The Sassy Mama guide to celebrating Thanksgiving 2013 in Hong Kong

Christmas is just around the corner, but before that it’s time for America’s favourite holiday… Thanksgiving! Cosy up with friends and family at home, feast on some turkey with all the trimmings, have a drink (or two, or three!) and think about all that you are thankful for this year. Whether you’re all about getting hands-on with the cooking, or you’d rather head out for some luxe dining, we’ve got all the info you need in this nifty Sassy Mama Guide to Thanksgiving 2013 in Hong Kong!

 

Whether you’re spending Thanksgiving at home or heading out for a celebration with friends, Main St. Deli at The Langham, Hong Kong has you covered in style! First up is Turkey Day – a 3-course set lunch and dinner on 28 November at just $318 per person. The classic Thanksgiving menu features roast turkey accompanied by your choice of starters and desserts. Save room for all the trimmings, mama! If you’re bringing a big group, check out the 4-course Turkey Party Menu, priced at $2,188 for 6-8 people and $2,588 for 9-10 people. After all, Thanksgiving is all about sharing!

If you’re staying in, the Turkey-to-go menus are for you! At HK$1,688 for 6-10 people and $2,388 for 16-20 people, your only limit is the size of your dining table! And early birds (get it?!) ordering throughout November will bag an extra 10% off their feast too. Now that’s something to be thankful for!

Main St. Deli, The Langham, Hong Kong, 8 Peking Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong; for enquiries or reservation, call 2132 7898

Brought to you in partnership with The Langham, Hong Kong

Eating Out

Why not give yourself a break this Thanksgiving and let someone else do the hard work? Here are just a few of the many restaurants offering amazing Thanksgiving menus, ranging from all things turkey related to some not-so-traditional choices, you’ll definitely be spoilt for choice.

Fat Angelo’s, the family-style Italian restaurant located in Kennedy Town, Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsuen Wan, has a traditional Thanksgiving set dinner on offer on 28 and 29November 2013, priced at $368 per person. Included with the food are two standard alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks plus a free-flow of soft drinks, coffee and tea, so you can linger with the fam for a good old catch-up.

Ok, so it’s not turkey, but if you can’t wait to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving, then check out Franksgiving with the Pete Moore Band at the Grappa’s Cellar on 9 November…  think lounge and swing music with a Rock ‘n Roll twist!

Head to Lily & Bloom for a hearty meal of organic French-imported turkey with all the extras, and the option to plump for the whole bird or just a plateful, depending on the size of your gang. There’s also a takeout option available for pre-order.

Right in the heart of Central you’ll find Restoration, a restaurant serving hearty Southern American food. For a whole week from 26-30 November 2013, they’ll be dishing up their popular Thanksgiving menu, complete with turkey and all the trimmings. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to try something different, definitely put in an order for Chef Jack’s signature Turducken. A what?! It’s a chicken inside a duck, inside a turkey stuffed with rice and cornbread. Finish up (if you have room!) with some traditional pecan or pumpkin pie to perfect the meal.  The normal turkey set dinner price is priced at $598 per person.

Eating In

If you’d rather create your own magic from the comfort of your kitchen counter, then there are plenty of places to pick and choose the freshest ingredients for this special occasion. Kitchen not quite up to scratch? Don’t worry, we’ve also included plenty of ready-to-go takeout choices for your Thanksgiving meal… just hide the packaging and claim your glory (we won’t tell!).

City ‘Super offer a good selection of fresh, imported ingredients and can deliver your order too if you’re pressed for time. The veggies are especially good here, and they were cornering the market in pumpkins and squash the last time we strolled by!

The Mandarin Cake Shop at The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s five-star Takeaway Boxes are your friend this Thanksgiving. Containing all the yummy holiday fare you’d expect from a luxury hotel (think turkey, roast pumpkin pecan pie and apple cider!), these packages just need to be quickly warmed through in the oven for a fine dining experience at home.

Lantau mamas should check out Discovery Bay’s D Café. Their 12-pound roasted turkey is available to order for $728 and comes with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce.

Fat Angelo’s offers their Thanksgiving dine-in menu with a takeaway twist… a discount of up to 40% with a free bottle of house wine when you order a set dinner for 8 people! Not a fan of set menus? You can also just choose to order a whole roasted turkey and take care of the trimmings yourself.

Great Food Hall in the basement of Pacific Place has a pretty decent butcher’s counter, along with a rotisserie section offering roasted-to-order meats. Contact them ahead of time if you’re thinking of using this service for your turkey, or simply order uncooked and take home.

Craving some Southern-style eating? Go Gourmet, the catering arm of Magnolia Private Kitchen have a wonderful Cajun-inspired Thanksgiving menu to take home. Numbers are strictly limited, so get your order form in sooner rather than later.

Market Place by Jasons also have a good variety of imported ingredients, as well as a wide organic food and wine selection. You can even shop online and have it delivered to your doorstep if you’re too busy to stock up in person.

The concierge service at Olivers offers home delivery, along with expert advice for all your holiday food needs. Chat to their friendly staff and they’ll recommend ingredients and arrange delivery.

We love the jet-fresh fish from South Stream Seafoods, but did you know they also offer a good range of meat? These turkeys comes frozen, but with options including organic birds raised on Amish and Mennonite farms in Pennsylvania, you know you’re getting the real deal.

Desserts

What’s a meal without dessert, and what’s a Thanksgiving dinner without pies? If you’re ordering in, make sure you have sweets covered! Luckily, the Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop, the Langham Hong Kong, Lily & Bloom and Fat Angelo’s all have either pecan or pumpkin pies available in their combos for you to enjoy!

If you need a little more pie to go around, we recommend our long time faves, the marvellously titled Tai Tai Pie Pies. These pastry magicians have a full selection of savoury and sweet all year round ranging from apple, chocolate pecan to steak and Guinness… something for which we are extremely thankful! The range is also now available to pick up with your weekly shop at Great Food Hall… too much temptation!

Drinks

It’s a holiday so let’s raise our glasses to the very finest in American thirst-quenchers right here in Hong Kong.

Golden Gate Wines want to introduce us to the very best wines from California, Oregon and Washington and have a full range of reds, whites and sparkling to accompany your Thanksgiving dinner. Check out their Fine Wine Club for some great deals.

Watson’s Wine Cellar, Wine Crack, Soho Wines and Altaya all have a good range of American wines and will all deliver to your door.

Fancy something a little different? Whilst we love a glass of Napa Valley’s finest, sometimes there’s nothing that quite hits the spot like a good beer. Enter AmeriCraft Imports, suppliers of the finest craft beers direct from the USA. Perfect with a slice of pecan pie!

Creative ideas for Kids

These days we may not need to toil in the fields to harvest our Thanksgiving dinner, but the idea of reflecting on the things for which we’re grateful endures. Encourage the kids to get involved by helping out with the table décor. A place setting for each guest with a hand-drawn picture of what they are thankful for is a cute idea (although don’t be too surprised if you get an exact replica of an iPad rather than a loving recreation of Mum and Dad!)

How about submitting all those amazing drawings to the Big Draw project, which is a creative community engagement project in drawing, and regularly collaborates with organisations to hold events and workshops for kids related to art and drawing. Perfectly in-keeping with the festive spirit!

Keep them entertained and head meltdowns off at the pass during a long meal with a dedicated kids’ table for all the little guests. Take a tip from the many family-friendly chain restaurants and cover the table in plain paper for scribbling with small puzzles, jigsaws, Thanksgiving word games and a pot of crayons. Voila! Not a single ‘I’m bored’ to be heard.

Need some inspiration for table décor for the kids to help create? This site has some brilliant kids craft ideas, along with tutorials – we love the paper bag turkey! Fill up with popcorn or other treats for a surprise when ‘carving.’ Once you’ve picked your theme, stock up on all your festive craft supplies in Sham Shui Po.

Get the whole family involved and join Heifer’s International’s Race to Feed 2013 over the Thanksgiving weekend to raise funds for animals and training to help impoverished families around the globe. Get the kids to use their excess energy in various races (including fun family relays!); it’s also a good chance to teach them to be charitable on this special holiday!