【English translation: Peng Hsin-yi;Photo by Hou Ya-ting】
Kaohsiung's Hong Kong Tea Restaurant: The Authentic Flavor of the "People's Food"
Several years ago, Allan Tang left his native Hong Kong to travel in Taiwan. He met a Kaohsiung girl and ended up marrying her. He has lived in Kaohsiung ever since and generally enjoys life here. However, the one thing he missed from home is the "people's food", which is found on every street corner in Hong Kong. These specialties include milk tea, French toast, pork chops over rice and stir fried "kwetiau" (flat rice noodles).
A little more than a year ago Allen began making his own favorite Hong Kong dishes. He then opened the "I Love Hong Kong Tea Restaurant". Although he didn't do any paid advertising, word of mouth and Facebook made him an instant success. Every day the restaurant attracts a lineup with many patrons being Hong Kong natives, who like Mr. Tang, now live and work in Taiwan.
The menu is a simple collection of the "people's food" or as Mr. Tang explains, hearty affordable meals. Mr. Tang takes a lot of pride in his work and does not cut corners. He has not integrated any Taiwanese culinary influences into his dishes. For example his creamy milk tea is authentically made with three to eight different types of tea and blended with milk imported from the Netherlands, just like the tea restaurants in Hong Kong do. One of his success stories includes when some tourists from Hong Kong wandered into the restaurant by chance and came back the next day. "I think that means they found the food okay" he said humbly. Returning customers clearly win a stamp of approval in the restaurant industry and has boosted his confidence.