Dumplings is life!

Life is indeed short so I'm having my fill of dumplings in cold, wintry Hong Kong. Every corner, nook and cranny here have numerous restaurants offering dim sum (usually only served during lunch hours) and dumplings, congee, rice bowls, noodles and an assortment of fried rice.

Diet is not part of my vocabulary during this winter vacation!!!

Most restaurant staff don't speak English so you need to have google translate app ready on your phone. You can also ask for an English menu or just point at what the people at the nearby table is eating and they will understand you. LOL Either way, everything is delicious and yummy. You just need to manage your appetite and pace yourself and your tummy. =]

HK 2025

 

2018 was the last time I was in Hongkong.

The whole family was here in December for the Yuletide holidays.

We were scheduled to visit HK in January 2020 for the Chinese New Year but on the evening before our flight, HK declared a lockdown as Covid cases were on the rise.

So we canceled our flight and later that year in October 2020, mommy was diagnosed with cancer and our lives were never the same again.

Losing both parents in 2021 was tough and was the main reason I stayed away from this place. Too many memories of happier, fun family bonding moments because every year since 2009 we would spend the Yuletide holidays here.

But.

Life goes on so here I am back in wintry weather freezing myself off. 😂 Familiar places but also new restaurants to discover and dine in with sister dearest who has been begging me to return to HK so she has someone to explore new eateries. Yes we love to eat and we have the expanded waistline as proof. It is interesting to revisit a place with new perspectives and explore new options.

Most importantly it is way convenient to explore during the winter season … just make sure I am well dressed for the biting cold … so yes I will stop complaining about the weather and just enjoy! 😊 

Season’s greetings

Here’s wishing one and all: 

Merry, happy and blessed Christmas

 and have a safe, prosperous and peaceful 2025!!!

Destileria Limtuaco Museum, Intramuros

March 4, 2023, D and I visited the Destileria Limtuaco Museum. Founded in 1852 by Chinese immigrant Lim Tua Co (later known as Don Bonifacio Limtuaco) Destilera Limtuaco & Co, Inc. is the oldest existing distillery in the Philippines. The company now sells more than 40 spirits, wines and liquors and is headed by fifth generation master distiller Olivia Limpe-Aw.

*5 days later, I was in St. Luke's Hospital in QC for my scheduled full hysterectomy surgery.*

 

In 1979, Julius Limpe (Olivia's father) acquired the archetypal Bahay na Bato to specifically enshrine the museum. It was a private space for the Limtuaco family to preserve their company's history. The museum located within the confines of the Intramuros area was formally opened to the public in 2018.

The museum is divided into several sections which include a small distillery that showcases the processes of producing rum from sugar cane and whisky from yellow corn, all are made from 100 % local raw materials.

On the second floor of the museum is a trove of the Limtuaco family's personal belongings throughout the decades.

An intensive collection of liquors acquired from the Spanish period as gifts as well as their current line of whiskeys, liquors and wines are prominentl displayed. They are famous for producing the classic White Castle whiskey with its iconic commercial ad featuring a woman riding a white horse.

White Castle Whiskey calendars featuring a model in a
red bikini on a white horse commercial ad

original sketch of the now famous commercial ad

Distileria Limtuaco also developed "Sioktong", the classic Chinese medicinal wine, a concoction of Chinese herbs said to have many health benefits.

Entrance fee: ₱100.00

Address: 481 San Juan de Letran, Intramuros, Manila
Best to leave your vehicle at any paid parking area, then walk to the museum.