Thursday, December 20, 2012

lin heung lau 蓮香樓

This is one of the few Cantonese restaurants left in Hong Kong that preserves the traditional appearance, operation, and most importantly the taste of the food especially when it comes to dim sum. If you want to experience the dim sum 點心 experience of what once upon a time ubiquitous Cantonese tea restaurant 茶樓 during the colonial era Lin Heung Lau 蓮香樓 and the nearby Luk Yu Tea Room 陸羽茶室 are about it. The very well appointed Luk Yu Tea Room 陸羽茶室 however has always been a very exclusive establishment catered to the well heeled businessmen in the Central District. Lin Heung Lau 蓮香樓 on the other hand are for the everyday people.

dai pai dong 大牌檔

In a recent trip to Hong Kong I wanted to visit some dai pai dong 大牌檔 that are not in the tourist beaten paths. I seek out a small cluster in Sham Shui Po. While dai pai dongs used to be ubiquitous in Hong Kong decades ago now there are only few remaining. There is a resurgence of dai pai dongs in recent years due to the rekindled interest of the local people and tourists. These new dai pai has improved sanitation and are constructed with revised modern design and material like stainless steel.