How Hong Kong has absorbed and adapted foreign cuisines

From cha chaan teng to ‘Western food in soy sauce’ to European cuisine, from fine dining to fast food, from Korean to Japanese and Thai, Hongkongers have embraced a world of culinary influences over the past century

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Teenagers in Cafe de Coral fast food restaurant in Central in 1986.

Published: 5:34am, 10 Nov 2016Updated: 12:18pm, 11 Nov 2016

Given Hong Kong’s status as a former British colony, it was inevitable the local Chinese population would develop a taste for Western food. As an international entrepot, cuisines from other Asian nations have also become hugely popular. Over the decades, culinary cultures have seeped in, clashed and merged, and the dining scene continues to evolve and become ever more sophisticated.

By the 1930s, restaurants serving Western dishes had become trendy among locals.

An undated photo of Tai Ping Koon Restaurant.

Places of note included Queen’s Café, Cockerel Restaurant and Tai Ping Koon – the latter dating back to 1860 and a true survivor, with several branches still open across Hong Kong. However, their dishes were nicknamed “Western food in soy sauce” for the inclusion of Cantonese elements, be it stewed ox tripe or chicken liver rice. Rice and noodles were a staple of many menu choices.

A decade later, less expensive dining options called cha chaan teng began to spring up, seamlessly fusing Chinese and Western styles to suit the tastes of outward-looking locals on a low budget. Evergreen staples sold to this day include deep-fried French toast, macaroni with ham, basic egg, ham or corned beef sandwiches, and condensed milk tea.

French toast and milk tea are cha chaan teng staples.

By the 1960s, these “tea cafes” had mushroomed, and Hong Kong also had a growing number of Western-style restaurants, serving an increasingly diverse range of European fare.

According to a review in the Post in 1970, Loren Restaurant on Leighton Road served a set lunch of borscht soup, garoupa meuniere, ham steak and pineapple, with a crème caramel dessert and a coffee for just HK$5.50. A lobster thermidor was on the menu at Marseilles Restaurant on Hart Avenue, in Tsim Sha Tsui for the grand price of HK$20.

Jimmy's Kitchen opened in 1928 and has been popular with tourists and local celebrities.

Although restaurants come and go with the seasons in Hong Kong, a rare few have stood the test of time. Jimmy’s Kitchen is a stalwart. This more traditional Western establishment opened on Lockhart Road in Wan Chai in 1928. Four years later, a second Jimmy’s welcomed diners to D’Aguilar Street in Central. The restaurant placed an advert in the Post touting its steak and kidney pie with vegetables and a cup of “pure fresh percolated coffee” for a mere HK$1. Today, it has branches in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui.