Reflections | Jimmy’s Kitchen closes after nearly a century, but China’s oldest restaurants go back to the 1400s
- Beijing’s original Bian Yi Fang and Shanghai’s Wang Bao He are among the oldest restaurants ‘brands’ on the mainland
- Admittedly, Hong Kong’s ever-changing F&B scene makes it harder to make a long-lasting mark on the landscape
Established in Wan Chai in 1928, the restaurant has been, for me, a reliable constant in Hong Kong’s ever-changing F&B landscape. While the food and service may not be the city’s best, nor the decor the most à la mode, there is a certain thrill to dining in an establishment that has been in existence (in various premises) for almost a century.
The oldest restaurant “brand” still operating in China is Peking duck restaurant Bian Yi Fang, in Beijing. Founded during the Ming dynasty, specifically in the 14th year of the Yongle era (1416), it began as a food processing workshop where live chickens and ducks were slaughtered for restaurants and grand houses.
It then ventured into roasting ducks and chickens, which became very popular. For more than 400 years, business continued to grow and by the 19th century imitators calling themselves Bian Yi Fang began appearing in Beijing.
In response, the original Bian Yi Fang added the word “old” (lao) to its name to highlight the fact that it was the real thing. In 1855, a new Bian Yi Fang, located in Beijing’s Qianmen district, poached the head chef of Old Bian Yi Fang.
Business thrived and in time, its Peking duck became world famous. Today, the Bian Yi Fang in Qianmen is the sole remaining restaurant bearing the famous name following the insolvencies of all other Bian Yi Fangs, including the original.