While I had the Pork Tenderloin Tonkatsu and I was overwhelmed with the serving. It's really too much for me but this tasted good. There's a melding of crunchy from the outside and soft in the inside kind of texture which is very enjoyable to the palate. I'm filled and satisfied.

Since it's easter, the hotel staged some fun easter activities for the guests.

One of the highlights of staying in the Hongkong Disneyland Hotel is the popular "Breakfast with the Disney Characters". It's a must try especially if you have children. Even I, was delighted to have spent some magical moments in this restaurant.

 We had an extra bed for the kids.

 A small nook for an office desk.

Hello Hongkong!

Yes, I am currently in Hongkong with my family for our much-deserved vacation. We're staying here for 5 days and so far, so good. We had a relatively tiring flight yesterday, but we still managed to arrive on time, thank you Singapore Airlines! We simply love SQ! Checking in at Hongkong Disneyland Hotel was a breeze. It'll be our home for 2 days. Upon entering our room, the TV screen had a personalized greeting (photo above). What a warm welcome indeed! Our room is located on the 5th floor with a veranda / balcony, and we were greeted with a nice, cool and crisp air. Wow, it's still cold in here. It's already the start of the spring but you can still feel the remnants of the winter season. Silly me, I only brought 1 piece of jacket. I hope all my long sleeves will be able to comfort me in the coming days or else, I have another reason for shopping :-) 

We liked our room, it's just perfect for a family of 4. Hongkong Disneyland Hotel has a different vibe compared to the other hotel - Disney's Holywood. It's victorian in style and I feel that it's more homey, elegant and private. The balcony in the room makes you even relax more.
 

It's the second time for me to make this cake. And as the usual cliche goes, "it's lovelier the second time around". True enough, this cake is now officially in my list of favorites. How could it not be? The recipe is from one of my favorite food celebrities no less than "the" Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa fame. I made some modifications of the recipe though to suit my own liking. What I particularly liked about this cake is it's very mild profile. It's not too rich neither overwhelming in sweetness. It got the right balance of taste. The crumb gave an enjoyable texture to the overall flavor.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Make the crumb or streusel. Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in melted butter and flour. Mix well and set aside.

3. Make the cake. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer on high speed for 4 mins until fluffy and light.

4. Reduce the speed to low and add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and sour cream.

5. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir well.

6. Transfer the batter into an 8-inch non stick round baking pan. Spread it out nicely.

7. Crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely.

8. Coat the extra fresh blueberries with 1 tbsp caster sugar. Put on top of the cooled cake then serve.

If there's one type of cake that will be quite easy to play around with in terms of variations, it will definitely be Upside-Down Cake. As soon as you've perfected your base, the choice for decorative topping is endless. The most popular to use are nuts and fresh fruits. I'm starting to develop a high liking for this kind of cake. Within a month, I've already served three types of upside-down cake to my sweet tots. But why bother to count? For sure there are still more to come.

Cucumber-Dill Egg Sandwich

What you need:
6 slices of loaf bread
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped into small squares
1/4 cup cucumber, chopped into small squares
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste

How to make:

Undoubtedly, Lemon Cake is one of the most popular cakes around. So popular it is that in fact, recipes are abundant. It's almost a must have in any baking book. Likewise, there are a lot of variations available and the choices are limitless. Inspite of its popularity though, some people will still either hate it or love it. Since our taste buds were oriented with cakes having a sweet profile, anything that's out of the zone should require a development for liking. Generally, it can be quite subjective. But for me, the melding of sweet & sour notes is something delightful. When baked or combined with other sweet substances, the sourness of lemon becomes subtle and mild. It also provides a distinct juicy character that makes the cake more mouthwatering. This cake can be best served as a dessert to rich and creamy meals. It will definitely break the satiation factor.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

2 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

2. Beat the flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, lemon zest, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until well blended.

3. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until pale and thick, around 3-4 minutes. Spoon the batter into an 8 inch non-stick round baking pan. Bake for 40 - 45 mins until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

4. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a rack.

5. Beat the confectioners' sugar and butter in a medium bowl, adding enough lemon juice to make a spreadable frosting. Adjust the amount of lemon juice if necessary.

6. Spread the cake with the frosting and decorate with fresh slices of lemon on top.