Forty and some food festivities

[LadyC]

This is just a short trip report on a trip I took recently with the gentleman and the little man. The gentleman turned 40 recently and so we did a birthday trip to Hong Kong and Tokyo to celebrate. This report is going to focus mainly on the food we ate for a few reasons. Firstly, there has been much better coverage by others of late on Tokyo and its fabulous tourist attractions. Secondly, traveling with my 13 month old little man meant that doing a detailed review of the flights was just a bit too tricky!

Our trip consisted of 3 nights in Hong Kong and 6 nights in Tokyo. And the tale starts now!

 

[LadyC]

The trip commenced at 8.30am when we were picked up by our car to catch SQ238 at 11.30am. I have a Citibank Prestige card and used my two free airport transfers to get to and from Melbourne Airport. The driver arrived early, just after 8am, in an Audi A8. He was a little put out that he was not informed there was a toddler in the group but we got all the luggage in and were on our way. We arrived at the airport fairly quickly but got stuck a little while at check in. We were travelling on award tickets with SQ and as the infant ticket is booked separately, it caused a few issues and check in took about 10 minutes. Off through immigration and to the SQ lounge which was renovated fairly recently. We have never been in before so I have nothing to compare to. The SQ F lounge was fairly small but well appointed. We had a few snacks before heading off for our flight.

 

[LadyC]

SQ238 from MEL to SIN. We are flying F and located in seats 2A and 2C. Lunch service and a snack later on, arriving in SIN at approximately 4.30pm. The flight was fairly uneventful, spending most of the time trying to keep my son entertained (a common theme). The gentleman had ordered book the cook, the Boston Thermidor and said it was delicious.

After arriving in SIN, we had a short transit before catching SQ2 to HKG. A brief stint at the TPR where the gentleman enjoyed a wagyu foie gras burger before heading to our gate. I saved myself for my Nasi Lemak book the cook order for the flight to HKG which i highly recommend. A late takeoff from SIN meant that an early arrival into HKG withered away and we arrived on time at approximately 10.30pm.

 

[LadyC]

We were staying at the Four Seasons and I had ordered transport to pick us up as a little surprise for the gentleman. Although a little extravagant, it was 1.30am Melbourne time and it was good not to have to worry about managing our luggage etc. The car trip took approximately 25 minutes and we organized for in room check in. We were lucky enough to receive an upgrade to a suite which was fantastic! We all rolled into bed for some much needed sleep.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

The trip commenced at 8.30am when we were picked up by our car to catch SQ238 at 11.30am. I have a Citibank Prestige card and used my two free airport transfers to get to and from Melbourne Airport.

From / to which suburb Fair Lady? Any extra charges?

 

[LadyC]

Prahran to Airport. Apparently approximately 28 km, so 3 over the limit but no extra charge.

 

[LadyC]

View from our room

 

[LadyC]

A surprise in the room on arrival

 

[LadyC]

Dinner that night was booked at Caprice, a 2 Michelin star restaurant in the hotel. We have eaten there before and really enjoyed it, so were back again for some birthday celebrations. As almost always, we went with the degustation menu.

 

[LadyC]

A few photos of the dishes

 

[LadyC]

And a few more

 

[LadyC]

It was a really delicious meal. We were very full by the end of it. If i went again i would order a la carte so I could enjoy more of the amazing cheeses!

 

[Rugby]

That is some serious cheese!

 

[amaroo]

Hmm FS HKG - simply the Best!

Looking forward to more...

 

[LadyC]

The next day was fairly quiet. The Spa at FSHK is very good so we both enjoyed some down time with a massage etc. We decided to wander out for a late lunch and headed toward Tim Ho Wan which is in the Central train station next to the hotel. Tim Ho Wan is well known for being the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant. It serves dim sum and is famous for its pork buns.

 

[LadyC]

When we arrived it was still pretty busy and i had read that take away was a much shorter wait - so take away it was! We ordered various prawn dumplings, the famous pork buns and some spring rolls. About 10 minutes later it was ready, so back to the room we went. The order was about $10AUD, so definitely cheap!

The verdict - pretty tasty and definitely good value. The pork buns are a little sweet and crispy, rather than the soft traditional style. The dumplings and spring rolls were all flavoursome but standard style. I will go back again if in HK. Interestingly, they have just opened a branch in Sydney and are due to open one in Melbourne. I might just need to do a quality check!

 

[LadyC]

It was Easter whilst we were in HK so they had the obligatory Easter Egg decorations. This egg was enormous and all chocolate - you could smell it!

 

[LadyC]

A quick review of FSHK. I have posted a review previously and will admit it is my favorite hotel in the world. The rooms are a good size, well appointed and as a parent, safe for my little man. They organized a cot and provided lots of ancillary items if needed (baby bath, nappies, baby cleaning products, bottle steamer, kids cutlery and toys). The staff always happily and eagerly engaged with my son which was great. Even though my perception is that it is abusiness hotel, there were a lot of families staying over Easter. The Spa is well worth a visit if that is your thing. The restaurants and room service are also high quality. And I suppose you would expect that for the price of it all but i feel they do deliver. I am sure i will be back here again.

 

[LadyC]

An early start the next day to get our 9.15am flight to NRT. We were flying on a J QF award ticket on CX504. We were originally booked on a indirect flight via TPE but managed to snag a direct one due to my daily watching of late release CX award flights. I know that flying direct is against the AFF mantra but with a 13 month old, I now want to get there as quickly as I can! The early start meant no time in the lounge. Breakfast was served on the flight and we arrived on time to NRT. A quick immigration process and out to by tickets for the Narita Express into Tokyo.

 

[LadyC]

We were staying at Four Seasons Tokyo at Marunouchi which is located very close to Tokyo Station. Previously we have stayed at the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku but the prices were about $150 per night higher than FS, so we decided on a change of scenery.

FS have a concierge service where they meet you at the train as you get off in Tokyo and take you to the hotel. Once we bought our train tickets, using the free NRT wifi, I emailed them with our seat numbers and train number so they could meet us. When we pulled up at Tokyo Station, an FS staff member was waiting outside our carriage, took our luggage and guided us through the labyrinth that is Tokyo station to the hotel. A great service and great start. We have previously caught the Limousine bus and the train is much better and faster.