India Day One: Transit Time

India, the home of Taj Mahal, a country so rich in history and culture, is sadly not a popular holiday destination for us Filipinos. I'm sure one hindrance is the lack of direct flights from Manila to New Delhi, making travel to India a time consuming and expensive undertaking.

To reach India, my friends and I had to fly via Cathay Pacific and had a 9 hour stopover in Hong Kong.

We spent our short stint in Hong Kong window shopping,

walking, 

and taking scenic boat rides.

Before long, it was time to fly again and finally get to India! Travel time from Hong Kong to Delhi is 5 hours.

I chose a meal of Tandoori spiced fish with cumin basmati rice and tomato green bean masala, up in the air, as I wanted my taste buds to already get familiar with the spicy Indian food that I will surely consume in the days to come.

The flight attendants conducted aircraft disinsection before we landed at New Delhi. 

We arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi just before midnight, India time.  Do note that India is 2 hours and 30 minutes behind the Philippines.

We were too lazy to process our visas back home so we opted for visa on arrival. 

There was only one officer manning the visa on arrival counter and he took his sweet time checking our documents. He probably spent 10 minutes to process each passport.

An advantage of getting visa on arrival is that one can skip the long immigration line for foreigners. I just showed my passport with the visa on arrival stamp to an immigration officer that was not serving any passengers and I was good to go. 

We met our driver Ranjeet of Leisure India Travels at the arrival area of the airport.

Our driver brought us to our hotel, Piccadily New Delhi.

Piccadily, which used to be a Hilton hotel, had a gigantic and impressive lobby.

Though we arrived in the dead of  the night, we were still served tea  as a welcome drink.

Our room was modern, spacious, comfortable, and clean. 

Wished we could have slept late in our cozy room but we had an early call time the next day. 

Tomorrow,our much-awaited Indian adventure will truly begin!

One Final Note: Mixed Lot

I was recently back in Hong Kong where I was unable to fully unleash the glutton in me. yey!!! This is the last of 5 parts.

To end the series, here’s a compilation of the other food that I had while in Hong Kong.

PAL's breakfast meal

Nothing beats having warm porridge on an early flight.

Lucky Kitchen's Stir Fried Noodles

Tastes as plain as it looks.

Lucky Kitchen's Beef Brisket Noodles

Huge serving. Flavorful stock and tender meat. Not bad at all.

Egg Ball Waffles

My Hong Kong street food staple. I can never get over how crunchy this always is. Best eaten piping hot.

Curry Balls

Ordinary. The sauce didn't help in making the balls tasty.

Fried Dough Fritters

Would have been perfect if covered with sugar.

Late Night Meal

A bit heavy for a 9 p.m. flight but I'm not complaining.

As always, Hong Kong didn't disappoint. Till we meet again!

Tai Hing at Food Republic

I was recently back in Hong Kong where I was unable to fully unleash the glutton in me. yey!!! This is the 4th of 5 parts.

We had lunch at Food Republic while on a break hunting for the cheapest bargains available at Citygate Outlets. 

Food Republic is a food court chain operated by the BreadTalk group and it offers cuisine from all over the world. American, Korean, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, and good old Chinese food can be found here.

One can truly get overwhelmed with the wide variety of choices available in Food Republic but I already had my stomach set for Tai Hing.

Tai Hing is a fast food chain that has over 40 branches in HK and Mainland China. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has dubbed Tai Hing as having "5-Star Barbecued Meats." Predictably, I went for the board's recommendation.

Chicken and Goose Rice (46HKD)

Oh-so-ordinary! Unfortunate really, given the many options I gave up to have this.

Lesson Learned: Never believe in the Hong Kong Tourism Board again!

And oh, I spotted  Singapore's popular Sergeant Chicken Rice at Food Republic though I have to say I'm not a fan.  

Food Republic has branches in Hong Kong, Mainand China, Singapore, and Malaysia. For more information,  click here.

A Glimpse of the Local Fast Food Scene in HK

I was recently back in Hong Kong where I was unable to fully unleash the glutton in me. yey!!! This is the 3rd of 5 parts.

Since we were always pressed for time, I had my share of fast food dining during this trip. Please don’t feel bad for me as I generally had a pleasurable time immersed in the local fast food scene.

Here’s a glimpse of the three most popular local fast food chains in Hong Kong:

1. CAFE DE CORAL

Cafe de Coral is the leading fast food chain in Hong Kong and this recognition is well-deserved as Cafe de Coral is consistent in churning out good comforting meals at affordable price points. When in doubt, there’s no other place to go but here! Don’t forget to order a cup of tea in order to have one of the best versions served in all of Hong Kong.

Menu changes depending on time of day

Well, hello there, auntie!

Raddish cake was to die for!

Delicious honey chicken with perfectly cooked eggs

A trip isn't complete without ordering barbequed meat.

Better than DTF

2. MX

MX, a chain of restaurants under the Maxim's group of companies, is the best bet for affordable barbequed meat. One can always be assured of fresh, high-quality, delicious barbequed specialties with MX. Its non-barbequed offerings are not so bad either.

Temptation!

Trendy Vibe

Best goose to be had on the cheap

Comforting Curry Flavors

3. FAIRWOOD

Fairwood is the new kid on the block and it still has a long way to go. Flavors, presentation, and food portions are often underwhelming. It also needs to be more service-oriented before it can truly compete with the giants of Hong Kong's fast food industry. Dine here only when desperate!

Orange theme for Fairwood

Early Morning Crowd

Sad Looking

Pathetic excuse for a ham&cheese sandwhich

Looks Yummy, Tastes Otherwise

Tiny Leg Portion

Pales in Comparison 

Cafe de Coral has over 140 branches in Hong Kong. For more information, click here.

MX has over 70 branches in Hong Kong. For more information, click here.

Fairwood has several branches in Hong Kong. For more information, click here.

Never Say Never with Din Tai Fung

I was recently back in Hong Kong where I was unable to fully unleash the glutton in me. yey!!! This is the 2nd of 5 parts.

Much to my regret, I didn’t have time during this trip to go on a food spree.

Case in point was having my first meal at a restaurant which I swore to never visit again in Hong Kong.

Promises, as they say,  are meant to be broken and I was no longer surprised to find myself back in Din Tai Fung as it was very near Rosedale on the Park.

Causeway Bay branch

Xiao Long Bao

I need to try DTF xiao long baos from other countries soon to see how it compares.

Mixed Vegetables

Even the vegetable loving people from the group didn't like this. Everyone only managed a spoonful as they said that the flavors were too weird.

Drunken Chicken

I'd trade this for chicken from any random stall in Jordan.

Fried Rice with Eggs and Shrimp

Eggs were perfectly cooked.

Fried Rice with Egg and Pork Chop

A bit under-seasoned for my liking.

Braised Beef Noodle Soup

Beef is tender but soup lacks the rich comforting flavors I long for.

Shrimp and Pork Wonton Noodle

Fresh dumplings stole the show.

As I no longer want to promise, I can only hope that this really is the last time I eat at Ding Tai Fung Hong Kong.

Din Tai Fung has two branches in Hong Kong. For more information, click here.