Milk tea, dim sum and BBQ meat satiate locals' cravings for Hong Kong cuisine

Food & Travel

Published: 20 Oct. 2022, 15:37 Updated: 20 Oct. 2022, 17:52

Milk tea, dim sum and BBQ meat satiate locals' cravings for Hong Kong cuisine

Dishes on the lunch menu of Wui Tea House and Restaurant in Yongsan District, central Seoul [WUI TEA HOUSE AND RESTAURANT]

For many locals, Hong Kong cuisine is more than just food for the stomach — it is memorabilia of yesteryear that taps into people’s nostalgia of better days before a global pandemic.

Before Covid-19, Hong Kong was one of Korea’s most visited destinations, recording some 1.5 million travelers from 2018 to early 2019, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

However, the number has taken a sharp downturn since, due to civil unrest and the pandemic.

But looking at the current restaurant scene in Seoul, Korea certainly hasn’t forgotten about Hong Kong.

With a growing epicurean population in Seoul that is open to diverse flavors, some authentic Hong Kong restaurants in the city are tantalizing locals with uniquely hybrid Canto-European dishes.

“I think much of the popularity for Hong Kong restaurants in Korea stems from the memories that people here have about Hong Kong,” Shin Kum-ho, 42, owner of Hong Kong restaurant Wui Tea House and Restaurant in Yongsan District, central Seoul, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“Especially for people in their mid-30s to 50s, Hong Kong was a place they visited when they wanted to shop and eat good food [...] In some ways, it was a place that people visited during their heydays. Since travel closed down due to Covid, I think people wanted to relive their trips to Hong Kong, and one way of doing that was finding an authentic Hong Kong eatery in Korea.”

For the younger generations, Shin cited the rise of Netflix and the resurfaced popularity of old Hong Kong films such as “In the Mood for Love” (2000).

The Hong Kong Tourism Board said that Hong Kong restaurants have proved popular over Covid-19 because they “provide vicarious pleasure during a time when travel was restricted, in addition to Instagrammable settings.”

“English used to be considered ‘hip,’ but nowadays with the retro boom, Korean and hanja [otherwise known as Chinese characters] are proving social media-worthy among the younger generation,” added Shin.

Wui Tea House and Restaurant

In an old-school area in Yongsan District which hasn’t been redeveloped yet, Wui Tea House and Restaurant takes the word “Instagrammable” to another level.

The dimly lit spacious hall is filled with East Asian art and antiques.

Art and antiques at Wui Tea House and Restaurant [WUI TEA HOUSE AND RESTAURANT]

“One of the locations that the shop is modeled after is an antique vendor street in Hong Kong called Cat Street,” said Shin. “I wanted to give our customers an immersive dining experience,” he said.

During dinner, Wui takes the form of an upscale restaurant serving traditional Chinese dishes and baijiu (clear Chinese liquor).

But during lunch hours, the venue has created a list of more affordable offerings, reminiscent of Hong Kong’s causal diners called cha chaan teng.

Literally translated, cha chaan teng means “tea restaurant.” They are intended to serve quick, uncomplicated dishes with tea for people looking to grab a quick bite in between mealtimes.

Wui serves iconic Hong Kong teas such as Jasmine Milk Tea (7,000 won or about $5) and Yuenyeung (7,000 won), which combines coffee with Hong Kong milk tea.

All the tea is made by one staff member from Hangzhou, China who specializes in brewing tea.

The tea specialist at Wui Tea House and Restaurant brewing tea [LEE JIAN]

The beverage list also includes Pepsi with Preserved Salted Lemon (6,000 won), another Hong Kong favorite, in part due to the subtropical climate.

It is made by mixing soda and lemon juice that has been preserved in salt water for some six months.

Among its modest list of food offerings, there is wonton noodles based on a recipe from Cheung Kee Noodle House (9,500).

Cheung Kee is a wanton noodle venue that has been open for some 60 years in central Hong Kong. It also has a store in Korea in Jung District, central Seoul.

Wui uses the same ingredients and follows the exact same recipe that Cheung Kee uses.

Wonton Noodles at Wui Tea House and Restaurant [LEE JIAN]

The menu also includes other Hong Kong staples such as Fried Wonton with Truffle Sauce (10,800 won), Fried Pork with Sweet and Sour Sauce (22,000 won) and Cold Noodle with Sesame Sauce (10,800 won).

The entire lunch menu was produced in conjunction with the Hong Kong Tourism Board earlier this year in a bid to promote Hong Kong food during Covid-19.

KamCha

Fusing England’s tea culture with an East Asian dish is KamCha, a Hong Kong-style milk tea cafe in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

Instead of cake or pastry, it serves savory dim sum alongside its bittersweet tea.

Shrimp Sho Mai and Milk Tea at KamCha in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [SCREEN CAPTURE]

There are four types of dim sum including Shrimp Shomai and Har Gow (3,900 won each).

“It may be an odd combination for those who aren’t from Hong Kong because most people perceive milk tea as a sweet, dessert-like drink,” said Jung Seung-pil, 30, co-owner of KamCha. “But dim sum is actually most commonly consumed as a simple, quick food in between meals.”

Literally translated from its Chinese characters, dim sum means to put a dot on one’s heart. This is interpreted as a dish that is impressionable yet not so filling so that it can be eaten in between meals.

For this reason, Jung operates KamCha without a lunch or dinner break.

A bottle of milk tea at KamCha [KAMCHA]

KamCha, which takes its name from a well-known brand of milk tea based in Hong Kong, is serious about making the best and the most authentic milk tea in town.

Its milk tea (4,000 won) is made with tea leaves from Sri Lanka which are freshly brewed every morning, filtered several times, then mixed with evaporated milk and sugar in quantaties that remain KamCha’s secret. The end product is rich, smooth and bittersweet.

Because it is freshly brewed every day, the cafe only offers 200 cups per day.

According to Jung, making milk tea is a very delicate process.

“The reason why it is so hard to recreate Hong Kong milk tea’s taste all lies in the brewing time, method and ratios of milk,” he said.

Its recipe is exactly the same as the original KamCha cafe in Hong Kong.

The tea is offered both hot or iced.

Hong Kong Fusion

Another eatery that takes its milk tea seriously is Hong Kong Fusion.

The fast-casual diner is already famous among those in the know about authentic Hong Kong food in Seoul and its Iced Milk Tea (4,900 won) shouldn’t be missed, said Hong Kong native Ronny Chow, 43, owner of Hong Kong Fusion.

“You can’t have a decent restaurant with a subpar milk tea in Hong Kong,” said Chow.

Chow hired a tea brewing expert from Hong Kong for the milk tea that is sold in his eateries.

It is brewed using tea leaves from Sri Lanka.

“Every second matters when making milk tea,” he said.

Hong Kong Fusion has four stores around Seoul. Its venue in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, will only open until the end of October and a new venue is set to open in Mapo District, western Seoul, by the end of the year.

Stir-fried Rice Noodles with Beef at Hong Kong Fusion [HONG KONG FUSION]

Chow said that he decided to open Hong Kong Fusion for his son who was born in Korea last year.

“When he becomes a little older, I wanted to be able to introduce him to his father’s favorite dishes from his hometown,” Chow said.

Char Siu glazed with honey at Hong Kong Fusion [HONG KONG FUSION]

The eatery has an eclectic list of Hong Kong dishes such as Hong Kong Curry Beef Rice (20,000 won), Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef (16,000 won) served with house-made chili sauce and Honey Char Siu (19,000 won).

Its entire kitchen staff is comprised of Hong Kong natives.

It also does delivery and is listed on the local food delivery app, Baedal Minjok.

Roast In Hong Kong

A queue is guaranteed during dinnertime in front of Roast In Hong Kong in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

Even on weekdays, the venue is filled with people, grabbing a pint of cold bear and Hong Kong-styled barbecue after work.

Hong Kong-style BBQ Platter at Roast In Hong Kong in Yongsan District, central Seoul [LEE JIAN]

The Hong Kong-style BBQ Platter is priced at 34,000 won or 44,000 won depending on the size.

The platter has meat cooked in four different ways: sous vide chicken marinated with curry and ginger and topped with spring onion and ginger dip; fried chicken that has been marinated in soy sauce; baked pork belly with crispy edges and baked pork belly braised with honey sauce.

It is served with thin, soft buckwheat wraps.

The chicken is incredibly juicy and tender, to the point that it is slightly pinkish inside.

“We wanted to recreate the soft texture of sous vide chicken in Hong Kong,” said head chef Lee Sang-suk of Roast in Hong Kong. “There, the chicken is quite under-cooked, but because people in Korea aren’t used to eating chicken that way, we try our best to cook the chicken just enough so that people here don’t feel uncomfortable.”

Another standout on the platter is the crispy pork belly.

The crispy edges are made by poking minuscule holes with needles into the skin of the boiled pork which is how the bubbles on the skin form when it is being baked. It takes some three days to make.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]