LATE-NIGHT DINING, or siu yeh as it's known in Hong Kong, used to be an integral part of city life. After a midnight cinema screening or an evening of dancing, night owls would head to their favourite late-night eatery. A haven for those working and playing at odd hours, late-night restaurants were commonplace and had an ambience of their own. Nowadays, the culture of siu yeh is fading and, with it, the number of eateries.
'The siu yeh culture in Hong Kong is not as big as it was 10 to 20 years ago,' says Lau Kin-wai, food critic and owner of Chinese restaurants Yellow Door Kitchen in Central and Kin's Kitchen in North Point. 'People today like a healthier lifestyle than before. Many follow the conventional health advice that one shouldn't eat three or four hours before going to bed.'
The economic downturn during the past decade is also to blame, Lau says. Until 1997, late-night restaurants were thriving. Such places owed their prosperity to the night clubs and hostess bars of the time. 'Until a decade ago, there used to be plenty of adult clubs in Hong Kong,' says Lau. 'After a fun night out, company bosses and rich men would bring hostesses out to eat. But so many of these clubs have now closed down and it's not as easy to find siu yeh places today.'
For Paul Chan, manager of Causeway Bay restaurant Hee Kee, which stays open until 4am, the changes are something to lament. 'Things aren't as good as before,' he says. 'Ten years ago, if you walked down the streets of Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, you saw throngs of people everywhere. The nights were just as busy as the days and many restaurants stayed open until late. I used to have siu yeh after watching a midnight movie. But look at what's happening in the cinema today. There are just fewer reasons to have siu yeh now.'
The times may have changed, but there's still demand - albeit dimished - for such eateries in a 24-hour city such as Hong Kong. Hee Kee, for example, still gets a steady stream of customers after midnight, mostly karaoke-goers and party animals. Chan says the restaurant starts to get busy about 2am and peaks between 2.30am and 3.30am.
Meanwhile, the late-night dining scene is growing more westernised. As Chinese siu yeh places such as Hee Kee become rarer, late-night western eateries have opened. One of them is Big Ernie's Diner, offering American fare, which opened in Wan Chai three weeks ago and stays open until 2am, and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. 'We want to offer a relaxing place for people to have a meal and listen to some music from the 50s and 60s after a night out,' says manager Michael Salcedo. 'It's not a noisy place like the typical bars. It's a place where you can wind down and talk to your friends.'