Take a step back in time with authentic cafe dishes

When you enter Cha's Restaurant in Shanghai, it feels like a step back in time to 1960s Hong Kong, and this attraction it seems, is earning a faithful following which can be seen waiting in line for hours just to get a seat.

Once inside, they quickly order the boluo bau, freshly baked "pineapple buns" that have tempted generations of Hong Kong children. There is no pineapple in them, but the sweet crispy crust that tops each bun is scored into diamond patterns like a pineapple. Most customers will wash it down with a glass of chilled sweet, milky tea.

"In the first three months after I opened the restaurant, 99 percent of the customers were Hong Kong people living or working in Shanghai. But now, more than half are locals," says Charlie Hau, the owner of the restaurant.