HONG KONG, July 22 — Is there a more quintessential Hong Kong experience than dropping by a cha chaan teng for breakfast? Meaning “tea restaurant” in Cantonese, the cha chaan teng has been part of the culinary scene here since the postwar era, offering inexpensive dishes that are an eclectic blend of East meets West.
Given that this is the Hong Kong version of a diner or greasy spoon, one shouldn’t expect five-star service or food. Instead, curt service (if one can call it that), a noisy environment and practised chaos are the norm. It’s an opportunity to walk down memory lane, to relive the good old days.
The glory years of the 80s are exactly what Capital Café in Mong Kok celebrates. Founded by a former manager at the now defunct Capital Artists recording company, this cha chaan teng pays homage to the golden age of Cantopop. Old concert posters of stars such as Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui and Andy Lau decorate the walls.
This is no ordinary neighbourhood cha chaan teng, that’s for sure.
Capital Café (“Wah Sing Bing Sutt” in Cantonese) has another branch in Wan Chai but its Mong Kok locale is coloured by life in Kowloon of yore. Walking past rickety bamboo scaffolding is part of the experience. Inside, cosy booth tables offer an illusion of intimacy in a space that’s far from private. Waiters hurry back and forth, taking and delivering orders.
The breakfast set of toast with eggs, macaroni soup and coffee or tea is usually the way to go. For the latter, almost everyone orders the si maht nai cha or “silk stocking” milk tea. Named for the shape of the flannel pouch used to filter the tea leaves (often a mix of Ceylon and Chinese black teas), this Hong Kong-style milk tea is smooth and creamy.
Either evaporated milk or condensed milk is added, giving the nai cha a rich, muddy sheen. We add the sugar ourselves, to taste. Legend has it the originator of nai cha did indeed use his wife’s pantyhose to make the tea for a finer finish; whether it was new or used wasn’t mentioned...
Buttered toast with a couple of sunny-side ups isn’t fancy, nor should it be, but the use of fluffy white bread as well as über-fresh eggs (thanks to the sheer volume of business) make all the difference. Mopping up the runny yolks with the crustless toast (spread generously with real butter rather than margarine!) feels like affordable decadence.
The macaroni soup with ham? Tastes sort of like Maggi soup with extra MSG, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if taken in moderation. Consider this a tribute to the joys of processed comfort food.
But what Capital Café is best known for is their scrambled eggs. These are available as part of the breakfast set, but most patrons treat themselves to the shop’s levelled up version: the black truffle scrambled eggs. Utterly creamy from the use of Hokkaido 3.6 Milk, richer than normal milk and vanilla-scented, these eggs also benefit from being flash-fried in a fiery wok.
Honestly, the dusting of mildly aromatic black truffles seems almost an afterthought.
Other cha chaan teng favourites include the ubiquitous French toast, golden-brown on the outside, fluffy and oozing with peanut butter on the inside, topped off with a thick square of butter and drenched in syrup.
For lovers of buns, Capital Café makes a decent Piglet Bun (naiyao juzai bao), basically two toasted bun halves slathered with condensed milk and butter, as well as a savoury Devil’s Pork Chop Bun punched up with wasabi in the mayonnaise. How about a pineapple bun (bolo bao) with a wedge of cold butter inserted?
There are also gong zai meen (literally “doll noodles”), springy instant noodles in soup topped with a fried egg and slice of luncheon meat; fried chicken wings; egg tarts; and Hong Kong-style spaghetti bolognese that may make an Italian blush (in fury, one suspects).
We were never going to go hungry here.
When we are done with our meal, it’s time to head to the counter to pay (cash only), bringing along the order chit the waiter has left on our table. There’s no time to linger, not is this the place. Doing rush hour (typically lunch and dinner), we probably would have to daap toi or “share table” with other patrons. (Getting an entire booth by ourselves during breakfast was a rare luxury.)
Sometimes when travelling we can’t help but wonder if we’re walking into a tourist trap that locals no longer bother with. Some traditions do die out, only kept in suspended animation to draw unsuspecting visitors searching for a slice of bygone charm.
Fortunately given the number of regulars that the waiters keep greeting, asking after their parents or children, catching up on a quick bit of gossip while grabbing the next order nonchalantly, we have a good feeling a cha chaan teng in Hong Kong is like a mamak stall in Malaysia: here’s something that’s beloved by all and will be around for years to come.
Capital Café 華 星冰室
107 Sai Yeung Choi St S, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Open daily 7am-11pm
Tel: +852 2520 6666
