When in HK, eat local: Ending my 3-year fantasy at The Peak Lookout

Jake and I celebrated our seventh anniversary in Hong Kong last September. I've been meaning to write about the restaurants we've tried and new places we've seen in our go-to happy place but first, I just HAVE to share how I finally got to eat at The Peak Lookout!

Ever since I first saw that rustic straight-out-of-a-fairy tale structure three years ago, I have been constantly obsessing over the place. I even bought a magnet as pasalubong for Jake to remind him that HE HAS TO TAKE ME ON A DATE THERE. When we went for our sixth anniversary last year (yes, we know no other place but HK), the date didn't happen and I was left with another year of desperation.

On our last day for this year's trip, we finally managed to head up to The Peak to fulfill my cheesy dream. I skipped like a happy little fool from the terminal and crossed the road towards the facade to finally end my 3-year obsession.

I was like a child who finally saw Santa's workshop -- just gazing at my surroundings, soaking it all in. Three years of waiting to see the inside of a place can do that, I guess.

We went after lunch at around 3pm so we were lucky to have tables of our choice. Since I've been obsessively Googling the place (and emailing the very nice and patient concierge), I knew exactly where to sit - outside, at the corner nook with a view of the sea. 

And x marks the spot. I have no words to describe how perfect our view was, and how that moment felt so magical for me. You know how Alice (in the original movie) kept trying to squeeze herself into that tiny doorway with a view of the rose garden? This was exactly the same feeling. The Peak Lookout was my rose garden and I finally managed to enter it!

Since we were there for merienda, we only ordered desserts and lattes. I have to say, even if we didn't order from the lunch menu, the service was still impeccable and we were treated like we ordered a full-course meal. You'd expect a snooty vibe from such a nice place but the staff were all nice and friendly.

For our cakes, Jake ordered his usual New York cheesecake while I had the chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream and honeycomb. Consistent with all reviews I've read, the menu was pricey but then again -- you're paying for the ambiance and the view.  

This was sheer perfection, though.

I am definitely coming back! I'd love to see the whole place lit up at night. Must be extra romantic!

Can you imagine this garden all lit up with fairy lights? The Peak Lookout is definitely a must-try when in Hong Kong. You'd be hard-pressed to find a restaurant with a better ambiance and view for a romantic date!

Reservations are recommended, especially for peak hours:
The Peak Lookout
121 Peak Road, The Peak
Hong Kong
(take The Peak Tram or the minibus from Central)
info@peaklookout.com.hk

The Bluths are coming!

The Bluths are coming back!!! No words can describe how happy I am so I'll let Lucille show my feels instead!

Bring on the crazies!!!

Hiatus

It's been a while since I blogged about anything. If anything, this has been shaping up to be a great summer--all tragedies aside. I can't wait to blog once again and end this 3-month hiatus.

Meanwhile, a sneak peek:

Downtime

It's been a relaxing long weekend (the perks of working in a university) and I've done nothing but break my diet and play with my dogs. In between watching Jake's basketball game and The Impossible, I managed to catch up on some much-needed zzzzs.

After Jake's game last Saturday, he finally took me to check out Eat Fresh Hong Kong Famous Street Food near his house. I've been dying to eat there ever since he said they offer cheap HK food reminiscent of the street food we tried in Macau. The place did not disappoint! It's exactly the no-frills cheap thrills place I need in my down time. I had six huge pieces of yakitori for only 95 bucks!

On Sunday, he visited my house and I "surprised" him with cupcakes from Sonja's I bought the night before when we picked up the sister who was hell-bent on eating at IHOP even at midnight. I ate two and I am not even ashamed. Is it just me or are the cupcakes now smaller and have less icing? Get your act together, Sonja!

Monday had me waking up at 8 freaking am on a work-free day just to catch the Oscars. I spent an hour freaking out over the fact that our cable provider, Destiny, has no Velvet channel which has exclusive access for the live preview. Jake was kind enough to FaceTime me the whole time. I won our bet when Argo won best picture (he rooted for Lincoln) and I'm looking forward to my free lunch on Saturday. And can I just say how amazing Jennifer Lawrence is? She's the funniest, most down to earth celebrity I've seen in a while. Way to go, J-Law!

Oh, and the besties say hi. They kept me company while reviewing for graduate class midterms. I love my dogs.

Charlie the Unicorn

Call me stupid. Call me shallow. I cannot deny that these Charlie the Unicorn cartoons made my entire day. No, make that my entire week! The boyfriend made himself useful and posted the YouTube link on my wall early this morning.

I've already taken to talking like pink and purple at work. I already tend to annoy my officemates like so, hence it's a pretty easy task. Now I'm just re-watching episodes 1 and 2 (which are my favorites) to pick up some notable lines.

Happy days are here again!!!

Staring at the seashell waiting for it to embrace me

I almost forgot how tiring Friday night classes can get; and today was a particularly stressful one, work-wise. So here I am, de-stressing myself with happy thoughts of Boracay and to finally finish sharing our trip's highlights.

You know, thoughts of coffee, omelets, and calamansi muffins for breakfast.

Calming memories of getting a massage on the roof deck with an awesome view of the beach.

Happy thoughts of lemon cheesecakes and mango madness at Lemon iCafe with my favorite boys. Or getting to walk around in nothing but a bikini and no one gives a shiz.

 wearing Topshop bikini

Sigh. Why can't I just live near the sea, wear Topshop bikinis, and live la bohème life?

Bros in sombreros!

A trip to le isla boheme is never complete without grabbing lunch at Mañana! I've been craving a decent quesadilla and can't find anything here in Manila that's as good as Mañana's, ya know 'cause Ristra's just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

And the best part about eating there? SOMBREROS FOR MI AMIGOS!

We worked those sombreros. Never mind the heat! We looked like stupid fools but as I like to preach: who cares? Who's lookin'?

wearing Mango cover up

(No, those are not my boobs. My bikini straps were WEIRD.) 

The boys had burritos and chimichangas, I was muy satisfecho with my ham and cheese quesadillas! Muy perfecta, as always. I was a happy girl.

And since I'm out of Spanish phrases to throw around, adios lovers!

Crazy sailing into the sunset

A trip to Boracay is never complete without sailing on a paraw. Last year, I bribed Jake with beer cans just so he'll ride on one with me (I know). Lucky for me, we were all excited to sail this year and even forgot to buy beers!

So, the eight of us hopped on a paraw just in time with a mission: to watch the sun setting over the horizon while we're in the middle of the sea.

Mission accomplished!

And because I'm with seven crazy boys, the whole ride was one big laughing fit from start to finish. I can't count the number of times I had to yell at Jake to hold on tight and to not dip his toes in the water while we're hurtling at full speed. My yells fell on deaf ears.

Brushes with falling off a paraw aside, nothing beats the colors of a Boracay sunset.

And have you met The Situation? This photo's too funny to pass up. I think the boyfriend didn't realize how douch-ey his thug pose turned out. Haha!

Of scorching hot happy hour sessions

There's no better way to spend a lazy morning by the beach than reading a chic-lit book while getting a tan. I bought the second book of the Sookie Stackhouse series at the airport when I accurately predicted that I would spend early mornings alone while the boys were nursing hangovers or having a head start drinking beers before lunch at the patio. I was not mistaken. Good thing our place has lounges by the beach right under the patio.

We spent most of the day swimming and drinking. Cold beers and cocktails are always the perfect match to the scorching hot weather! I was already nognog from our first day so you can just imagine how tanned I am right now.

wearing Accessorize bikini, Tango cover up

I loved playing paparazzi to these boys! I would run ahead of them like a fool to get "candid" shots. I'm lucky the powdery sand never gets too hot.

Yes, the water's green. I read something somewhere about getting e coli if you swallow the seawater in Boracay. I can only hope the local government officials of Aklan will find it in their hearts to do something about this. All that green-ness has ruined the effect of my photos! There's a reason why Jake and I like to head there off-season when there are less people and the rains wash away the algae: the water's blue and pristine and the shore is clean. Just perfect.

Moving on. I'm always a happy girl when cocktails are offered at buy one take one. I'm even happier when I get to drink my mojitos and cranberry vodkas sunkissed by the beach! 

Hot stuff!

In between beer buckets, these two fools went for a quick dip while the rest of us drank while sweating. Hey, we're at the beach, after all!

We were actually waiting until 5pm for our scheduled paraw sunset cruise. I say it's always a whole lot better to wait in vain with alcohol and great company!

And before I forget, let me just say that I have finally tried Ababu! We used to pass by the place every time we head to Jonah's or whenever I'm at Katipunan. I can't believe they have yummy Persian food at less than a hundred per meal! Plus, the servings are enough to keep you full until merienda. Ayos!