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Mixed instant noodles. Photos: Bruce Yan

Classic Hong Kong restaurants: Lan Fong Yuen, Central

Lan Fong Yuen hasn't stayed still in its 61 years

If Lan Fong Yuen were a classic television show, it might be .

"Lan Fong Yuen is 61 years old," says Lam Chun-chung, second generation co-owner. "My parents opened it as a dai pai dong, and we moved up to Gage Street as the years went by because as shops opened, they would say we were getting in the way of their frontage.

"In the '80s, we settled at the top of Gage Street, where we are now, and started renting the shopfront behind it."

About six years ago, the family started expanding. "Each of my brothers runs one outlet. Having just one shop and having to agree on every detail meant we would be at each other's throats all the time," Lam says. "This way, we make big decisions together, so, for example, all the menus are the same, but we each take care of the small things."

Lan Fong Yuen.

It all began when Lam's father learned to make fish ball noodles, rice dishes and other street food essentials, and then decided to open a milk tea stand, selling toast, sandwiches and sweet snacks. "There were a lot of blue-collar workers, market vendors and labourers who would come in for their afternoon tea break," Lam says.

With the economic boom in the '80s, they got a lot of office workers, salespeople and tourists. "People started asking for different foods, so we introduced the new classics."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Movable feast
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