Tea breaks with tradition
Present-day iterations of Hong Kong's beloved cha chaan teng are often about memorializing elements of the traditional model. Faye Bradley reports.
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Over in SoHo, Happy Paradise's cha chaan teng-inspired interior marries neon lighting with retro furnishings. Opened in 2017 by celebrated local chef May Chow, the restaurant delivers modern Cantonese cuisine rather than cafe-style fare. And in 2019, award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel launched Dang Wen Li, a capsule collection of high-end cha chaan teng-inspired goodies. Signature offerings include pineapple bun (in fact, a coconut-pineapple-passion-fruit cake) and Hong Kong milk tea cookie shot, which sees a biscuit cup in the shape of a Yakult bottle filled with iced milk tea and topped with a chocolate lid.