Tai Cheong Bakery has a special place in the hearts of its many customers - including former governor Chris Patten, who famously described its prized egg tarts as the best in the world.
The closure yesterday of the tiny shop in Lyndhurst Terrace after 51 years is, therefore, a sad occasion.
Lord Patten lamented the passing of the bakery that used to serve him breakfast. Tourism Board chief Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee described it as a 'historic eatery' and called for it to be preserved.
Yesterday, hundreds of customers paid their own tribute to the shop by queuing for up to an hour for what might be a final taste of those famed egg tarts.
But there is little room for sentiment where commercial decision-making is concerned. Tai Cheong has become the latest 'victim' of surging retail rents. Its landlord raised the $38,000 monthly rental by 110 per cent. This was too much for the bakery, which has pulled down the shutters.
There will be many who have a lot of sympathy with the view of its proprietor, Au Yeung Tin-yun, who described the rent increase as outrageously high.
Retailers have been hit with big increases as the property market continues to rebound from its low point in 2003. Watsons, Pizza Hut and Giordano are among those that have complained that landlords are making unrealistic demands. The fashion chain closed one of its branches after a 70 per cent increase.