Classic Hong Kong restaurants: Wah Fung, Central
Connie Ko revamped restaurant founded by her grandfather in 1941
In 1941, Connie Ko's grandfather, Ko Lo-wah, opened a shop selling Chinese pastries, siu mei [roast meats] and preserved sausages and meats at 108 Queen's Road Central.
When the Japanese occupation came, he was forced to close, but reopened once it was over. The building had been damaged, so he set up a simple bamboo stall outside the original location. "It was just after the war, so supplies were scarce. He sold a bit of everything," says Ko.
Her grandfather received his training at the famous Lin Heung Tea House, and of the skills he acquired there, he was especially passionate about Chinese pastries. Once the building on Queen's Road Central was restored, he bought it and opened a shopfront on street level.
In the 1980s, the building was demolished, so Wah Fung moved into a shop on Wellington Street. The venue now offers takeaway siu mei, and mooncakes during theMid-Autumn Festival.
"The cake sifus hadn't passed on their skills to the next generation," Ko says. "We also didn't have the space to make cakes any more. When my father took over, he thought that the business would close after his generation, so he didn't think about succession."
