First impressions of Mr. S. Y. Punti in Sai Ying Pun – reinterpreted Hong Kong dishes fall flat on flavour
French toast aside, the bland dishes and drinks at this quaint little cha chaan teng fail to live up to some of their more traditional counterparts
Nestled at the end of a small lane in Sai Ying Pun is Mr S.Y. Punti, which its PR people describe as a “reinterpreted cha chaan teng” – which would be fine, if “reinterpreted” meant removing the flavour. Rare is it that we have visited a place that serves such bland food.
Once you find the place (look for the colourful foot massage sign for the turning into the lane), you’ll discover it’s a quaint, small cafe of the sort that could be filled with hipsters, but the execution of the food and drinks needs work before those ultra-cool kids come to hang out.
The menu features gourmet coffees and snacks that are for the most part either deep-fried or boiled. They might appear rather unsubstantial, but order a few of them and you’ll be stuffed.
The snack palette allows diners to sample a minimum of three items, from a choice of six. The pricing only allows you to choose an odd number of samples, but you can double up on the same dishes.
