Lan Fong Yuen at Gage Street, Central reminded me of Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory. Perhaps it was the psychedelic red, green and purple facade. Or the fact that the tiny storefront is a secret gateway to something so magical and wonderful that kept us mesmerised.
The interior of Lan Fong Yuen is telling of its age - this rickety cafe has been around since the 1950s and has not lost any of its charm since. Beautiful tiles and metal chairs sprawled on the ground; numerous (yellowed) media articles plastered the walls along with the (classic) album covers of Alan Tam. The owners of Lan Fong Yuen must have been huge fans.
Lan Fong Yuen made its mark in history by creating the now renown Hong Kong 'silk stocking' milk tea (絲襪奶茶). Black tea is put in a sackcloth bag before hot water is added to brew the tea, and it is the sackcloth bag that results in a smooth texture and a richer taste.
And boy, Lan Fong Yuen did not disappoint and truly deserve the accolades indeed. The tea was very smooth, creamy and fragrant - the proportion of milk and tea was grasped perfectly. Sugar can be added on one's discretion and we liked ours with 2 teaspoons of sugar. The 'silk stocking' milk tea at Lan Fong Yuen perked us up that morning, and I can still remember the smoothness and fragrance of it. It is a no wonder that Lan Fong Yuen remained popular after 50 odd years, a major feat in this hipster cafe-booming era.
Of course we had to order a polo bun with butter to go along with the silk stocking milk tea. The polo bun at Lan Fong Yuen was sweet and crispy on top, and the salty butter wedged between the soft bun melted everything into a heavenly bliss. The salty fragrance of the polo bun, paired with the sweet fragrance of the silk stocking milk tea- lethal. Every bite and every sip was an omph.
We could not resist ordering a brunch food item as we wanted more of Lan Fong Yuen. And we were so happy that we did. The spring onion noodles with pork chop was simply the bomb and a definite must-try when you are at Lan Fong Yuen.
The pork chop was nicely marinated, and grilled with smokey perfection. The outside was slightly charred, the way we like it, and the insides were still tender and juicy. The contender of the pork chop at Lan Fong Yuen is the one at Chopsticks Kee. However, what gave this dish the edge is the modest looking spring onion sitting at the left corner of the plate. It had been stir fried and gave a very lovely fragrant and texture to the springy noodles. This was by far, my most favourite dish in our foodie expeditions around Hong Kong!
There, three simple dishes that made our day right. In fact, we were so in love with them that we went back to Lan Fong Yuen for seconds, and even took away the milk tea after the meal. Lan Fong Yuen is an absolute must-try when you are in Hong Kong. Be mesmerized, and don't be surprised when you find yourself wanting to go for seconds and thirds.
Hong Kong Food Blog Review by Kumory
☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁
Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園)
2 Gage Street
Central Hong Kong
8am to 8pm daily (except Sunday)
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