Dog Strollers

When did dogs in strollers become a thing?

All within ONE day, I think I saw 5 parties of people strolling around dogs in strollers.

Take photo No. 1:  Two dogs that could be terriers (correct me of I'm wrong!) being strolled around the mall.

Photo No. 2:  As not to be too much of a crazy person, I snapped a shot of the stroller more than the dog… but TRUST ME, behind this man with the black t-shrit sits another dog in another stroller.  You can definitely make out its head.

Photo No. 3:  Here's a couple, also strolling around the mall with their dogs sharing a stroller.

Is this a Yuen Long thing?

Stormies

Moving takes a lot of time.  So, we've been going between Lantau and Yuen Long quite frequently these days!!

Before we totally jettison out of Yuen Long, we decided to try another new place for lunch…this time we popped into Stormies at Yoho Mall.

This blog feels like it's become a total food blog because I have been really focusing on places to eat, but it's what I find myself mostly doing these days…besides packing boxes.

Stories reminds me of Spuds on Alki.  It has that same nautical feel, even though Stormies is nowhere near the sea.

Like most of the restaurants in Yoho Mall, there was a pretty nice selection of foods (and the usual burger and fries).

Something eye catching was the Australian Angus Beef offer.  We didn't really know what the size of the sirloin steak would be, but thought it might be fun to wager a bet on how much 88 HKD would give us.

Turns out that it was a pretty good size of an appetizer.

The restaurant was pretty chill.  It was sort of like a sports bar…kind of what I thought Brotzeit was like.  There were two screens playing pop music though… but it felt very Hong Kong to me.  What do I mean?  Well, because I frequent a lot of Hong Kong-style cafes for my morning breakfast fix…I've noticed that a lot of the time there are televisions placed around for people to watch the news or the local programs.

The Hong Kong-style cafe, by the way, is also the place that hosts World Cup (or other sports events) at 4 in the morning…if you are looking for places that have cable television!!!

Stormies, like a lot of the Yoho Mall restaurants, has an outdoor eating area…which I always will appreciate.  Though it was raining on this particular day, it was still nice to know that I could have the option to sit out in the fresh Yuen Long air and catch a tan.

We both got set lunch meals.

The first course was a soup and a salad.  The soup was probably corn soup, but we weren't that sure.  But, it was pretty nice.  The salad was a basic green salad with some bacon and croutons on the top.  It was a nice, simple starter.

We each got a cocktail and coffee.  The coffee, which I am not so picky about, was pretty all right.  I feel like all the coffee that I order are pretty much the same.  I'm not a coffee connoisseur…though I spent a great deal of my life living in Seattle!  I do love coffee…plain and black.

But, mostly, coffee is just coffee to me...  I mean, there is a difference between restaurant-grade and my own home-made coffee (which I can almost guarantee is more delicious because I know how to tailor make my own cup of Joe), but yes…most restaurant coffee in HK pretty much tastes the same.  Makes me wonder if everyone just has the same coffee machine (vendor!), actually.

For the sake of trial, I got the quesadilla.  It was a basic quesadilla…something I feel like I could make and probably have!  The french fries were good…the salsa was good…the guac, though…seemed processed.  But, overall, it was satisfying in quantity and taste.

The sirloin we ordered (featured below) was also pretty nice.  It was nice and "crispy" on the outside and moist on the inside…

No complaints…

My husband got the fish fillet, which hid potatoes and mushrooms beneath.  Sampling his platter, the fish was really nice.  It was nicely cooked, the seasoning was really nice…it wasn't too salty…it tasted fresh…again, no complaints.

This would probably be a one time stop for me though…because we're out of Yuen Long pretty soon.

As a parting, we each got a complimentary panacotta… It was a nice dessert to finish off our meal.

Stormies was pretty all right.

Nursing Room @ Ikea

Another post about another nursing room!  You have been warned!

Ikea is my new addiction these days (on the weekends).  It's where I've been spending a lot of my time looking at furniture and storage (especially).  

Online, a lot of people talk about the nursing room located on the showcase floor of Ikea.  It's actually one of the most comfy nursing rooms that I've been to:

1.  Quiet

2.  Comfy

3.  Filled with great Ikea's own nursery items

4.  Convenient to get to

5.  ...and Baby loved it

The space is pretty big.  It can accommodate about three babies and their mothers (maybe fathers too).  The space is good for changing, nursing, and resting…

There is also a hot/cold/cool water dispenser for thirsty people…and mixing formula.

There is the basic sink, soap and hand washing station area…AND a mirror to check yourself for spit ups…

There is also a really nice bench to put your bags or bum on.  It's a nice place to take a rest (besides sitting on the sofas in the Ikea showcase rooms…!

The actual nursing room is quite basic…it has a chair, a shelf to put your things…and a door with a lock.  I think the luxuries are probably the pillow, that you can rest your baby/arm on and the shelf, where you can put your things on.  But, pretty basic. 

There are two changing tables, which I totally forgot to take a snapshot of, but you can see part of it in the images above.  I did, however, take a photo of the mobile above one of the changing tables.  I must have been so enthralled at the lovely bugs that I totally forgot about the importance of showing you all the changing tables, which, actually, may/may not be that important!

I was quite impressed with the nursery room here.  Since I've been spending most weekends at Ikea, I think that it's good to know where the nursery room is located (on the showcase floor near the escalators) and what it is stocked with (nursing room, water dispenser and changing tables!).

The View

So long Yuen Long
It's been a good six years strong
That I've walked your streets and shopped at your markets.

So long Yuen Long
Nothing about our relationship went wrong,
It was just time for me to move on…

So long Yuen Long
I'm moving to another part of Hong Kong
But I'll be back to visit someday!

Brunch Club on Peel

Exploring Central is one of my favorite pastimes.  There are always shops, cafes and things that I've never seen or been to before.  It was during one of my explorations (wanderings) that I discovered the Tea Saloon by Another Fine Day!

The Central district is always filled with something new and amazing.  

Today, going along Peel Street, some new discoveries...

At first glance, I thought this was an art installation, but, upon further inspection, I think it might have been someone's idea of a joke.  The hydrant was spewing out into a plastic bottle…with some metal box chained to it.  On further inspection, I just let myself remain baffled at what was up with the fire hydrant...

A bit up from the hydrant was a dog, just sitting there watching me.  I thought she was another art installation for a second because she was so still, but she wasn't.

The streets and hills of Central are always quite lovely to walk upon.  There are some streets that have cobble stone steps…there are some that have brick steps (like Peel Street's stairway).  It makes wandering around more interesting than just walking along the usual city concrete.

Along the Peel Street steps, there are some really nice apartment complexes…I'm always impressed at how there are so many people who insist on growing plants in such a concrete jungle as Hong Kong is dubbed.  It's really a nice pastime to entertain…and it makes living spaces a lot more attractive (the terrace below reminds me a bit of living in a subtropic paradise…not like the glass skyscraper-filled Hong Kong that people think of…but of something more low key and historic (does anyone get me?).

A section of Peel Street follows along this wall of holes…beautiful!

My final destination (I was not really wandering around Central!  I had a purpose!), was the Brunch Club, which was a little ways up from the steps that I was walking up.  This was my first time eating here…for brunch and I was pleasantly surprised that it was a great experience!

Mostly, the staff were just really nice and accommodating.  PLUS, it was a week day, so there wasn't as many patrons, which meant that the atmosphere was pretty chill (and I love chilled days).

It was a great place to meet some friends and have a few hours of chit-chat.

The food was also quite nice (as I always say…because most of the food I've tried around Hong Kong TRULY IS PRETTY NICE).

I got one of the smoothies…Yup, I'm still trying to be healthier…as what my 2016 New Year's Resolution dictated!

…and I got the muesli, yogurt, fresh fruits and honey platter…

Brunch at the Brunch Club was pretty fun.  It is always nice to get together with friends and talk about everything under the sun.  It's also nice to have a place where you can get decent food at a decent price.     And it's triple-y nice to take a walk in a neighborhood outside of my Yuen Long and brunch like a local.

China Bear, Mui Wo

To the right of the Mui Wo Ferry pier and next to McDonalds is a local eatery called China Bear.  My friend told me that, since the new owner took the reigns, this place has really upped its food game.  This is one of the few places that I've tried in Mui Wo, so I had pretty high expectations of the food…especially since it was recommended.

Some nice things that I tried for the first time at China Bear, which left me with a pretty good first impression:

1.  The fish and chips are really nice.  I think this is always my Go To dish at any restaurant because it's usually really good and reliable!  I got my fish.  I got my fries…and I got my tartar sauce…(well…I did half my fish and chips with my husband…so, I'm not just saying these dishes are nice from looks alone!)

2.  The chocolate shake is pretty nice.  Last summer, for some reason, when I was at McDonalds…I couldn't order milkshakes anymore.  This might have been a miscommunication, but the McDonalds staffer said that they didn't offer milkshakes anymore…THIS SUMMER, though, I was able to order milkshakes from McDonalds again…who knows.  But, the China Bear shakes are nice.

3.  The cheese burger platter was also quite nice.  Fries and a burger are always a comfort food to get…a soul food.  It reminds me of Sunday lunches with my family back in Hawaii.  After church, we'd always head across the street to McDonalds  (I'm just having loads of flashbacks to McDonalds today!) for lunch.  Back then, my sister and I couldn't even finish a Happy Meal on our own…now, look at me…I can totally eat two of these cheese burgers…and have my fish and chips on the side!
 

China Bear…thanks for the great first impression!