The Lunar New Year Festival 2019 is in full swing at Disney California Adventure. The celebration runs from January 25 – February 17, 2019 in the Paradise Gardens area of Disney California Adventure. In addition to special merchandise, characters, and activities there are some special food booths offering Asian-inspired cuisine. The Prosperity Bao and Buns kiosk has three food items, plus an alcoholic mule. The desserts and drinks seemed to steal the show at most of the booths, and this was no different.
The full lineup offered at Prosperity Bao and Buns.
Char Siu Pork Bao – $7.75
The bao includes Chinese BBQ pork with pickled red onions and jalapeno. I seem to be missing the jalapeno.
I see pork, pickled onions, and cilantro, but no peppers… which was fine with me. The bao itself was light and soft, which is the right consistency. The pickled onions added a bit of spice, but are easily picked off if those aren’t your thing. The pork had good char siu flavor and was a generous portion given the size of the bun. The pork was also tender and easily flaked apart.
Overall, we liked this, but it was not outstanding. At almost $8, it wasn’t huge… and I’d skip it for desserts.
Mickey Chinese Hot Dog Bun – $6.50
This was fun and clearly geared towards kids. We enjoyed the “hidden Mickeys” on it. It was actually pretty big and looks heavy, but it was light on the inside.
It had flavor that reminded me of an everything bagel. Kids would love this as long as they don’t mind a subtle chive flavor. The hot dogs were normal hot dogs with a bit of sesame and onion flavor. For the price point, it was not outstanding, but it would be a fun snack to munch on or please a kid. Plus, it was photogenic.
Mickey grew legs!
Mango-Pineapple Pastry – $5.50
This was the sleeper hit of the group. It looked cute and tasted great.
We love all the Mickey-shaped food offered throughout the parks with the Get Your Ears On Celebration, and this pastry and hot dog bun fit right in. You get two pastries that are fairly large, so they’re easy to split. And not bad at $5.50.
The dough was light and flaky and the sugar on top added some needed crunchy texture. The pastry had no taste, which allowed the filling to shine. The mango and pineapple paired really well, and it wasn’t overly sweet. If I had one tiny complaint, it would be the lack of filling.
Our filling all went to one side when broken apart. So maybe keep the pastry together when eating.
Winter Plum Blossom Gin Mule – $13.00
There was a delightful mule offered during the Festival of Holidays and I’m happy to say this one was also good. I’m not a huge fan of hard alcohol, but this mixed together nicely.
It has a subtle plum flavor from the plum wine mixed with the gin. It’s topped with ginger beer, so if you don’t like ginger, skip this.
It was refreshing and you definitely get your money’s worth on gin. Overall, this booth is worth a quick stop for the pastry and a hit of gin if that is what you’re looking for. Be sure to check out all our coverage of the Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Month, and the Get Your Ears On Celebration.