A Bygone Era

Yesterday morning I arranged to meet a co-worker that was in town from the Shanghai office for "yum cha" at Luk Yu Teahouse, a charming, old tea house and dim sum restaurant.  Founded in the 1930s, it has retained all of the remnants of its former glory by refusing to change anything about itself - not the decor nor the food.  It is Hong Kong's oldest dim sum establishment and one of its most famous.

I have been wanting to try Luk Yu for a while - it first caught my attention because the store front's wood paneling and plant-filled upper verandah looked so old-school.  It is also close to my office, so I have had ample opportunity to mosey by and peer inside.  Old ceilings fans swirling from the high ceilings, abundant teak and rosewood furnishings, and waiters in traditional white jackets and loose black pants all conjure up an era long past.

Courtesy of TripAdvisor

As the first floor of the establishment is unofficially reserved for long-time customers and the rich and famous, we were ushered to the second floor where we perched on a rosewood table and chair set to enjoy our morning repast.  We had a most enjoyable jasmine tea, a disarmingly delicate brew that still packed a strong caffeine punch, laced with the fragrant aroma and lightly sweet taste that I so love.    The food was brought around by waiters carrying metal trays looped around their necks.  The trays contained various goodies hidden within steamed baskets.  We had to ask them to open the baskets so we could peer into each one, as aside from the traditional "har gao" and "xiu mai"  we did not know the terms of any of the other dishes.  We ended up consuming a fair number of dishes (five, to be exact - it's disarming, it seems like small portions but they are very filling!), then lingering to slowly finish up our last morsels and to sip our tea.

The bill was a bit hefty, but everything was very tasty and I look forward to going back.

Courtesy of Asia Tatler Dining