Love for Hong Kong Teahouses happy tradition
Keeping dim sum and Hong Kong teahouses alive
Hong Kong Teahouses
Pouring tea into the pot with deftness, the waiting staff weaves through tables of customers heaving with teas, dim sum and conversations in one of many Hong Kong teahouses.
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It is lunch hour at the Luk Yu Teahouse, and it is as busy as a hive. With plush new dim sum restaurants opening, one would imagine the charm of the old Hong Kong teahouses would fade.
Pu’er tea cakes
Still, despite some reverses in fortune, many continue to hold strong, attracting a steady stream of faithful clientele that keeps coming back for artfully crafted dim sum (small steamed baked or fried dishes) and freshly brewed tea.
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To the uninitiated, the traditional teahouses of Hong Kong might be an overwhelming experience, given that the menus are rarely in English, the service brusque and the eateries are brimming with locals at lunch hour.
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However, with a little perseverance, one can dine in some fine places that not only serve good food but double up as small pods of history that keep the tradition of serving dim sum in steamed bamboo baskets alive.
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In a fast-paced world overtaken by the convenience of tea bags, these Hong Kong teahouses still follow the eco-friendlier practice of brewing fresh and offering a broad sampling of Chinese teas.Â
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Dim sum and tea go hand in hand and the teahouses of yore served both, one satisfying the stomach and the other fortifying nerves or restoring calm.
Traditional decor at LockCha
According to Cheung Po Hung in Early Hong Kong Eateries, the earliest teahouses in Hong Kong date back to 1846.
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With the introduction of electric lamps in 1890, nightlife became possible, and teahouses became economically viable.
Teahouses were social hubs
In 1897, the flourishing of teahouses was further aided by the scrapping of the night curfew and a bill requiring the Chinese to carry adequate paperwork and night lanterns.
Tea merchandise at the entrance lobby on the ground floor of Lin Heung Kui
The popularity of teahouses climbed after the Second World War, when much of the daily routine centred around tea and serving dim sum.
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Teahouses became social hubs where families got together for meals, guests were entertained, and trades were transacted and sealed.
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However, the opening of other restaurants during the post-war period and the re-development of pre-war teahouse buildings in the late 1950s were largely responsible for their decline.
Despite this trend, the upscale Luk Yu was established in 1933 on Wing Kut Street and moved to Stanley Street in more recent years.
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The wooden facade of the Luk Yu Teahouse, with its gilded name and window grills beckons with the promise of cool interiors and a satisfying meal.
Teas jasmine, oolong and Pu’er
As you enter, a glass cabinet of tea packets, cups, knickknacks with the restaurant’s credentials reassures you that it is going to be an afternoon well spent.
It’s a traditional decor, with tables covered with crisp, white tablecloths and wooden panelling and chairs lending it an old-world charm. At two o’clock in the afternoon, the ground floor is still packed with people.
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Two more floors are above, testifying to the place’s demand in the heart of Central.
The service is predictable and efficient, and the teas on offer are jasmine, oolong, and Pu’er.
We are presented with a pink slip of a menu, and we mark our order which includes the usual suspects such as the har gow (shrimp dumplings) and siu mai (shrimp and pork dumplings).
The shrimp wonton soup, spring rolls, eggplant in black bean sauce at Luk Yu
The food comes quickly, and our appetite is appeased but not satiated; there is still the dessert to be ordered.
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We go for the server’s recommendation – flaky pastry with mashed date filling – and are rewarded by a crispy, flaky exterior with a delicious paste of dates at its centre.
Lin Heung Kui teas for purchase
The earlier din has died down, and we can hear the clatter of the crockery being cleared, indicating the lunch hour is drawing to a close.
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The bill is not staggering, but it’s still not cheap. A meal here is not for the common man.
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Another teahouse in the heart of Central is LockCha, located on the ground floor of the white colonial K.S. Lo Gallery in the lush green space of Hong Kong Park.
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It opened in 1991 and started out as a tea shop but is now a busy teahouse serving vegetarian dim sum with a second location in Tai Kwun.
The tea menu far exceeds the dim sum menu, and you get your own electric kettle to pour hot water in your teapot.
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It is a little private tea service you perform for yourself. The decor is warm and inviting, furnished with wooden tables and chairs, carved wooden panels, and an imposing arch of red lacquer that divides the teahouse into two parts.
Tea is serious business here. There is the pricey Master’s Selection for the more discerning, and there are green, white, yellow, red, floral, Pu’er teas and several varieties of oolong.
Traditional teahouses
The teahouse usually runs full, yet the vibe is cosy and intimate.
A more traditional teahouse is Lin Heung Kui on Des Voux Road West. The two-floor establishment is busy and bustling at lunchtime, a testament to its popularity among students, the well-heeled and tourists.
Shrimp rice rolls on offer at Lin Heung Kui
The interiors are modest, reminiscent of old teahouses where food trumps decor. That it is a more traditional teahouse is confirmed by the trolley system and the practice of washing the teacup, bowl, and chopsticks with hot tea and sterilising it at the table.
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You pick your food off the trolleys – lifting the cover of the dim sum basket and peering at what’s on offer is still an accepted practice.
A traditional dim sum trolley
It is refreshingly simple and egalitarian. The dim sum is delicious, and the char siu (barbeque pork) is tender and juicy.
Steamed sweet and savoury buns
The desserts come in a trolley; if you’re a newbie, you can look at the tables and see what’s popular. Lin Heung Kui comes with a Michelin Guide recommendation as does Luk Yu. After a hearty meal, the bill is modest.
The classic lotus paste buns
It is heartening to note that local teahouses such as these are still doing brisk business. Dim sum and tea are a Hongkonger’s passion and delight; you can see this by the energy and pulse the teahouses exude at peak hours.
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At the heart of a traditional teahouse lies the old practice of eating dim sum in a group and washing it down with hot tea.
Tea served the traditional way
Crowded yet efficient, simple yet charming, the Hong Kong teahouses serve as hubs for social interaction.
Meals can range from a quick bite in the morning or at lunch to long, leisurely affairs with large families and groups dining during public holidays or weekends.
Chiu Chow Dumplings in a bamboo steamer
These days, most Hong Kong teahouses are open throughout the day and having dim sum for dinner is not unheard of.
Barbecue meats available at Lin Heung Kui
Dim sum making is an art where food and history intersect, and the practice of making them and eating them keeps the tradition alive.
Text Shikha Bansal / Photo Shikha Bansal & Cammy Yiu
