Good Old Days in a Good Restaurant - Even Better in the Future

New pubs and restaurants keep opening up in Soho West, but a good number of long-established eateries are still operating there. One of them is Sammy’s Kitchen, a restaurant well-known for its so-called soy-sauce western cuisine. Owner and founder Sammy Yip, now in his eighties, still puts in an appearance from time to time to oversee food quality and act as occasional cashier.

Sammy himself came to Hong Kong at a youthful 15 years of age and began work in a hotel. And it was he who created his own establishment’s famous sauce when, many years ago, he came up with a concoction of port wine, tomato, onion, herbs and Cointreau as well as a mix of spices from East and West.

Pretty sure he was on to a winner, he founded Sammy’s Kitchen in 1969, and moved the restaurant to its present site in 1979, where it is easily recognised thanks to a large cow-shaped neon sign distinctively positioned outside. This has become something of landmark in Sai Ying Pun and Western, with former governor Chris Pattern said to have visited the restaurant and admired the sign.

I go to Western District several times a year to buy dried seafood, Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns and the like, and popping into Sammy’s Kitchen is a must on my to-do list during each trip.

The restaurant is now run by Yip’s children and is adorned with photos of the dishes available and the celebrities who have visited and dined there.