Drawings resembling those in the old days to show customers of food offered in a chanchangtan
A repeatedly resurfaced topic of GX GARNERINGS, chachangtans are eateries unique to Hong Kong which offer a wide array of localised western food. Previous posts about chanchangtans can be found by using the search box on the left column.
Of all the chanchangtans in Hong Kong, there are some with a long history which are held dear to the hearts and, obviously, stomachs of the locals. For those living and working in Wanchai on the Hong Kong Island and the neighbouring areas, the luck is theirs because of the reign of the king of chachangtans in Wanchai: Kam Fung (literally, Golden Phoenix) Chachangtan.
It is housed in a really small shop on the ground floor of an old building nestled in a side street (Spring Garden Lane) just a few steps away from the bustling Queen's Road East. But don't be mistaken that it is quiet. Hungry patrons are seen queuing up outside it for most meal hours in any day.
If you have a chance to go there, you don't just order anything. Some of the signature dishes are: the egg tart, the boloyo (literally, Pineapple Butter; but it has nothing to do with the pineapple) and Si Mut (literally, stockings) milk tea (tea with milk).
Kam Fung's egg tarts are not to be found in just any chachangtans or bakeries in Hong Kong for the specially good taste. They are out and out yummy. Once the egg tart is served on your table, wafting through the air to your nose is its smell of the perfect flavour of Chinese eggs without the usual overpowering sweetening taste of sugar adulterated in the ingredients by bakers elsewhere.
By the way, if you haven't, try the Chinese eggs. They are just more delectable.
The boloyo refers to a special fluffy bun with a crispy top resembling the pattern of a pineapple in which an extremely thick slice of butter is sandwiched. The boloyo is served warm to make the slice of butter melt just right. Kam Fung's boloyo is good for munchies. It just gives you the power for the rest of an exhausting day.
The Si Mut milk tea earns its name through its traditional way of making by sieving the tea repeatedly through a long, stocking-like tea bag to give it a special aromatic flavour. Here in Kam Fung, the Si Mut milk tea is thick and truly aromatic.
Kam Fung is always so full of customers that they have to duck the trays of hot tarts and breads being carried almost every other minute from the kitchen through the aisle between the tables to the shop front for customers waiting for their takeaways. The waiters would shout, "Lok Tsun Butt Ying!" It is a play on words: Lok Tsun Butt Ying is a Chinese idiom which describes people so solely focusing on being successful by all means that they don't bother about their family and relatives. Here, the phrase is homophonic in meaning, "Get Burnt At Your Own Risk".
Lok Tsun Butt Ying! A really great atmosphere with good food there!
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