LANTAU ISLAND | HONG KONG - November 11, 2019. At that time, Hong Kong was still under the shadow of massive demonstrations.
In the midst of uncertain conditions, I have a flight schedule to Jakarta. As per the schedule, the Cathay Pacific plane I was riding in will fly around 3pm.
Considering the situation in the State of Concrete, where transportation is often "paralyzed" by anti-government protests at midday, I left Causeway Bay from 10 am to the airport. And thank God, the taxi ride from Causeway Bay to Hong Kong Airport Express Station and the fast train ride from there to the airport went smoothly. Even more smoothly, because the train does not stop at Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations, for safety reasons.
Arriving at the airport, I went straight to Cathay Pacific airline check-in counter. Suddenly, the officer made an offer that was hard to refuse. He said, “Sorry, our plane is full. If you wish us to switch to a flight at 7 pm, we will provide compensation, "he said.
Well, this is interesting. Compensation includes a meal and drink coupon in the airport area worth HK $ 75, HK $ 500 cash, an upgrade to the same class as Economy Premium class, and free meals and rest in the VIP lounge. As I said hamdalah in my heart, I replied, "Yes, I would."
“After all, it's only 4 hours from the original schedule and I'm not in a hurry. Meanwhile, the intention is to help facilitate airline management who are dizzy in managing flight schedules that may be in chaos. " Once my heart whispers.
Find a halal place to eat
However, the blessings of Allah Ta'ala on that day were not limited to that. When at the airport, I always look for halal restaurants. Since Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen's Fried Chicken Restaurant in Terminal 1 closed, I have had a hard time finding other halal places to eat at Hong Kong airport.
That day, I checked again, who knows Popeyes has reopened. However, the area of its former location, which is adjacent to the Hong Kong Disneyland store, after the Immigration counter, is still under renovation.
After resting for a few hours in the Cathay Pacific VIP lounge, I headed for the internal airport train to Gate 40-80. Getting off the train, I headed for the departure waiting room gate for boarding the plane.
Unexpectedly, when I went down the escalator stairs to Gate 40-59, I found a halal restaurant. Can not imagine the joy in my heart. It's like finding a mosque at the time of prayer.
The name of the restaurant: OldTown White Coffee. The location, right to the right of the escalator and open every day from 7 am to 9 pm.
OldTown White Coffee is a restaurant from Malaysia. In Hong Kong, this restaurant has received a Halal label from The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong, a Hong Kong Halal certification body which is based on the 8th floor of Masjid Ammar, Wan Chai.
Because both of them come from Southeast Asia, the menus are familiar to the tongue. For example, chicken rendang rice, curry chicken rice, or nasi lemak with fried chicken. In Indonesia, we call this nasi lemak. There are also noodle menus with many variations.
For the price, the heavy menus above are priced from HK $ 78 to HK $ 90. Even though it is quite expensive, but because there are no other options, in my opinion it is worth making. Moreover, in terms of taste, it is still like the taste of Indonesian cuisine.
So, for Muslim Friends who are waiting for a flight, rather than stomach growling because they don't dare to eat carelessly at Hong Kong airport, please stop by! [DDHKNews]
