‘Food of my generation’: tiny Hong Kong bakery with big impact to close after almost half a century in business
- Hoover Cake Shop in Kowloon City to shut its doors after half a century of serving up tasty traditional treats
- Bakery made famous by actor Chow Yun-fat, who sometimes volunteered behind counter to sell cakes.
In the old town of Kowloon City sits a decades-old corner shop that catches the eye of passers-by with a shopfront of bright red floral tiles and copies of comments praising its egg tarts, a custard confection synonymous with Hong Kong.
But the bakery – Hoover Cake Shop – will fade away into the pages of history from October 1 after it announced on Saturday it was to close down after almost 50 years in business.
Several dozen customers were seen queuing outside the shop on Sunday, and some said they wanted to experience the taste and shared memories of old Hong Kong one last time.
Lyla Ding, 40, an office worker, was among the regulars over the past two years and said she was shocked by the announcement.
“It has been here for decades. I thought it was a constant in the community,” she said. “It’s part of the legacy of Hong Kong’s past heyday. I’ll miss the handwritten menus and the aged decor the most. They are not seen elsewhere.”
The shop, which opened its doors 48 years ago, can barely house two customers at the same time, with an area of less than 100 sq ft.