A new generation of Hong Kong eateries is adding colour, character and serious flavour to Reading.

We’re all always on the lookout for truly authentic restaurants, especially when a memorable dish abroad leaves us craving the real thing back home, or just wanting to try something new. One person who knows this feeling well is Gareth Warwick, host of the Facebook group Real Food Community, a space dedicated to sharing stories, ideas and recipes that celebrate “real food”.

Gareth, who lives in Reading, brings a fascinating cultural mix to the table: half Chinese Malaysian and half Welsh, born in Germany, with recent chapters in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, and now based in Riyadh. Lately, he’s been sparking lively discussion in the group with posts about the growing number of Hong Kong–style Cha Chaan Teng cafés appearing in the UK.

With Reading only down the road and home to a wonderful melting pot of different cultures, communities and naturally restaurants, we asked Gareth to share his top recommendations. He was right about the queues outside Me Kong…

Our food culture has always been enriched by migration but many of the traditional Cantonese style Chinese restaurants we enjoyed from their heyday in the 1980s have declined as the next generations didn’t want to take up the family restaurants. But now Reading has a hidden gem of a restaurant provided by a new wave of Catonese arriving in the UK, many of whom having chosen Reading as their home.

Me Kong is an amazing place and is literally hidden at the bottom of St Lawrence House, Abbey Square behind Reading library. It offers Hong Kong style Cha Chaan Teng (tea restaurant) cuisine in a typical no thrills cafe or diner style vibe. It’s definitely worth a visit, at just after midday on the day we visited, it was packed with Hong Kongers and we had to briefly wait for a table (you can’t book) and some days they’re queuing out the door.

This Cha Chaan Teng fusion style blends Hong Kong food with Western influences, often termed ‘Soy Sauce Western’ and is a unique food culture in Hong Kong. The Western influences stem from the colonial era in Hong Kong when the British wanted to remember comforts from home, with dishes like the the Hong Kong egg tart very much being a direct descendant of the British custard tart and a dish like Pork Chop and Fried Egg With Scallion Oil On Rice having a fusion story behind it.

• The Pork Chop is influenced by British steaks and cutlets, here though the meat is typically pounded thin to tenderize it, marinated in a mix of soy sauce, sugar, and sometimes five-spice, and then pan-fried or deep-fried.
• The Scallion Oil (Cong You) is a traditional Cantonese condiment made by sizzling ginger and scallions in hot oil. It was added to provide a fragrant, savory punch that balances the richness of the fried meat.
• The Fried Egg, a signature addition in Cha Chaan Teng culture, often served “sunny side up” so the runny yolk acts as a natural sauce for the rice.

Image: Pork Chop and Fried Egg With Scallion Oil On Rice

The food has almost come full circle with dishes like this now a comfort for Hong Kongers here in the UK and a much welcomed introduction to our food culture.

This new wave of Catonese migration stems from the British National Overseas (BNO) migration from Hong Kong and has directly fueled a massive resurgence of authentic Hong Kong cuisine across the UK. With Reading being a major hub for this movement we’ve seen the creation of a new food scene in town and we are fortunate to have a number of these eateries local to us, amongst them and of note are:

Good Old Days takeaway in Caversham, features a chef from a 5-star Hong Kong hotel and Jay Rayner in the Guardian gave a very positive review saying it was like finding “a senior chef from the Ritz… in your local caff” and describing the food as “boisterously thrilling” and “completely great’.

Photograph: Sophia Evans/The Observer

But it doesn’t stop there Whittington’s Tea Barge (as seen on Roux Back Down The River) moored on the north bank of the River Thames at Caversham, does a Cha Chaan Teng menu on Fridays. You can literally bob about on the Thames and enjoy some Hong Kong classics and my sister who always had a keen eye for a new restaurant, introduced me to Food Stasian in Woodley Shopping Centre, who have a delicious and great value Cha Chaan Teng menu.

If you want to try some new fusion cuisine get out there and try Cha Chaan Teng cuisine, enjoy.

Written by Gareth Warwick Real Food Community – Real Food Community

Image: Whittington’s Tea Barge with Michel Roux Jr