Hong Kong: Duen Kee Tea House
11/21/16 Chuen Lung
Knowing me as well as she does, the girlfriend offered to wake up early to take me on a walk on the side of the true locals. An offer I obviously did not turn down. We jumped in the car before the sun rose and drove up Tai Mo Shan (avoiding a few indigenous humans and steer on the way) to a small tightknit village named Chuen Lung. We turned into this pack of buildings and it felt like we warped back to the 50s.
Multiple self-serve tea stations are scattered all around
And like the Dim Sum Don’s wildest fantasy, SELF SERVE STEAMERS
The crew was still busy churning out the first couple batches, but I could not wait. I went in.
Self-service saucin’
The view:
and the food from above:
Spareribs with Rice, Lap Cheong Bao, Nai Wong Bao, Steamed Chive Dumplings, and Tripe
Conclusion A tea house frozen in time, kept vacuum sealed in the mountains and seemingly untouched by the modern world. The food still done properly, probably the same way for decades. Callus-covered hands conditioned by the steam are repeating the preparation routine every day just to make a few bucks off a handful of patrons, mainly locals. An amazing, humbling experience in the hills of Hong Kong, one not written in any tourist books/blogs I’ve read.