First-time restaurateur Wendy Cheung Wing-yan and two partners are striving to preserve one of Hong Kong's ethnic cuisines. Their restaurant, Hakka Ye Ye, pays homage to Cheung's heritage: its name is a tribute to her grandfather, whom she says once owned a Hakka restaurant in Kowloon City.
The eatery, which seats 46, has a brick wall that brings to mind the exterior of a typical Hakka village.
A rear section (above left), which can be reserved for parties of up to 12, is adorned with red circular lamps (the colour and shape are good-luck symbols in Hakka culture).
'Hakka cuisine is based on pork and chicken, and food tends to be either deep-fried or braised,' Cheung explains. 'I've recruited two experienced chefs from a famous local Hakka restaurant to ensure the authenticity of our offerings.'
Some dishes draw on recipes from Cheung's grandparents and a few of the ingredients are made in Hakka villages. An example is cucumber prawns (above right; HK$138), which is prepared with sauce derived from the residue of fermented red rice wine. The braised sweet and sour duck with plum sauce (HK$258) has fresh plums stuffed into the cavity of the duck, which is then braised for two hours (advance order required). Other dishes include crispy pork nuggets stuffed into deep-fried bean curd sheets (HK$42) and a vegetarian dish of radish puffs (shredded turnips mixed with Chinese celery and rice, shaped into balls and either steamed or fried, HK$42).