Why Disneyland is special

Ah, yes, my daughter has turned 6 years old. Instead of having a party, Rob and I decided to take Nicole to the happiest place on earth: Disneyland, on Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

I’ve written about Disneyland quite a few times before, but each time we visit, it grows even more magical for us. Perhaps seeing it all through our daughter’s eyes is what makes it extra special.

She loved the Winnie the Pooh ride that took her through the Hundred Acre Wood, as well as Philharmagic that gave her a 3D view of some of Disney’s more famous music.

She also enjoyed The Golden Mickeys, an awards show-type presentation featuring some of Disney’s heroes and romantic figures, and The Festival of the Lion King, which is about the legend of King Simba, complete with fire jugglers and ballet dancing flying birds.

Nicole wasn’t too hot on the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups ride, and Rob avoided it altogether. However, I—along with Disneyland musical director Rony Fortich and our friend Natalie Lewis (a horn player for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra)—gave the cups a spin.

We weren’t able to ride any of the outdoor rides; there were thunderstorm warnings, so everything we did was either roofed or indoors. But the weather cleared up enough in the evening, which was when a glorious outdoor show would begin.

Our little group assembled on Main Street, far enough away from Sleeping Beauty’s Castle to get a good view of what was to come: Fireworks!

For about 15 minutes, fireworks blazed and danced above the castle, illuminating the night sky. It was the perfect way to end a fun-filled day.

Happy birthday, little princess!

Food capital

Since Hong Kong is one of the world’s foremost food capitals (for us anyway), we couldn’t leave without sampling some its cuisine. One restaurant is a place we frequently visit, while the other is a new one that, after some Rob-initiated Internet research, we decided to try.

Tasting menu

ye Shanghai (yes, the ye is lowercase) has been one of our favorites since 2008. Although great for dimsum, it also boasts more upscale fare.

If you’re undecided with what to try, check out one of their tasting menus. You get a sampling of some popular items, just enough to satisfy your palate. This is what we ended up doing and were so happy for it. For Nicole though, we ordered crispy noodles with minced pork.

Best ramen

Ippudo HK is one of the two Hong Kong branches of a Japanese ramen restaurant, which has spread from Fukuoka to the rest of the world (with branches in New York City, Seoul and Singapore).

Thankfully this branch was only a five-minute walk from our hotel. We picked something slightly spicy and wholly flavorful, with medium-firm noodles, flavorful tonkotsu pork broth, slices of pork loin and sliced mushrooms.

Without question, this was the best bowl of ramen I’ve ever had. I can look forward to visits to Singapore later this year, and New York City early next year, so for sure I’ll go to Ippudo then!

Shameless plug

Woo hoo, I’ll be in “Forbidden Broadway”! I won’t say which spoof I’ll be doing, but I’m very excited. Guest performers for this show’s final weekend are yours truly, Aiza Seguerra, Nyoy Volante and Rachel Alejandro. Congratulations to Upstart for a great run.

Atlantis Productions will start its run of one of the most awesome shows to even come to Broadway, “Rock of Ages.” It will also soon be released as a feature film starring Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Malin Akerman and Diego Bonita as Drew.

The Manila production of the stage musical will star Nyoy Volante, Vina Morales, MiG Ayesa, Aiza Seguerra, Jamie Wilson, Jett Pangan, Biboy Reyes and Jinky Llamanzares. Chari Arespacochaga directs.

It opens June 15 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium of RCBC Plaza, Makati.