And if you want to have authentic Hong Kong fare in the country, this is the place to visit
Hong Kong cuisine is described as a marriage between east and west, as the special administrative region of China was once a British colony, a sprawling international port of commerce. The food is primarily influenced by Cantonese, European, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, and other cuisines. This is why Hong Kong is labeled by culinary experts from all over the globe as “Gourmet Paradise” and the “World’s Fair of Food.” It offers a breadth of experiences from street food to fine dining, most of which are memorable and exceptional.
Among the many good restaurants in the city, Honolulu Café is one of the best food joints that reflect Hong Kong, especially in terms of history and authenticity. For the uninitiated, Honolulu Café is the first “proper” cha chaan teng or Hong Kong-style “tea restaurant” in the Chinese city. Commonly found in Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of Guangdong, the cha chaan teng is an important part of the Hong Kong lifestyle.
Honolulu Café has been around since 1940. It is now the oldest running coffee shop in Hong Kong.
Back when Hong Kong was still a dependent territory of the British Empire, the establishment was initially an ice cream shop then called Honolulu Ice Parlour. Its name was derived from the capital of Hawaii since the company wanted a Western label. Back in the 18th century, Western food was a privilege limited to the upper class.
In the Philippines, there are currently two branches—at SM Aura Premier, Taguig, which first opened in 2019, and Robinsons Place Manila. The latter I recently had the opportunity to visit.
The store is faithful to the design of other branches outside the country. Inside is chic, modern, and more youthful than traditional tea houses you would find in Hong Kong or even in Chinatown, Binondo. Its color motif is yellow with hints of blue-green pastel. There’s a wall with a sketch of Hong Kong on one side and octagon mosaic tiles for its floors.
Honolulu Café Philippines operations manager David Guevarra is particularly proud of the fact that the local branch remains 100 percent consistent with the franchise. “Our franchise has been very supportive and passionate with the brand. They want us to survive the pandemic,” says David. “We maintain a Hong Kong chef and our main or base ingredients for our food to taste authentic. When one key ingredient is missing, we make unavailable.”
This cha chaan teng is famous for its egg tarts, whose recipe is said to have been around for over 70 years. The dough is frozen overnight and folded into 192 layers to achieve a flaky, crispy shell.
This cha chaan teng is famous for its egg tarts, whose recipe is said to have been around for over 70 years. The dough is frozen overnight and folded into 192 layers to achieve a flaky, crispy shell. As for its filling, the sweetness of the custard is extremely faint. Its main flavors are eggy and creamy. The contrast of the crust and the smooth custard feels good in the mouth.
A particular pastry I enjoyed was the Bo Lo BBQ Pork Bun with its generous portion of sweet and savory pork barbecue stuffing entombed in a soft and buttery bun.
My choice of beverage was iced Hong Kong-style milk tea. The staunch black tea tempers the slight sweetness and milkiness of the drink.
Among my favorites on the menu is the Curry Fish Ball. It is what it sounds like, an elevated fish ball in a bright and earthy sauce. It tastes like street-side food, only more refined. It is incredibly soft, the texture I prefer in my fish ball.
The soy chicken is also commendable for having juicy and flavorful meat considering how chicken meat often lacks taste in this traditional Cantonese dish. The roasted pork belly has this moist meat but crackling skin that is not too salty. The Hong Kong Curry in Casserole Beef Brisket is well-presented and aromatic. The beef is tender with a subdued, savory-herby sauce. The deep-fried eggplant with pork floss is another interesting dish, presented like stacks of campfire logs. The aubergine inside is spongy while the exterior is somewhat friable.
Served also were Fried Rice with Seafood and XO Sauce, Fried Rice Macau Style, Fried Rice with Seafood and Pineapple, and the Yang Chow Fried Rice. The Yang Chow rice is another favorite of mine. It bursts with flavors, umami at the center of it all. Each of the rice dishes have generous amounts of ingredients.
“We had to study shrinking the menu. We had to make it conservative for the brand to survive. We had to keep operations simple,” explains David on the changes Honolulu Café had to adopt during the lockdowns.
The Roast-To-Go-Bento Box, which consists of soy stir-fried noodles, cabbage salad with sesame dressing, and prawn crisp, is among the few items that came out of the pandemic. “ delivery and dine-in because of the several lockdowns had been very difficult. But we survived and even gained a lot of customers for delivery.”
Other plans in store are the possibility of doing retail, to offer the pastries in groceries, cake in a box, and providing more family-friendly packed dishes. There is also an ongoing effort to expand not just the menu but the branches as well. An outlet is slated to open in May in Greenbelt.
Honolulu Café is located at Level 1, Pedro Gil Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila. It is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. honolulu.com.ph/ | facebook.com/honolulucafeph/