On the Plain of Plenty

Chefs’ Recommendations

Help yourself to a buffet of the project team’s culinary mementoes.

Tasty House

For those living at the foot of Tai Mo Shan, Tasty House is always a favourite recommendation. A friend brought me to Tasty House. Afterwards, I brought many friends there. Tasty House actually does not taste quite the same, but taste has so much to do with memory. Many who shared a meal at Tasty House are now scattered. Those who stay still recommend it to friends who stay.

Stephanie Cheung
Curatorial Team

KOK KOK

I only go to Kam Tin once in a while, but everytime, I look forward to dining at Kok Kok. What makes this little Thai restaurant so captivating? Besides its delicious dishes, sour grapes are also a key factor. My feelings of Kok Kok are a mix of excitement and disappointment. When I tried to go for the first time, it was closed. Ever since then, it was closed almost everytime when I found myself in Kam Tin. If I am fortunate enough to savor their Pad Thai and a Thai milk tea, I would be thrilled for the whole day.

To successfully enjoy a favourite restaurant, it takes effort, serependity and luck.

Chan Tsz-lam
Curatorial Team

Old Fung Tea House

Bring Old Fung to Old Fung! My mom’s last name is Fung. Among the siblings, they can one another “Old Fung” (a Cantonese slang meaning taking things for granted). I came across Old Fung Tea House serendipitously and brought my mom there on her birthday XD! When Old Fung arrived at Old Fung, she was thrilled and went there again with the other Old Fungs.

Zoe Hong
Curatorial Team

Auntie Lan's lychee trees in Tai Sang Wai

Auntie Lan's lychee trees are planted next to her fish pond. Watching the fish pond in sunset, I knew that the sweetness I tasted came from the water and nutrients in Tai Sang Wai. I took the seeds of the fruit to different places in Hong Kong, hoping to keep planting sweetness for this place.

"We must cultivate our garden." -- Voltaire

Don't pick Auntie Lan's lychee without asking! If you want to learn more about her "garden", have a chat with her. She might offer you some sweetness in life. 

Tim Chan
Artist

Choi Kee Metal & Gardening Tools

In Yuen Long, there are shops selling fertilisers, seeds and farm tools. Choi Kee is my favourite. I always chat with the owner: how to fix the steadiest hoe? Which sickle is the best for harvesting rice? Why do the ploughs have different numbers of teeth? The shop is my tuition centre.

Monti Lai Wai-yi
Artist

Thailand East

Thailand East was previously called Thai House. Right next to it is an inn called Sun Kong Hotel. It feels like a film set, where characters hide when they flee from the mafia.

Because it is close to home and Thai restaurants are not crowded on festive occasions, my family always go there for birthdays and special dinners. My brother and I keep reinventing stories of fugitives, hunting traitors in lit rooms over satay skewers.

Cho Wing-ki
Artist

Kalika Club

Yuen Long has a relatively sizable Nepalese community due to its connection to the Gurkha brigades in the Shek Kong camp before 1997. So, it's no surprise that there are quite a few Nepali restaurants in the area.
As a ceramic and food adventurer, I decided to give some of these restaurants a try and discovered delicious and authentic food, particularly their vegetarian options, at reasonable prices. Despite initially feeling a bit like an outsider as nearly all of their customers are local Nepalis, the friendly atmosphere made me feel welcome.

Kalika Club, located in a quiet lane between Tung Tai Street and On Lok Road, stood out with its cozy ambiance. Inside, families and friends gathered, creating a true Nepalese home-like experience. Their Aalu Chop is simple and delicious.

Taste does trigger memories, with just one sip of their milk tea, I was instantly transported back to my solo trip to Nepal long ago, where I enjoyed local milk tea almost every day. It brought back a rush of wonderful memories.

Ray Chan See-kwong
Artist

A Few Moments・Cultural Hub

The first time I went to A Few Moments・Culture Hub, it was being managed by an auntie who was leisurely reading a book.. The second time, there was a short-haired young lady playing chess with a smart kid. On both occasions, primary students came to borrow books, and parents and children took a break after school. People chatted naturally, and the afternoon sun felt somewhat lazy. Only tea is served here, and it's paid as you wish. I like the place's down-to-earth friendliness and coziness, and its steady Wi-Fi.HK.

Yip Kai-chun
Artist

Kam Tin Market Cum Cooked Food Hawker Bazaar

My childhood memories in Kam Tin have become fragmentary. Many old eateries were gone a long time ago. Is there something I really like–some Kam Tin “gourmet” that stays in my heart? I remember, when I was in primary school, around the 1990s, I sometimes ate at the Kam Tin Market Cum Cooked Food Hawker Bazaar. Back then, my mom helped patients take temperature in the clinic next to the market. The doctor was my uncle. The nurse was my aunt. Kam Tin Main Road is a reservoir of enduring memories. Time flies. The clinic is not there anymore. I forgot the taste of the food but remember the smell of cooking, the wet floor in front of the fishmonger, the butcher where my classmate’s mom still works and their thoroughly tempered chopping board, and the dark green of old-style folding gates. When you pass by the area, have a stroll through this memory lane. The curry from the cart noodle shop is also worth trying.

Tang Kwok-hin
Artist

Peanut Candy Outside the Tang Ancestral Hall

Back in the day, I went on a day trip to Yuen Long with my family. We explored cool places like the Ping Shan Heritage Trail. I distinctly remember the open space outside the Tang Ancestral Hall being the perfect spot for running and jumping. And oh, the highlight was a grandma selling fresh peanut candy. But as I grew up and revisited the place, the peanut candy disappeared. I started doubting my memory, thinking it was playing tricks on me. But thanks to this project, I stumbled upon that elusive peanut candy again. It's like a surprise treat that pops up randomly. It's a sweet reminder of those little moments of joy, and it reassures me that my memory hasn't gone bonkers.

Germaine Cheung
Hong Kong Arts Development Council

Kam Tin Pizza

Living in the New Territories East, ever since unlocking the new map in Yuen Long, I've found the community of Kam Tin to be quite magical, offering a blend of the old and the new from all around the world. My friend who lives in Kam Tin quietly introduced me to a hidden gem located near Kam Tin Road—a pizza shop run by friends from minority ethnic groups. They serve generously-sized pizzas for just over a hundred dollars, larger than those from chain pizza restaurants, and the taste is off the charts, earning a rating of 32 from my friend (although no idea what the full score is)~ Intrigued, I decided to give it a try and left the pizza shop with a box of extra-large pizza, feeling like a character from an American TV show delivering pizzas, instantly transported through the blue brick walls but still firmly rooted in Hong Kong. Personally, I believe this magical experience is definitely worth a try (and you'll fall in love with the pizza at first bite)! 

Wing Mak
Hong Kong Arts Development Council

Yuen Long Wet Market

For a while, I frequently visited temples in the rural areas of Yuen Long. I would make my way to Yuen Long from the southern district in the morning, then transfer via minibus to get to the temples before 9 for the almsgiving ceremony. The Yuen Long Wet Market is located near the minibus station, so I often went there to purchase different types of food. For instance, the vegetable and fruit stall at the corner sells Indian gooseberries, when mixed with spices and honey, could be made into medicine for the monks. If I wanted ready-made dishes, I would go to the vegetarian shop in the alley. The display cabinets showcased a wide variety of dishes, among which I particularly loved the taro fish, with its crispy skin and generous filling that whetted my appetite.

Annabella Lee
Hong Kong Arts Development Council