Thursday, May 4, 2017

Travelling afar for breakfast

We took our new toy out for a spin on the last day of Easter long weekend and found ourselves in this unfamiliar neighborhood of Luk Keng Village at the north-eastern tip of Hong Kong early in the morning. It was a very pleasant drive actually with the clear sky and all (we finally got a moonroof! Woohoo!), and only took us slightly less than an hour from where we live, with the last bit though a picturesque two-lane road past the Tai Po country parks along the reservoirs and coastline with a bit of twists and turns until we almost reach the Hong Kong-China border at this rural village with far more visitors than residents on weekends and public holidays.



We came here both for the drive and to check out this café called Café de Chan Feng at them entrance of the village, well-known as a popular breakfast spot especially among those fancy car collectors who brought their prized asset out every once a while. There’s no lack of luxury cars running on the streets in Hong Kong, but still it’s not an everyday scene to see an array of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens and Porsches just casually parked on the curbside next to the café, with their drivers chit-chatting at the table outside over a cup of local milk tea. Then there’s a troupe of bikers too with their Harleys and Ducatis for their impromptu meet-up of sorts.

Settling in at our table right outside under the shade, we began flipping through the menu and were quite impressed with the many items they serve at this chachaanteng-looking restaurant literally just on the roadside in the middle of nowhere. There were the usual local diner fares like noodles, rice and sandwiches, but they also carried a number of western dishes, like a proper full English breakfast or some simple bar snacks.

It didn’t take long for our breakfasts to arrive, and man, it was delicious. I mean, not only in just ordinary chachaanteng standard, but I think it probably rivalled many of the established restaurants elsewhere which charges twice as much. And it came with very generous portion – ours came with two eggs to order, an English sausage, bacon, baked beans, hash-brown and toasts. Eggs were done just as requested, and both sausages and bacon, while they were not made in-house, were tasty. But the best part of all was the toast served with homemade jam, which I believe changes regularly. The day we went it was pineapple-apple, and I loved it sweet and tangy. And as an added option, you could order French press coffee instead of the regular drink – again, not something you see often elsewhere.


True we did travel quite a distance for breakfast this time, but it was a good breakfast. You bet we will do it again, especially on another clear and sunny morning like this – after all our new toy does need proper run-in and that’s the way to do it, passing through the most scenic route in town.

When? April 17 2017
Where? Cafe de Chan Feng (aka Chan Fung Kee), 1 Luk Keng Village, Sha Tau Kok, New Territories, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Full English Breakfast


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