Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

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November 19, 2010 By cheryl

Lin Heung Tea House: Hong Kong Dim Sum, The Old School


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Because we are in Hong Kong, dim sum is a must.

My dear friend Jeanette and I — two women who have been driven by our stomachs in the 20 years that we have been the best of friends — we wake up in the cool grayness of Hong Kong bleary-eyed and starving.

Even in the fog of sleepiness, our mission is clear — we stumble out into the dusty bustle of mid-morning Hong Kong and make our way toward Central. On a corner of narrow Wellington Street lies our destination: Lin Heung Tea House, a dim sum place that has been around since 1928 and is packed most mornings with regulars who head there for a morning dumpling fix, strong pu erh (or po lei as it is known in these parts) and some quality time with the day's newspaper …

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cantonese, Dim Sum, Hong Kong, Restaurants Tagged With: Beef balls, Beef tendons, Bun, Cantonese, Cart, Central, Char siew bao, Cheong fun, Chicken feet, Dim Sum, Dumpling, Egg yolk, Har gow, Hong Kong, Lin Heung Tea House, Lin yong bao, Lo mai gai, Lotus paste, Po Lei, Pu Erh, Roast pork bun, Shu mai, Sweet soy sauce, Tea, Wellington Street

August 28, 2009 By cheryl

Singapore: Grilling The Satay Man


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I’ve been on a hunt.

The object of my obsession has been a man who is one of the last of his kind in Singapore — the traveling Satay Man, a person of a breed so rare that, sadly, he’s not likely to be replaced when he finally he hangs up his tongs.

For the last 32 years, this particular satay man has plied his trade almost every day in the Tiong Bahru neighborhood in central Singapore. He spends hours pushing his little wooden cart along the narrow sidewalks near Tiong Bahru market, pausing occasionally to bellow, “Sa-TAAYYYYYY! Sa-TAAYYYYYY!”

Those who live there know to run down quickly when they hear him — you never know how long he’ll stop for. And, at 40 cents (about 28 U.S. cents) for a stick of satay, he often sells out pretty quickly.

I’m happy to report that I finally did catch him. And the news, I fear, is not good.

At 43 years old, he’s looking to quit. There’s a home in China he’s dreaming of retiring to, you see. As soon as he can comfortably close shop for good, he’s gone.

For now, however, he’s got a job to do. And what a job it is — after having tasted his satay, I rank this guy up there with Santa Claus in the “bringing joy (and calories) to folks” category.

Seriously, people, we’ve got to find a way to clone him.

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Filed Under: Singapore, Southeast Asian, Tales From the Road Tagged With: Cart, China, Cucumber, Fat, Hainanese, Ketupat, Pandan, Peanut sauce, Pineapple, Pork, Rice, Satay, Singapore, Tiong Bahru

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