South China Sea

On arriving our passage through the border agencies was trouble-free. The only hitch was the ground transport to the Cosmopolitan Hotel. We had booked a shuttle bus with Buffalo Tours and our arrival gate wasn’t where the tour operator was. There was a moment of “what do we do?” but then I just called the operator and sorted it out. I’m grateful for my Vodafone international roaming feature. An extra $5 a day and I keep all the features I use back home.

We got to our hotel feeling quite tired. Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20 all collapsed into bed after they showered and were down and out for the count.

On Sunday morning we woke up refreshed and ready to go. We had planned to visit Stanley Market and Ladies Markets.

As part of our accommodation package, we had breakfast included. The hotel dining room was utilitarian.

I went for deep fried potato (not quite a potato gem [tater tot] but it was deep fried so it was good anyway), scrambled eggs, a variety of dim sum, waffles and condensed milk. There was also plain congee, cereal, pastries and fruit.

Breakfast deep fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, dim sum and waffles with condensed milk
Breakfast deep fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, dim sum and waffles with condensed milk
Breakfast deep fried potatoes, bao and dim sum
Breakfast deep fried potatoes, bao and dim sum
After breakfast, we walked to Causeway Station and had a few goes at finding it. From there we caught the MTR (mass transit railway) to Central Station. We found the Hong Kong Station and caught the number 6 bus to Stanley Market. The double decker bus was fun. The twists and turns created a little nausea but it was pretty much a roller coaster ride. Watching how close we got to walls and other vehicles was hair raising.
Stanley Markets was fun. We bought little handbags. I bought a black one for a lens. Ms20 and Ms18 bought robes. Ms18 laughed at me but the little zip up bag at only AUD5 was perfect.
BB Gun. If I was a kid I'd beg for this.
BB Gun. If I was a kid I’d beg for this.
We went for a walk to Blake Pier and shot some photographs.
Stanley Market ocean view
Stanley Market ocean view
Stanley Market boats in the bay
Stanley Market boats in the bay
Blake Pier new Stanley Market
Blake Pier new Stanley Market
We had lunch at Toby Inn. It was a local cheap and cheerful Chinese restaurant. Everything was sticky and nothing looked clean. One of the staff tossed crockery onto the table with a deft hand. All the plates and bowls seemed to magically find its spot without anything breaking.
Miss14 chose deep fried crispy skin chicken, Ms18 chose salty chilli squid, Ms20 chose beef with rice noodles and I chose deep fried pork with sweet and sour sauce. It was a pretty good meal with generous serving sizes. We shared everything and enjoyed the meal.
Miss14 chose deep fried crispy skin chicken, Ms18 chose salty chilli squid, Ms20 chose beef with rice noodles and I chose deep fried pork with sweet and sour sauce.
Miss14 chose deep fried crispy skin chicken, Ms18 chose salty chilli squid, Ms20 chose beef with rice noodles and I chose deep fried pork with sweet and sour sauce.
After lunch we caught the number 6 bus back to Central Station and caught a train to Mong Kok station and walked to Ladies Market. These markets were really busy. We bought T-shirts, USB sticks and earphones plus a tooth brush cap.
We made our way to Langham Place to rest our feet after about three rounds of the Ladies Market. We then had an early dinner at The Dining Room. I think it’s a chain. Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20 all had the noodles with prawn and pork wonton soup. I had the chilli noodles with chicken fillet. We were all pretty satisfied with our dinner, especially after we received spoons to load up with our chopsticks. After dinner we had ice cream for dessert. We walked to Mong Kok station and when to Admiralty Station to catch another train to Causeway Bay station. From there we walked back to the hotel.
Chilli noodles and chicken fillet
Chilli noodles and chicken fillet
It was a huge day.

When a blogger dies

A photograph of a bottle of Spike

I woke up this morning and started my routine as usual. I took off my CPAP mask and grabbed my iPhone and checked e-mail through my presbyopic blur. I noticed in the long list of e-mail senders and subject lines that there was an e-mail notification for a new blog post from “Life in the Foothills” which is Barb. I hadn’t seen Barb post for some months. I wasn’t expecting to read about when a blogger dies.

There had been a recent one updating readers on her health situation. Some time ago Barb had shared that she had been diagnosed with a hæmatological malignancy but it was not an aggressive variety and her oncologist had suggested a reasonable prognosis.

After a short period of treatment it became apparent the treatment wasn’t going to be straightforward and some complications had occurred. Barb’s recent post in September gave an indication that while she was trying to maintain a positive outlook the situation had taken a turn. Up until then Barb had tried to remain regular with “Monday’s finish the story” posts and photography posts.

So this morning at 4.30 when I saw there was a blog post I was happy. In my mind I was hoping it was a positive post with an update. After I’d eaten breakfast and had a cup of coffee in my hand and glasses on I set down to go through my overnight e-mails. When I got to the “Life in the Foothills” e-mail notification my heart sank. The subject line read, “My Life in The Foothills h Passed Away”. Paul, Barb’s husband had written the final post on Barb’s blog letting her readers know Barb had passed on the weekend.

Paul has asked no one comment on the post. He won’t be reading comments.

I have been sad all day. Barb was one of the first bloggers I met when I started. She was a regular visitor to my old blog and would comment often. Barb would send funny e-mails to her friends and I always felt special being included in that group. I had formed a friendship and bond with Barb. She had a very interesting life. A marvellous history. She was an excellent photographer and by all accounts a wonderful cook.

We shared an interest in food and cooking. Barb was so generous she sent me a bottle of Spike to try on my chicken. I still have some. I may roast a chicken soon and dedicate that meal to Barb.

If you’ve been blogging for a while you will know of bloggers who suddenly stop and then find out they have died. I knew deep down Barb was not going to live long but that didn’t diminish the sadness. It’s awful when a blogger dies.

Life is short. Make the most of it. Share your feelings and love with your family and friends.

Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

Regular readers of Yummy Lummy know of my deep seated love of vanilla slice. Last year I took a driving holiday to Geelong and back and much of that trip focussed on my favourite pastry.This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

Last week twenty Canberra Food Bloggers took a trip to Fyshwick (better known for Australia’s pornography industry, brothels and sex shops) to visit Owen at Dream Cuisine and enjoy his pastries. At the time Owen mentioned that his vanilla slice isn’t a constant feature because they are a little labour intensive and he needs a full complement of staff if he’s going to make them available. He did hint though he may have some ready for this week.

While I was at work yesterday (Friday) I thought I’d give Dream Cuisine a call to see if I should plan a Saturday breakfast in Fyshwick. Owen answered the telephone and said he would get his chefs to prepare some for Saturday. I was stoked.

So this morning I head out to try Owen’s Dream Cuisine vanilla slice. Would it be good? Would it compare with my favourites? Who knows, either way, I knew that the Myrtleford Butter Owen uses and his amazing custard would make me happy. I was pretty confident I’d like Owen’s version because he mentioned caramelised pastry. In my mind that would at least put it into the Gumnut Patisserie league.

So when I arrived there they were in the display case. Four slices of happiness with “Dream” written in icing sugar on the top piece of pastry.

I asked for a flat white coffee and a single slice.

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

When I checked in using the swarm app I become Mayor of Dream Cuisine 

 

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice, coffee and Bundaberg raw sugar

 

I always like to see Bundaberg sugar at a cafe or restaurant. In my mind it’s the best sugar in Australia and helps me think of my maternal grandparents.

So what did I think of Owen’s Dream Cuisine vanilla slice? As I mentioned on Instagram, it was sensationally dreamy. This is a show piece vanilla slice. There’s no way a Victorian could call this a snot block and if a Victorian did call it a snot block and I was Owen I’d be insulted. Does it meet my expectations for a good vanilla slice? Yes and no. Yes, this is delicious. The caramelised pastry was crisp and sweet and full bodied in flavour. The custard was delicate. It was sweet but not too sweet and it had the right amount of vanilla. All together it was fabulous. But no it’s not my perfect vanilla slice because this is a fancy pastry that tastes really good. For me, my perfect vanilla slice has all this flavour but it also has the right texture and consistency. I want that caramelised pastry to be firm but not soggy and not crisp. I want to be able to bite through it without it fracturing, it needs to break apart. A fork needs to be able to do the same thing. In my perfect vanilla slice the custard won’t squeeze out when pressure is applied to the top and bottom pastry layers either by my teeth or a fork.

I’d highly recommend Dream Cuisine’s vanilla slice to pastry lovers. If you live in Canberra, there’s no excuse, you need to visit Dream Cuisine. It’s not only in Fyshwick. If you’re visiting Canberra, put some time in your diary to make a visit, stay for a coffee and enjoy a treat. The service is great. It’s friendly and you’re served with a smile. They also have good quality containers for takeaway too.

Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra

I bought my afternoon tea while I was there.

 

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice, lavendar macaron and salted caramel macaron

The lavender and salted caramel macarons are to die for.

Fellow Canberra Food Blogger Tales of a Confectionist also reviewed the vanilla slice

Best Chicken Maryland recipe ever

This is a photograph of my Cheesy Chicken Maryland on toast
Cheesy Chicken Maryland on toast | Check out my Chicken Maryland recipe

Chicken Maryland posts are reasonably popular on Yummy Lummy. I don’t know why, but I get most visitors who want a Chicken Maryland recipe. This recipe isn’t healthy. This recipe isn’t low fat. This recipe has no vegetables. This recipe is tasty. This recipe is comforting. This recipe means you use your hands to eat the chicken. This recipe has no leftover juices that get wasted.

Best Chicken Maryland recipe ever
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian dude food
Author: [url href=”http://about.me/garydlum” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”]Gary Lum[/url]
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Best Chicken Maryland recipe ever
Ingredients
  • 2 pieces of Chicken Maryland
  • 1 hamburger bread roll
  • 1 handful grated tasty cheese
  • 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
  • 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon chicken salt
Instructions
  1. Heat a benchtop oven to 150 °C
  2. Line a tray with baking paper
  3. Cut a hamburger roll in half and lay out on the tray
  4. Butter the bread if you like or spread some olive oil
  5. Place a piece of chicken on each piece of bread
  6. Sprinkle on the cheese, salt, chicken salt, pepper and mixed dried herbs
  7. Put into the oven for 1 hour
  8. Rest for 20 minutes
  9. Shoot a photograph
  10. Eat with your hands being careful not to be so enthusiastic you eat the bones too
  11. Don’t eat the bones
  12. Wash the dishes
  13. Write the recipe
  14. Blog (verb)

If you make this be aware that you’ll want to do it again. It’s quite moreish, that’s why I did two pieces of Chicken Maryland. It fits nicely too with just one bread roll. The best part is that the bread toasts and becomes crispy with the chicken fat and cheesy goodness in the oven.

This is a perfect meal for when you come home and need to do other things while a quick and easy meal is cooking.

Earlier today, being pay day, I had a raspberry hazelnut meringue torte from Urban Bean Espresso Bar for my lunch.

This is a photograph of my Raspberry and Hazelnut Meringue Torte from Urban Bean Espresso Bar
Raspberry and Hazelnut Meringue Torte

Please try the recipe and let me know what you think.

What do you cook when you want something quick easy and comforting that you can eat with your hands?