I wasn’t only excited to go to Hong Kong Disneyland for the theme parks’ attractions and rides. Of course, as a foodie, I was over-the-top thrilled for the highlight…and you guessed it right—food! Seeing cute pictures of Disney Character Dim Sum Lunch Set being served at Crystal Lotus Restaurant (Disneyland Hotel, Hong Kong) 大嶼山香港迪士尼樂園酒店 made me want to pack my bag and travel to Hong Kong right away! (Read the rest of our activities in Hong Kong and two-day trip itinerary here.)
Because the restaurant website states that at least 48 hours of reservation is required to avail of the Disney Character Dim Sum Lunch Set, I took a long-distance call to book for two sets in advance. I knew it was going to be a delightful treat both for our eyes and stomach, and it turned out I wasn’t wrong after all. 😉
Review of Crystal Lotus Restaurant 晶荷轩 (Disneyland Hotel, Hong Kong)
Ambiance: ★★★★★
We rode the Disney Resort Shuttle Bus (free service) from Hong Kong Disneyland Resort to the Disneyland Hotel. 10 minutes passed and we found ourselves lurking our way to Crystal Lotus Restaurant while directing our gaze to everything beautiful and elegant inside the hotel.
“True to its name, the décor of Crystal Lotus takes the theme of the majestic lotus.” The chandeliers were magnificent, pretty close to jaw-dropping.
The wall-to-wall design filled with crystal panels from the outside was stunning. Arranged in Victorian-style but still with Disney touch, the comfy chairs matched with the family-friendly tables well; it was a shame we couldn’t fit them in our suitcases. 😆
Service: ★★★★★
I mentioned my name to the restaurant receptionist and she immediately escorted us to our seats. The table was reserved for six of us, and we successfully contained our excitement seeing the menu for the first time (it’s not available online).
After quick checking, I realized that the Disney Character Dim Sum wasn’t listed on the menu. I had to ask the waiter for it and he reiterated about their policy (that it can only be served to those who have pre-ordered 48 before visiting on Mondays to Fridays). The staff had to validate with the hotel receptionist I talked with about my booking.
Finally, they confirmed and said that waiting time would be three minutes for the appetizers and the rest of the food on the character dim sum set will be released in half an hour’s time. Good grief. Proper timing was observed and our requests were accommodated with no issue.
Food: ★★★★☆
Food items were all so cute that we almost didn’t have the heart to bite into them. If you’re worried that the food is good only in visual presentation but not in taste, fret not. The food quality and standard here are generally at par with any first-rate Chinese restaurant.
For appetizer, we had Mickey’s Seafood Glutinous Pancake (米奇煎薄饼) which were perfectly browned on the sides, with tender, flurry insides. Shaped in Mickey Mouse face design, these pancakes were extra chewier than regular pancakes and less sweeter, so I suspect a combination of only rice and flour was in play. The twist? Tasting light in flavor, carrots and greens were mixed in the pan and fried until crispy.
Another appetizer was the Rice Pasta With Shredded Chicken in Sesame Sauce (麻酱鸡丝分皮) which consisted of cold rice noodles, cucumber and lettuce topped with shredded poached chicken and drizzle of sesame sauce. Motivating and sweet, the rice pasta had a good texture cooked just right not to mushy or slimy.
Next to arrived was my most awaited set: Disney Style Dim Sum! All praise be to the chef who executed the designs; what came out are these bun wonders that are surprisingly good. Even if it took us some time to eat them (because I was taking pictures for like five minutes in different angles), the warmth still permeated until the last bite. We slowly savored the Little Pig Barbecue Pork Bun (蚝汁叉烧猪仔包) and Little Green Men Pork and Vegetable Bun (绿色小人菜肉包).
The Little Pig Barbecue Pork Bun was filled with sweet barbecued pork (asado), and the Green Three Eyes Alien (character from Toy Story) was filled with vegetables. While I was instantly seduced by how they looked, I thought the fillings were lacking in the quantity department.
Moving on, we had the Double-boiled Sea Whelk and Stuffed Whole Dried Scallops in Mickey Winter Melon Soup (米奇元贝炖鸡). The chicken broth-based soup featured Mickey’s head which was actually winter melon cut-out, with stuffed dried scallop at the center and and carrot as the ears. The saltiness of the dried scallops imparted a lot of taste in the soup.
For the Chinese, the winter melon soup is known to increase energy, nourish the heart and tranquilize the mind. It’s definitely tagged as healthy! 🙂
The Wok-fried Shrimp and Disney Root Vegetables (豉汁芥兰度炒虾球) was one of my favorite in the array of dishes in the set, because I love eating vegetables. Joined by wok-fried fresh king prawns, the kale stems and carrots were crunchy and great with no additional seasoning required.
We were warned that the Braised de-boned Short Rib in Spicy Sichuan Sauce (彩椒双菌牛柳粒) would be spicy. Yup, it was a little spicy but not to the point when one should drink a glass of water (or maybe tea) to choke it down. The sauce which resembled almost beef soup had strong flavor, and the beef cubes were really tender and juicy.
Like in traditional Chinese dining, rice came last, just before desserts. The Fried Rice with Crispy Eel and Pickled Vegetables in Golden Nest (金盞脆鱔炒飯) was served with satisfying aroma. I didn’t seem to taste the eel as its taste was disguised as char siew. On the other hand, the pickled vegetables’ crunch and taste were evident and the thin deep-fried crispy wonton skin was so yummy.
Another batch of food we almost went insane for was the Combo of “Duffy” Steamed Red Bean Puree Bun (迪士尼小熊) and Chilled Dual “Mickey’s” Pudding. Duffy (a Disney bear, not chipmunk)’s inside was filled with not-too-sweet red bean (红豆). Screaming fall, the yellow-orange pudding was composed of pumpkin and almond. The green one—er, I forgot. Sorry! 😛 Anyway, it was also deliciously indulgent.
My dad is a strict vegetarian/vegan so he could not have anything on the Disney Character Dim Sum Lunch Set except for the dessert. For his main course, he had Si-Chuan Style Tofu with Mushrooms (HK$ 95) from the à la carte menu. The tofu was marinated before frying in the hot wok, and the result was flavorful, soft and chewy tofu with firm exterior. To anyone who likes tofu, I’m sure this is something you can enjoy.
Price for Value: ★★★☆☆
We were not hotel room guests so price of the Disney Character Dim Sum Lunch Set was more expensive (HK$ 378), exclusive of service charge (which I recall to be 10% of the bill). Yes, the price is heavy but we had two sets shared by five people and the meal was enough to call lunch. The unique presentation and decorations of food was my main reason not to deter, aside from the hotel dining experience. Oh well, Crystal Lotus Restaurant is a winning Chinese restaurant inside Disneyland Hotel, so there’s nothing more that I can say.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
What a fun place to eat at. I love the Mickey pancakes.
The Mickey pancakes no doubt looked good, but they didn’t, for me, lived up to the explosions of buttery goodness I was hoping for. As a relatively bland starter, it was well put together.
Oh my goodness the food i just adorable. I can’t deal with how cute the little pigs are.
I can’t pretend the piggy buns brought anything to the table but enjoyment. 😛
Discovering new restaurants and new dishes will always be one of the perks of traveling. I love all the Mickey-shaped dishes that you showed in this post. One would really want to take photos of their food before eating 😀
Yup, my family is used to me taking pictures of food before eating anyway, but this time, I just wanted more and more pictures of them! 😛 Can’t resist!
Acccckk the Duffy bun is too cuteeeeeeeeeee >.<!!!! Btw after seeing your review i totally regret not eating there last February! I'm not into Chinese food so we decided to just have a quick dinner at the Disney Hollywood diner style restaurant, and spending nearly as much amount of money on two sets of baked rice as you with those food! Total regret, man!
Upon checking out the restaurants and food available in Disneyland Hotel, the character dim sum set was where my eyes had shoot straight to. Haha I bet your son would have liked all these creatively designed food. The Duffy bun ah? Imagine savory as wakefulness and the sweet red bean as your dream state. 😀
I love going to new restaurants and discovering different types of food, and this is no exception!
Your photographs looks fantastic, and it looks like a great place to eat, especially that “Combo of “Duffy” Steamed Red Bean Puree Bun and Chilled Dual “Mickey’s” Pudding.”
Thanks, Haydn! Everything we had here was nice with no intervention – or by accident. When you plan to visit Hong Kong Disneyland at any time, do book your lunch at this restaurant and go home happy. 🙂
wow. Bookmarking this one should I land up there. So innovative and nutritious
When you get to see their menu (and you can do this only when you’re physically there), you’ll see that everything sounds so delicious that you’d doubt this restaurant has signed a copywriting deal with the devil. 😛 The food all looked so mouth-wateringly good.
Wow! The food, the decor and ambiance looks amazing! Had no idea they had a place like this in Hong Kong that was Disneyland Themed.
Well, now you know. 🙂 I’ve described them in more words than I intended because I feared shortage. In reality, what I was trying to say is: they’re all good!
Wow that food looked so good, I love sushi. I hope you had a great time, it sure looked like you did.
I’m not sure if they are serving sushi but hey, try these food next time and you might also like them…next to sushi. 😛
Some of that food is seriously too cute to eat. What a neat place.
You simply could not see this place in a more fortuitous light. Once these dishes arrive at your table, breathe in and realize that life couldn’t have been richer.
How incredible is that? I would LOVE to eat the food there! I am crazy for Disney themed anything! I think my kids would love the mickey pancakes, and I would love the veggie stuffed alien.
Haha I am 100% sure that you and your kids will love these! I’m a Disney fan but it sounds like you’re a bigger fan than I am. 🙂
Those are incredibly cute, and that was totally worth the long distance advance reservation. What a wonderful restaurant!
Yup, that’s what I thought! Oh, it’s easy to detect that there’s an extra cup or two of enthusiasm in my words when I say that everything was good. 🙂
That would be too cute to eat Roch. You gave me a good idea on what place to try out the next time I’m in Hong Kong.
Even if it’s not Hong Kong Disneyland that you’re coming for in Hong Kong, you may visit Disneyland Hotel and dine in at Crystal Lotus. The welcoming ambiance and the nice food presentation will surely make up for one of the reasons why you’d want to be back again and recommend this place to friends. 😉
Yeah, this would be better. I usually stay at Tung Chung which is one stop from Sunny Bay, the station to Disney so I could easily squeeze this in. It would be a unique experience.
I see. Yup, I know that’s near so it’ll work out for your schedule just fine. 🙂
We haven’t tried this because we only ate breakfast at Chef Mickey. Taste is just ok.
Oh wow! Chef Mickey is a buffet restaurant also serving varied and great quality food. I’ve heard that it’s fun to watch the kids interact with the Disney characters. It’s a bit pricy but worth it.
Omg! Look at the little Disney characters haha love it!
The food here is actually really high quality, really good, and really creative. Especially when you like Chinese food, you’d know you’re gonna like this. 🙂
The restaurant looks amazing and the food is so cute (and appealing!)
Yup and so is true for the rest of the food on their menu, I bet. 😛 You can pretty much close your eyes and blindly point at anything, comfortably knowing there’s no wrong answer.
This looks like the best place in the world to eat! I cant wait to eat here when we go to Disneyland.
Yeah! Don’t forget to book for a table and specifically pre-book for a set for minimum of 2 people. 🙂
Oh heavens, that’s a beautiful restaurant; I love that chandelier. The food looks good and so adorable! Win-win!
Truly! If someone were to ask me to put together a list of once-in-a-lifetime meals that I would like to have many times, this one in this legendary Disneyland Hotel restaurant would be near the top. 😉
We’re planning a trip to Hong Kong and Disneyland some time next year, and your post has been really helpful! I’ve always wanted to try dining at Crystal Lotus for their Disney-themed dimsum, but I have no idea how much a set would cost. So thank you! 😀
Anyway, love the photos as always. I think I’m most excited to get a taste of the Little Green Men! Love them on Toy Story!
If you’re staying in at Disneyland Hotel, you can get this set for a much cheaper cost. When converted in pesos, I calculated it would be about PhP 1200 only. The food look much better in real life. I have to upgrade my kit lens pretty soon. 🙂
This will definitely be in the list of the places that we will visit next year. Excellent review once again.
Thanks, Leira! 🙂 If given a chance, I would want to stay here for the rest of my life. Everything in the hotel is amazingly beautiful.
The food looks yummy and those Disney themed title bits are awesome 🙂
Yup, there are other food available on the a la carte menu, but only a few are designed with Disney characters. So if you’re coming with children (or if you’re a kid at heart), choose wisely and probably choose the Disney character dim sum set as well. 😉
Wow, I’d love to go there someday! Hong Kong Disneyland is on the bucket list
You’ll love it here. 😀
It’s really very sumptuous food, all of it, I like it. As for me, siopao and siomai will do, with a can of coke. It seems you enjoyed the food and the place.
Haha those comfort food you mentioned would make me full but it’s also good to try new ones especially when visiting new places. 😀
Oh yum! It all looks so delicious. I wish I could join you. What a fun place to visit and eat.
Oh, if only you were there at the same time we dined in, then maybe you could say hi and we could ask the staff to merge our tables together! 🙂
That looks so amazing! All of the food is so adorable 🙂
Actually the tastes were nothing too special. But once you see the food too cute, you’d eat it and marvel at the glorious simplicity.
Looks like you had an amazing time. It looks like it was well with the wait. This place is gorgeous and the food looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Rebecca. 🙂 Eating food this good is the kind of thing that I’m okay with dropping some real money on, every once in a while.
The food looks amazing and cute! Some I would have been sad to eat because they are way too cute!
Haha yup we felt the same way.
Looks like a great restaurant. How fun!
It’s fun to eat these cute items. We felt like kids all over again! 🙂
OMG!! So cute food.. I have never seen such creativity in food ever!! Loved itt
You would appreciate it more when you’re the one on the table about to eat the food. 😉
I remember eating here like a million years ago haha! I can definitely agree that everything is just so photogenic!! Unfortunately it is true that the quality of the food can be a bit on the average side.
Yup. But it’s the character designs that I was really going after! 😛 Having good quality and taste would just be a bonus. I’ve eaten those food prepared a dozen of different ways but never have I devoured ones like that at Crystal Lotus. They’re pure cuteness and gluttony in one ensemble. 😀
Looks like an awesome place to eat at. The food looks delicious, especially the mickey pancakes.
Yup, it’s especially fun to eat them when there are Disney mascots around. 🙂
[…] My sister discovered Mrs. K’s Deco Pastries through Instagram. PBB Big Winner Myrtle Sarrosa shared a picture of the character siopaos sent to her, and we found them extremely adorable. We viewed more pictures posted by Mrs. K and totally fell in love with the customized buns. They actually reminded us of those character dim sum we enjoyed in Crystal Lotus Restaurant in Disneyland Hotel-Hong Kong. […]