Classic Hong Kong restaurants: Nam Loong Cafe, Causeway Bay
Nam Loong Cafe is reborn in a new location, writes Janice Leung Hayes
"Bing sutt came long before cha chaan teng," says Ray Chui, who reopened the 52-year-old Nam Loong Cafe, a classic bing sutt, last December.
Translated directly as ice rooms, bing sutt are small cafes that mostly serve iced drinks and have a limited food menu, if they serve food at all. Chui says licensing requirements in the 1950s meant these cafes were restricted to serving 17 or 19 items, and were not permitted to have full kitchens. Hence they did not serve larger meals, usually opting for baked goods and simple foods such as toast.
Nam Loong was founded by Ng Yuen-fat, who immigrated to Hong Kong from Guangdong in the 1940s. At first, Ng set up a small dai pai dong in Shau Kei Wan. It sold milk tea and toast, prepared over a charcoal stove. In 1959, having saved his profits from the dai pai dong, Ng was able to buy a shop to house his cafe. Nam Loong was officially born in 1961.
After serving the Shau Kei Wan neighbourhood for over half a century, Ng was presented with an offer to sell the property. None of his relatives had any interest in taking over the cafe, so he closed it.
Chui, a restaurateur, was a regular customer of Nam Loong and called the owner Grandpa Ng. He convinced Ng to sell him the business, including its intellectual property, such as the recipes. Chui then reopened the cafe in a new location.
"I wanted it to be as similar as possible to the old Nam Loong, with two storeys, large windows overlooking the street, wide banquettes, artificial stone wall finishes and mosaic floors," says Chui.
It took him a few months just to find the right two-storey shop, and almost a year to put it all together, but he's happy with the results
"We don't take shortcuts," Chui says. "The recipe formulas are followed closely. It might not be the most cost-efficient way of doing business, but it's important that we retain the original version."
But there are also some new surprises, such as the "golden brick" - a hollowed out loaf of bread, toasted and filled with rice and Hong Kong-style bolognese sauce, then baked with cheese.
"Now that we're in Causeway Bay, we have to keep things fresh," Chui says.
