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Illegal eateries want licence-free status

May Chan

Owners of illegal 'private kitchens' say they should be allowed to operate without a licence because they provide a unique culinary service that has already persuaded thousands of visitors to flock to Hong Kong.

The underground eateries are particularly popular with tourists from Japan, Korea and Singapore since media coverage highlighted the private kitchens about three years ago.

Private kitchens are unlicensed restaurants run by avid food-lovers and are mainly found in private residential buildings. There have been heated debates in recent weeks on whether to exempt them from licensing or bring them in line with the present system, which requires rigid set-ups such as proper ventilation, professional cooking utensils and drainage systems.

Bonnie So Shuk-ying, whose private kitchen Chez Copains was such a success that she has decided to register it to become a proper restaurant, said the government should support the private kitchen industry, considering its tourism benefits.

Ha Yiu-man, said many tourists dined at his French private kitchen, La Bouteille, after it was featured in a Japanese airline in-flight magazine and a Japanese TV documentary programme.

'These Japanese tourists rang up from their hotels to make reservations as soon as they touched down, that's how popular we are. Instead of working against us with this licensing nonsense, the government should give us all the support by promoting us to overseas visitors via the Hong Kong Tourism Board,' he said.

While serious gastronomes from Southeast Asia have found their way to private kitchens, most European and American visitors remain in the dark about the alternative dining due to lack of overseas promotion.

Londoners Russel Smith and Kate Adams had never heard of them but said they would like to try it out provided they were given enough information.

'Of course it would be very interesting for us as we are always looking for authentic, small dining places, native to Hong Kong, that would give us a better understanding of the local culture.

'But we won't venture into it without sufficient information from proper authorities for reasons such as personal safety and food quality,' said Mr Smith.

John Harris, an American tourist, said: 'Information such as prices and the variety of food would be necessary as most tourists are very careful about their spending.'

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