Hoi On Cafe - The Culture of Hong Kong Cafe
Hoi On Café is one of traditional restaurants in Sheung Wan. It is an old Hong Kong style café, which is named “Bing Sutt” in the past. Stepping into the café, we can see two rows of reddish and wooden booths, which are the characteristic of Hong Kong style café, line on both sides of this tiny restaurant. Its design is simple and plain. Except two celling fans and some old photos, no decorations are found.
Generally, Bing Sutts only serve light treats, such as pastries and noodles. We order bun which is similar to French-style bread but is much crisper. It is in gold color because of the butter and condensed milk on top. Fried noodles with ginger scallion sauce are another old fashioned food in Hoi On. The savor of ginger is a bit chocking but is acceptable. The duck breasts and a partially cooked egg match perfectly with the noodles and elevate its taste. For drinks, coffee and milk tea are the best choice after a meal, while red bean ice is an alternative for teenagers. The ideal proportion of red beans over coconut milk in each cup is half to half. Stirring before drinking makes it much tastier. On top of it is a large and semi -spherical ice cube which is like an ice cream.
The story started from 1950s, when Mr. Au Yueng found the café. The name “Hoi On”, which meant safe voyage in Chinese, carried his blessing for customers, who were solely seafarers in the past. He had a daughter, who is the current owner, Annie Au Yeung. When Annie was small, she usually stayed in Hoi On and had fun with the neighbors. After her father passed by, she decided to give up her high salary as a senior banker and ran the family business. She specified that she did not aim at making money but at sustaining the cultural heritage and serving the small community. For the first three months, Annie had thought to give up because of exhaustion on the heavy workloads. She was motivated to insist by her affection to the café and support from the customers. Now, her mission is to keep the café alive in the future. In fact, the culture of Hong Kong café is fading due to the replacement by fast food restaurants. Less people are willing to preserve this food culture. Therefore, the determination of Hoi On in maintaining Hong Kong traditional culture is admirable.