Liaquat Ali runs Shaffi's, the curry house at the British Army base in Sek Kong. The restaurant has become such an institution that servicemen from all over the world drop in there on stopovers in Hong Kong. Its reputation has also spread outside army circles with famous customers including Cantopop star Andy Lau and Indian film star Anil Kapoor. Mr Ali, 33, came to Hong Kong in 1985 after graduating in economics in his native Pakistan. He lives with his wife Asifanasreen and sons Omer, nine, and Umair, seven, in Kam Tin village. Mr Ali opened Shaffi's II in 1994 for the Royal Logistic Corps and Shaffi's III in April for the Hong Kong Military Service Corps. What's on your mind? Sek Kong closes in November. It's very sad and a big shock. I will miss the community and the atmosphere here, but with the end of the colony we have to say goodbye. Luckily, I've got very good support here and I'm hoping to follow the Army back to a base in England. We're still waiting to see whether the NAAFI (Navy Army Air Fore Institute) accepts it or blocks it. What will you do if the NAAFI bars you? One of the warrant officers here said he would be happy to open a joint venture with me after he retires - maybe in Lincoln. He would sponsor me back to England. I've just got my BNO passport, so I hope that will make it easier for me. How did Shaffi's start? My uncle Mohammad Shaffi joined the Queen's Gurkha Signals in 1940. When he retired he was serving in Singapore. But he still had friends in the Signals and when they moved to Hong Kong, he followed them over. He established the shop in 1974. I came over from Pakistan to help him in 1985 after my degree. Unfortunately he died two months later, but the forces encouraged me to stay. I had already learnt a bit by then, but it was trial and error. If it was too salty or too hot, I would throw away the whole pot and start again. Everyone calls me Shaffi now. But it's a team effort. We all muck in together - there's no hierarchy. What's so special about Shaffi's? I'm just like a family member to the forces. Everyone in the forces who's been to Hong Kong knows Shaffi's. Even if they were here 20 years ago, they make a point of coming back if they are visiting. Is Shaffi's just for the armed forces? No. We get a lot of civilians. We do about 1,000 meals a week. The police also come up here and once a month we deliver about 90 meals all the way to Chek Lap Kok for one of the construction companies. Are you having a leaving party? The last meal will be on December 5, but a lot of people will have left by then so we're having a closing party on October 25. I'm thinking of doing a roasted goat and barbecue.
