Drink tea with Elsa and Olaf at Hong Kong Disneyland

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Compiled by John Kang
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Frozen characters dominated the big screen last year, and now they are taking over tea sets with a princess experience at Hong Kong Disneyland

Compiled by John Kang |
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Junior reporters (from left) Christy Cheung, Annette Kim and Vivian Chan strolls through the garden after tea.

To cool down and recharge after an active afternoon in the summer heat at Hong Kong Disneyland, the theme park has a Frozen afternoon tea set, complete with such delights as mini Wagyu burgers, mini pizza, and your favourite characters from Frozen, like Queen Elsa on a cupcake.

Our junior reporters got to taste the tea set at the Royal Banquet Hall and had a tour of the park's new flower decorations, like a real Frozen princess experience. This is what they thought …

A meal fit for royalty

The Royal Banquet Hall was true to its name as dimly-lit, low-hanging chandeliers greeted us when we stepped into the magnificent room.

The ceiling beams were intricately designed, with the detailed patterns adding to the stately feeling of the room. In contrast to the fancy, colourful decorations on the outside of the hall, the interior was quite serene and peaceful, making it a great place to rest and grab a bite to eat.

Ivory statues of fairytale princes and princesses shone blindingly white under the sunlight coming from the overhead window. It all felt immensely regal: the perfect setting to enjoy the Frozen-themed tea set.

The delicate treats were served on each tier of a three-tier cake stand. I particularly enjoyed the Elsa cupcake, the mini sausage roll, and the Tropical and Seasonal Fruit Skewer.

The cupcake took baking to another level. An Elsa figurine made out of white chocolate was perched on top of the butter cupcake, and her dress was made entirely of glittery, blue frosting. I was a bit sceptical of the "dress" at first, because it was covered in glitter and did not look edible, but I finally pushed my dubious thoughts aside and ate the cupcake in one bite. The cake itself was really pleasant, like the homemade ones my mum bakes, and the blue frosting did not taste like I had just eaten Tinkerbell.

The sausage roll was as the name suggested - mini. But considering the target audience for the tea set is small children, the size is fitting. The crispy goodness was still warm when I put it in my mouth and instantly my appetite surged, due to the fact that it was mouth-wateringly good. The meat in the centre was tender and juicy, and the pastry was crispy like the outer layer of a spring roll.

The fruit skewer was exquisite, with two different kinds of melon on a skewer. The fruit was cut into the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, and even though I felt bad eating "Mickey", I couldn't deny that it tasted divine.

Christy Cheung

Taking treats to the next level

The mini pizza and egg sandwich were exactly what I expected. The mini pizza tasted like pizza, and the egg sandwich tasted, well, like an egg sandwich. They met my expectations, but they weren't anything exceptional.

But the lemon meringue tart was pretty special. It was decorated with an Olaf figurine. His body was made of marzipan and his stick arms were made of chocolate. Thanks to the smiling, well known snowman, the tart looked at once appealing and enticing. I almost felt too guilty to eat the friendly, talkative Frozen character.

The marzipan Olaf was attached to the meringue with a stick of white chocolate. The meringue - which was made from baked, sweetened egg whites - had a slightly chewy skin over soft, pillowy insides that tasted similar to melted marshmallows. The sweetness of the meringue contrasted with and nicely complemented the acidity of the lemon filling.

The cookie was shaped like a snowflake and covered in ice-blue icing, with white icing piped on the surface to make it look even more like realistic. Essentially, the cookie looked like a Christmas decoration, like a pretty bauble that could hang on the tree.

Underneath the decorative icing was a shortbread cookie flavoured with lemon zest. The bright, lemon flavour cut through the buttery shortbread and sweet icing, and provided the cookie with a more interesting flavour profile.

Annette Kim

Bright and beautiful setting

I tried the Mickey-shaped fruit, the mini Wagyu hamburger, the mini seafood vol-au-vent, and the Mickey-shaped scone.

The fruit skewer, which included Hami melon, tasted good because it was fresh, as though it had been freshly chopped just before the tea set was brought out to us. It was particularly refreshing in the hot, sunny weather.

The hamburger was the best. The beef was so smooth, like tofu; it almost melted in your mouth.

The mini seafood vol-au-vent was also tasty, especially the puff pastry. It was so crispy, and it tasted even better thanks to the cranberry jam that was served with it.

Together with the environment and the castle-like restaurant, I felt like a princess who was enjoying a meal from the comfort of her very own castle.

To help your food digest, it's worth stepping outside the cafe for a stroll and to admire the beautiful flowers. There are so many different types of beautiful flowers, with models of Disney characters among them, doing funny things such as cutting the grass, having a picnic, or on a date. At this time of year, the flowers are in full bloom and on a sunny day it creates a really happy, pretty atmosphere.

It seems like everything in Disneyland is brightened by the lovely spring weather. Every single plant was related to the theme of spring. The scenery transported me to a fantasy world. We even caught a glimpse of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna coming out of the Disneyland castle as we left!

Vivian Chan

 

The tea set is available this weekend. For more information, go to the Hong Kong Disneyland website.

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