A Traditional Cafe

Between the 3 of us, I'm not really sure who's more embarrassing. We whip out cameras to capture random photos. But the best thing- nobody uses flash. YAY.

We strolled to the heart of the residential area in Tin Hau (天后)and sat in a quaint little 'cha chaan teng' (茶餐廳) that had been in operation since 1957. But it announced its coming closure by the end of June. We had to pay it a visit and sit down for a bite in the unhurried way like most people do in the neighborhood.

Pushing open the front doors was like a step back in time. The peeling wall was painted in a shade of green that was the vogue of the yesteryears. The cash register was seriously ancient. But hey, it seemed to be working fine. I was very fascinated by the sheer age of the ceiling fans, rice cooker, the kitchen utensils, and yet they had managed to install proper ventilation and air-conditioning.

The menu contained all sorts of fun stuff. We had the standard milk tea and bo lo bao (菠蘿包). I liked the milk tea very much. Unlike Singapore's teh-si, this version wasn't sweet at all! The bun was werid. I don't really know how to eat bread like that. That's probably why I'm not a fan of those flavored buns (pork floss bun or curry bun) in the Chinese fusion bakeries. Obviously this bun didn't need butter. It was tasty on its own, soft and fluffy. Rather fun to share just one bun.

There's this sense of history about a place that is almost half a century old. I like being in the heart of the residential area, although technically, Hong Kong isn't that big and one could just wander anywhere and people live in apartments everywhere. But it's just pleasant not to see many tourists around the area where we stroll.