When I first moved back to Hong Kong, my first job was at a US-based company in Wanchai and one thing I still remembered well was how crazy it was at lunch. I usually went to the handful of local tea restaurants near my office for lunch. There were often huge lineups in front of the more popular restaurants so sitting down for lunch was generally not an option unless we went down to get a table 15 to 30 minutes before lunch hours.
I visited Cafe Hennessy (軒尼詩冰廳) quite a number of times for breakfast and lunch during my working days here. It used to be a hole-in-the-wall type of family-run cha chaan teng that offers no-frills local comfort food. What I didn't realize was its history that dated back to the 1980s (just read a sign here). I don't think many local restaurants in Wanchai survived this long, except of course the legendary Honolulu Coffee Shop (檀島咖啡餅店) on Hennessy Road. I still recalled they have a very good iced pantyhose milk tea.
So it was nice to return to the scene more than a decade later. They obviously had renovation over the years and therefore, were no longer considered an old-school tea restaurant anymore.
I was curious about their iced milk tea and not surprisingly, it was still silky smooth just like old times.
Macaroni with shredded ham and vegetarian abalone is always a classic and will always be one at the local cha chaan tengs.
I thought the butter toast could be a little better.
I couldn't ask for more from a cha chaan teng breakfast set. This one from Cafe Hennessy was certainly good value-for-money. Would I come back again anytime soon? I don't know. I have so much memory about Wanchai and while I was feeling nostalgic these days, I probably would prefer visiting other restaurants from my hay days. Boston Restaurant (波士頓餐廳) could be next.
Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: G/F, 6A & 6B O'Brien Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 3579-5610
Opening Hours: 6:30am - 8:30pm (Mon - Fri), 6:30am - 6:00pm (Sat)
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