Sunday, January 9, 2022

Plan B Staycation

An unwilling change of plan got me scrambling for Plan B on a weekend of celebration. We have done our fair bits of staycation around local hotels but that didn't mean we couldn't do one more - and this time it's at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. 



Given we were already well into the festive season (in early December) there's no surprise the hotel was pretty booked up with the long lines at the check-in counter. Luckily we were on our way with the key to the room with upgraded view after a short wait. The room was of good size I reckon - my favorite was the spacious bathroom and the view overlooking the Central and the harbor, and the property was kept well despite its age (the hotel was opened in the early 90s) And we got the extra treats of nice festive decorations around the property and special celebration events happening during the day. 



We thought we have been to almost every single corner of the hotel from our previous visits but we still managed to check out a few new spots this time. The outdoor pool is open all-year-round with a nice deck area - water might be too cold to have a dip in early December but we still enjoyed chilling by the pool at the lounge chair. The short outdoor track next to the pool was something we discovered this time, a leisure area shared with the service apartment and sports club next door - it was nice having a stroll in the morning without having to step foot out of the hotel premise. There weren't much to do in the neighborhood to be honest, but the new waterfront promenade was just minutes away and the small park right outside the hotel was a nice and quiet sanctuary during weekends. 

The Grand Cafe is one of my favorite breakfast spots in town (even when I am not staying), but this time, they put us at Tiffan Lounge upstairs because of overflow. It's served buffet style just like downstairs with the same wide varieties offered, from Asian and Western dishes and sweet or savory selections too. 

We stayed in for both dinner and lunch the next day. Our dinner at One Harbour Road was part of the room package. The 6-course menu was very decent, with my favorite course being the comforting fish soup with julienned fungi and leeks. The chardonnay from China's Tiansai Vineyards went down smoothly with the dishes, and I also enjoyed the dessert too, with the silky steamed egg white topped with sweet chestnut cream. 

When? December 4 2021
Where? One Harbour Road, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai
Menu Highlights?
Drink? 2019 Tiansai 'Skyline of Gobi' Grand Reserve Chardonnay Selection, China
Web: www.hongkong.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/restaurants-and-bars/one-harbour-road 



The hotel managed to get us a last-minute lunch booking at The Teppanroom on the next day before we checked out. It's our first visit to this section inside their Japanese restaurant Kaetsu dedicated to Teppanyaki where dishes were prepared in front of us at the counter with the sizzling hot plate. The set lunch menu came with 7 sumptuous courses - what impressed us most were the chef's excellent skills and the combination of ingredients. Chawanmushi (Steamed egg custard) was served with crab meat and grated black truffles on top; our main course of Iberico pork loin was given a fusion twist with apple crisp, wasabi and apple puree on the side, all finished on the hot plate. Looking at how the chef prepared our dessert of souffle pancake was a treat by itself, as we looked on how the beaten egg-white meringue was slowly turned into a fluffy "pancake" and served a la mode, all done in such finesse.

When? December 5 2021
Where? The Teppanroom, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai
Menu Highlights? Souffle Pancake with Vanilla Ice-cream
Drink? Tedorigawa "Shukon" Junmai Ginjo, Yoshida Shuzoten, Ishikawa Prefectrure
Web: www.hongkong.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/restaurants-and-bars/teppanroom 






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