Lan Fong Yuen

I remember the first time I came to Lan Fong Yuen — my sister and I were blown away by their tomato soup with macaroni. It was amazing! Both my sister and I liked it so much that the owner even came by to comment on how much we enjoyed it.
This little tiny café is pretty much an ancient shack in the middle of the street. But despite it looking a bit rundown, you actually see the authenticity of their food, especially in the way they brew their Hong Kong style milk tea. People seriously come from all over just to get a cup. Because the shop is so tiny, be prepared to be seated with other parties. Lots of round tables that can seat up to 8 (albeit super cramped).
So returning back to Lan Fong Yuen, I had high expectations for their food although we could only make afternoon tea. Menu is pretty standard and fairly simple — classic HK styled traditional food. We ordered very basic and simple items since we were going to have dinner in a few hours.
Condensed milk on toast: I expected something much more elevated than simply condensed milk on toast. But, in all honesty, they served what they advertised. This is something you can make at home, so I definitely do not recommend ordering it.
Butter condensed milk buns: I don’t remember if this came with another item, but … this was seriously the exact same item as the condensed milk on toast, only this time it came on the piggy-​styled buns (or hamburger buns). They were warmed up and crispy, but something you can make yourself! Not worth ordering.
Instant noodle with spam and eggs: Again, very traditional HK styled. And for this dish, yes you can make it yourself, but there is that special charm of eating it in Hong Kong and enjoying the authentic HK flavor of the overall dish. There’s something different about eating it in SGV and eating it in HK. Flavor was good and the spam wasn’t too salty. For the price, I think it was pretty worth it.
HK styled egg sandwich: You really have not eaten an egg sandwich until you’ve had an authentic HK egg sandwich. They do have some pretty good ones in SGV, but this was also really good. Egg was soft and creamy. Bread was super soft (and also cut pretty small without the crusts). Biting into the sandwich was kind of like biting into little clouds of joy. Egg had good flavor but didn’t taste as if it was salted or anything. Must try!
And the amazing French toast with Kaya cooked in the middle. To this day, probably the best French toast (HK style) I have ever eaten. Despite it being deep fried, it was so crispy and delightful, and didn’t taste heavy at all! The Kaya in the middle gave it more sweetness, combating with the slightly savory taste of the fried toast. Dousing it in syrup and lathering up a piece with butter — the most amazing taste you can imagine. AND feeling it slightly crunch as you bite into the shell of the toast before chewing on the bread — so good!
AND the HK styled milk tea or «Stocking Milk Tea» (which is what they are known for). Is it as good as expected? Does it live up to the hype? YES! The smoothest, tastiest, on point HK milk tea I have ever tasted. With just the right amount of sugar and sweetness, this tea seriously just slides down your throat and makes your taste buds thank you with happiness. It’s that good! I prefer the iced milk tea, but the hot one isn’t too bad either. It’s definitely a matter of preference. So worth it — I don’t know if they sell their secret formula for making the tea, but if they do, I would totally buy it!
The service was as expected. We were trying to figure out the best way to order and still hit most of the specials, but the waitress taking our order just chided us and said she would help us take care of the money. I think she ended up overcharging us in the end, but whatever — still cheaper than a HK breakfast in LA!
tl;dr — If you get a chance to try the tomato soup with macaroni, I do recommend it, but I’m not sure if the quality is still as good as when I’ve had several years ago. MUST order the French toast and HK styled milk tea.

Hier gibt es nach diversen chinesischen Zeitschriften und Aussagen bekannter Promis aus Hong Kong den besten Milchtee. Ich habe mir deshalb zum Ziel gesetzt, diesen Laden mal auszuprobieren.
Nach vielen Straßen und Ecken habe ich ihn auch gefunden. An einem sonnigen späten Nachmittag hat sich bereits eine lange Schlange bildet. 15 – 20 Leute reihen sich ein und warten darauf, dass die Dame uns einweist.
Während der Wartezeit fällt mein Blick auf diese grüné Bank, die vor dem Laden steht. Ein bekannter Promi aus Hong Kong hatte vor etlichen Jahren hier eine bestimmte Sitzstellung eingenommen und sich dabei fotografieren lassen. Seitdem scheinen viele Touristen diese Sitzstellung nachahmen zu lassen. Am Schaufenster finden sich etliche Zeitungsartikeln wieder, darunter auch das eben genannte Foto.
Wie auch immer, nach kurzer Zeit kamen wir endlich in den Laden. Was nun ganz interessant ist, hier teilt man sich (in HKG üblich) einen runden Tisch. Dabei ist der Tisch so klein, dass eigentlich nur 5 Leute Platz finden sollten, aber man wird halbwegs dazu gezwungen, zu Zehnt einen solchen Platz zu teilen. Es ist also unglaublich eng, komfortabel ist was anderes. Auch ist der ganze Laden voll, d. h., dass es auch richtig laut ist. Von der Ambiente darf man auch nicht viel erwarten, ist halt ein kleiner Imbiss mit wenigen Tischen.
Es gibt auf der Speise– und Getränkekarte nicht viel zur Auswahl. Die bekanntesten Gerichte: Schweinefleischburger, ein Nudelgericht und den regional bekannten Milchtee.
Erstmal zum Milchtee. Serviert wird dieser in einen richtig abgenutzen billigen Plastikbecher. Vom Geschmack kann ich nur sagen, wow! Der Tee schmeckt richtig intensiv, also richtig herb. So löb ich mir das. Den Tee gibt es in kalter und in heißer Variante. Ich habe mich für die heiße Variante entschieden und wurde nicht enttäuscht. Aber der Plastikbecher zerstört einfach den Gesamteindruck.
Zum Schweinefleischburger gibt es nicht viel zu sagen. Auch dieses Nudelgericht besteht aus einfachen Instant-​Ramen und dazu zusätzlich bisschen Gemüse und Fleisch. Ebenfalls serviert auf billigen Plastiktellern. Geschmacklich in Ordnung, aber das Essen wirkt halt sehr billig.
Und was den Service angeht. Es muss schnell gehen. Man soll sofort wissen, was man haben möchte. Verständlich, da hier sehr günstige Preise angeboten. Interessanterweise habe ich auch ein Wortwechsel mitbekommen zwischen dem Personal und einem Gast. Summa Summarum geht es nur darum, dass man immer draußen in der Warteschlange zu warten habe und dass man keine Plätze für Freunde vorreservieren darf. Das bedeutet, jeder freier Platz wird zum Maximum ausgenutzt.
Insgesamt ein eher durchschnittlicher Laden, insbesondere weil altes, billiges Plastikgeschirr verwendet wird. Der Tee ist absolut in Ordnung, vom Essen bin ich allerdings nicht begeistert.

Classic hole in the wall located in the heart of Central. Great HK milk tea both hot and iced, although expensive compared to many other places given the small cup size and non-​superior quality.

We got the Iced Stocking Milk Tea to go. Maybe it’s because I don’t have an appreciation for milk tea in the first place that I just felt like this was ok. Once again, not sure if it’s because I’m from the States but the portion is definitely on the small side (think McD’s Happy Meal drink size).

It is one of those authentic Hong Kong places to go to. Traditional Hong Kong food with noodles and meat. The French toast here is something out of this world, the moment I took the first bite, my whole body was like OMG this is delicious!
You also have to try the iced coffee and tea is delicious. It’s called yuanyang.

#TBT throwing this review back to a Thursday in 1960’s Hong Kong…
«Be a good lad and get me a fine cup of tea.»
Today was Little Bright’s first day on the job at Lan Fong Yuen. He was a young, hardworking fellow with a rather common name for a fictional character. He wanted to do well in his job so he can save up his wages for his mother’s operation… on the MahJong table. Everything was going very well up until this point. He was serving Condensed Milk Brick Toast with remarkable efficiency and his new co-​worker, Mary, was looking awfully attractive with her fancy stockings. Then this had to happen. This last customer’s order for a cup of tea may very well ruin Little Bright’s first day at work.
You see, this last customer (let’s just call him Chirs P.) is what Little Bright (LB) would label as a Foreign Ghost. And there were three things that LB knew about Foreign Ghosts. First, they belong with the British government that’s hanging out in Hong Kong. Second, they do not fancy being called Foreign Ghosts. And finally, and also most relevant to this story, is that Foreign Ghosts speak only English.
It’s not that LB didn’t know any English at all, in fact, he knew all the English words that were frowned upon. But when Chris P. placed his order in conversational speed, the only words that LB caught were ‘fine’ and ‘tea’. He didn’t want to bring out the wrong order for Chris P. or else he might lose his job for 99 years. But he also didn’t have enough English firepower to renegotiate with Chris P. about the order. That’s when LB realized that he was absolute f_​_​_​_​_​ed. (hint: this is a word that LB actually knows)
But LB was from Hong Kong, so by default he was clever, resourceful, and somewhat good-​looking. He hoped that that was enough to get him out of this pickle. At the very least, LB knew that Chris P. had wanted tea, and he remembered from films that foreign ghosts enjoyed their tea with sugar and milk. This practice always seemed peculiar to him, but it may just be his saving grace today. LB borrowed a can of condensed milk from the Brick Toast shelf and emptied a large spoonful onto the tea. The condensed milk provided essentially what sugar&milk did, but in addition, LB noticed that the condensed milk gave the tea a richer flavor. That would be a good thing if the condensed milk had not turn the texture of the tea so dense and gooey.
The second word he caught from Chris P.‘s order was ‘fine’. At LB’s age (a young teen), the only thing that’s fine in his dictionary were girls. But what in the world does a girl have to do with a cup of tea? Unless…
LB called over his female co-​worker (Mary) who, by even international standards, was damn fine. Mary was skeptical as to how she could help, since it was obvious to her that she does not physically fit into a cup of tea. But what she did not realize was that LB only wanted her fancy stockings. Ignoring hygiene (remember this was the 60’s), Mary took off her stockings and handed it to LB. They did not know it at the moment, but together, they were about to make history.
LB took the fancy stocking from his fine co-​worker and stretched it over a cup. And in a bold move, he began to pour the tea into the stocking. The tea rushed through the fabric of the stockings and poured into the cup in thousands of individual streams. The resulting cup of tea was still very rich from the condensed milk, but the texture was now silky smooth. It was «fine»! He immediately served it to Chris P. and looked on with trepidation.
«Young lad, this is an absolutely amazingly cup of tea. You and that young lady are doing some good work here! Here, please take my business card. Keep working hard, son. I foresee Hong Kong transforming into an international metropolitan in the upcoming years, and your tea shall take center stage!»
Although lil Bright could not understand a word that Chris P. had said, he understood the respect and appreciation that he had just received from the foreign ghost. Lil Bright didn’t know much people like Chris P., but he realized at that moment that they were not so different at all. It seemed silly to label them as foreign ghosts now that he thought about it. He put the business card in his pocket and gave Mary a big hug.
Lil Bright continued to work hard at Lan Fong Yuen, and his new «Stocking Milk Tea» soared in popularity as Hong Kong rose to one of the greatest international cities of the world. Now, he and Mary are both in their later years, and their favorite grand daughter would always ask them about the day they first met. Mary would take out the business card while Lil Bright gets a cup of «stocking milk tea» ready. Then as their grand daughter sips on the world famous tea, Mary would show her the business card and tell her the day when grandpa and grandma served a cup of stocking milk tea to Mr. Patten himself.

So my wife and I came here for breakfast.
No English so if you can’t read Chinese, make sure you ask for an English menu.
As for the breakfast itself, the milk tea is good and the pineapple bun is good. But as for the rest of it, like the eggs, hot dog or macaroni with ham, it’s nothing you couldn’t get anywhere else.
My honest opinion is to just come get a pineapple bun and milk tea to go, it’s really not worth getting anything else and bring cash.

This is apparently the birthplace of milk tea in HK. Just because it’s the first doesn’t mean it’s the best. Still served in Dixie cups.
Touristy spot, but a must if you are a milk tea enthusiast.

Pretty darn disappointing, really. We made the trek all the way to Central (by ferry, no less), to go to the famed home of the ‘panty hose milk tea’ (strained through the netting of the hose, allegedly), only to leave feeling very ripped off.
$ 25 HKD MINIMUM PER PERSON.
To keep people from just coming in for drinks, they force you to spend $ 25 HKD (~$ 3 USD) per person; even if your total adds up to $ 50 HKD, they will force you to order more, and won’t allow the sharing of dishes, money-​wise. Yeah, I know, it’s not a lot of money, but it is annoying.
SEATING.
This is an extremely small café, and don’t be surprised if they sit random people at your table — they really maximize the space here, in a suffocating way.
MILK TEA.
Pretty unspectacular, to be honest. I’ve had much better at many different places. I agree with the reviews that the place is going downhill.
BUN WITH CONDENSED MILK.
Barely any condensed milk on the dry, over-​cooked bun. Great.
THICK TOAST WITH PEANUT BUTTER & CONDENSED MILK.
Also pretty bad, lacking in the toppings, and just terrible all over.
They have a shanty-​like shack outside the restaurant (if you can call it that) where you can get your tea to go, but there is no walkway, so beware of cars barreling down where you’re standing on a regular basis.

I was introduced to Lan Fong Yuen 3 years ago from a local. I had tried their place in Tsim Sha Tsui first. She recommended the iced tea because they freeze tea to make tea ice cubes so it wouldn’t dilute the tea when it melted. At that time when I ordered it, it was half tea ice cubs and half regular ice cubes.
Now, 3 years later, they just put all ice cubes inside. The food I had this time was okay only and for the portion size, they are a bit overpriced.
I had a Hong Kong style hot dog which had scrambled eggs with a piece of luncheon meat/​spam. The combo was good, but the proportion of meat to bread was a bit off. I was left with one inch on either end of the hot dog bun with no meat or egg. And this was a very small hot dog, even though it was for breakfast. It was not quite enough food.
I hope that Lan Fong Yuen works on maintaining the higher standard they had previously to keep the crowds coming.

I feel like this once famous chain is steadily going downhill from when I first tried it in 2011. I was just there recently for their breakfast and was not particularly impressed. I had their corned beef and eggs with toast and a yin yang (combo of coffee and milk tea). The corned beef and eggs were really greasy and the yin yang was not strong enough.
It used to be that their Hong Kong style milk tea would be served with ice cubes that were made out of milk tea so it doesn’t water down the flavor when it melts but now they just use regular ice cubes.
I understand times are tough and they have great history, but I wouldn’t bring anyone there in a hurry.

I consider this place a very real rendition of Hong Kong’s past, that lives on right till today. If you are around the area, and you are here during the morning rush, don’t be surprised that this little hole in the wall has a line up, and is packed inside. This place has been talked about in many sites, and as the previous reviewer has said it is known for their ever popular Hong Kong milk tea. Unlike the other reviewer I decided to have this drink hot, even though it was a smoltering temperature outside, I am one of those who needs to start the day off with a kick… and cold just won’t do. The cups, for some, may look small, but there is enough there and if you were to have anymore you may ‘OD’ on this stuff.
The experience starts off as so, once you see this place, there is very few english words on the front, except the name in nice red bold letters «LAN FONG YUEN» and the rest is in Chinese. This place looks like it belongs in an 80’s HK flick, with people cooking it up right in the front, and people going in and out… with some just coming here to pick up take-​out, it’s quite a scene. Once you walk in, you are blasted with a heavy does of air conditioning, probably the only thing that makes you comfortable, as the place, in today’s standards, is quite dark no matter in the day or at night. Most likely if you are coming in a small group you will be seated with other strangers, as there are a bunch of small round tables with stools, and they direct you to where your sitting, do not expect a quiet, private moment with just you and your guest, this is an order fast, eat… get out type of place.
This place is very well tiled, right throughout. from the floors, to the walls, the only thing I noticed that gave it some character, aside from the specials listed in Chinese on the walls, was a college of old Alan Tam (譚詠麟) record albums. This place seems to be a favorite among the locals, whether you are rushing to school, or rushing to the office, all types of dress wear are in here getting their days all started. People looking at the paper, staring at their phones, slurping and eating away all the goodies this place serves. On the multiple times I have been here with my significant other we have ordered on both occasions, the ever-​popular hot HK milk tea. and the perfectly fried French toast with Kaya (coconut jam in between two thin pieces of bread), and once ordering the soup macaroni with strips of ham and some bits of corn and peas.
The milk tea, as potent as it is, if you need a wake up call like most people who need to jump-​start there day, is served quick… in small plastic cups that have seen better days as most of them are scratched up to the point they aren’t even clear anymore. Served with a small egg-​shell colored mixing stick so you can add as much sugar on the table as needed to this creamy tasting drink. The amount of caffeine in this sucker really gets you jumping, at the same time they have the taste down like a science. Every table in the morning is having this with something… don’t be surprised.
The French toast, coming out on a plastic plate (nothing can be broken in here… as all dishes and plates are plastic!) just looks perfect coming out of the fresh hot boiling oil, with a nice golden tinge, egg perfectly covering all the bread bits, golden with natural eggy residue hanging from the edges, crunchy but not overcooked, how else to describe this is kind of like fried chicken. the most beautifully cooked piece you have seen. just that this is French toast… and how dangerously delicious this could be in the morning. They don’t over spread the Kaya in the middle either, it provides a perfect balance of sweetness where you can just eat this as is with nothing else… oh, yes. there also is a nice small square of butter that is semi-​melting when they are bringing this dish to you. The bite is a mixture of crispy eggy outside texture, with very soft white bouncy bread, and a little sweetness to mix it all up.
As for the macaroni. nothing too special, for me, this was a staple of my Chinatown HK café breakfast visits… I wanted to see if they did it any differently… it’s an acquired taste. Enough macaroni, actually enough meat… and enough of that simple broth that might make you drink more of that HK milk tea. While sitting here I watched people order, get their food, gorge, and get out… quite a site on the eyes. as the kitchen staff, and the front of the house staff just moved like a well oiled machine. If you are not liking any of the items I wrote about, just know they have other things like instant noodles with various meats, spam with scrambled eggs, different types of Chinese inspired sandwich’s. just to name a few.
When you get here. the place looks like it just meshes with the city and the surroundings, even the produce shop next door looks like a part of this storefront. This is like reliving the past of HK, have fun!

Lan Fong Yuen 蘭芳園 located between Central and Mid Level on Gage Street erected a rickety café since the 1950s. Unbeknownst, this Cha Chaan Teng supposedly birthed the silk stocking milk tea 奶茶. We’ve read all about it, on TripAdvisor, The Lonely Planet, blogs — majority all seem to suggest that this is the «best Hong Kong milk tea», the grand-​daddy of them all. Despite the ridiculous long line up in the sweltering heat, we got a tiny Dixie cup for $ 18 HKD. It was loaded with ice and literally took us two sips to finish. Sip Sip DONE. The milk tea was rich (I suppose if undiluted). It is sort of hard to judge with such a small sample size. But, let’s be honest, Lan Fong Yuen is your typical over-​hyped tourist trap. If you are hungry, behind the milk tea stand is their café serving food.