The Match Box

冰室, literally translated as «ice room“s, were small shops in Hong kong that sold cold desserts like shaved ice and beverages back in the days of my parents. The closest thing in western culture would be an ice pop/​ice cream store. These were really mom and pop businesses and they had their heyday in the1960s to 70s, but slowly died down because eventually there was air con everywhere and Hong Kong style cafes, or «Cha Chan Teng“s, had way more food varieties. Nowadays there are no more ‘real’ ice rooms in Hong Kong, but there are quite a few self-​styled ice rooms that are actually cha chan tengs doing a vintage Hong Kong concept (e.g. the Starbucks on Duddell street, 華星冰室 Capital Café). Café Matchbox is a nice quaint one in the Lee Gardens.
The décor is actually quite nice — old cha chan tengs are usually ghetto places, but Matchbox Café is super clean and tidy. The walls are littered with posters of now obsolete brands and products, there are even some old newspaper clippings and school kids toys behind the counter. The interior is really quite photogenic (alert, Instagrammers!), and they even try to bring back some old menu items — there is a ‘Ferry Set’, which is fried egg and sliced Chinese sausage on lucky brand instant noodles with a Vitasoy Soy milk, basically what they used to serve on ferries.
What is not vintage is the price — you will be paying modern day specialty café prices (think Hokkaido Dairy Farm Milk Restaurant). A breakfast will cost around HKD 40 – 60, and lunch HKD 70+, but the food quality is decent and given its location in an upscale office area, the premium is to be expected. I came once on 10:30am on a Tuesday, and there were only one-​seaters available. So apparently this is a great spot for white collars to lunch or a specialty spot to take your visiting friends.

Sooo much food for the money. If you like HK café style type of food, this place does it well. Plenty of variety as well.
1 meal we ordered came with noodle soup, toast and egg, and drink. We also ordered the chicken leg with tomato rice. It was also very yummy. The portions are plenty, we were stuffed before reaching halfway through our food. It’s kind of silly, normally I’m not a fan of chef throwing every ingredient in their entrees but the fried rice had everything! Tomato rice, pineapple, shrimp, lettuce, ham, eggs, bbq pork, peas, and giant chicken leg and it all worked well together.
Also, their Toast is off the charts! Lives up to the hype.
I wish Cousins café (Newark, Ca) can implement more of this stuff.

Match Box is decorated like an old style Hong Kong café. Everything from the tiled walls, to the white shirts their servers wear, to the food they offer feels authentic. You just know that it isn’t because everything is still rather new, haha.
I usually get their «old style» set that includes scrambled eggs and ham, noodle soup (could be spaghetti or macaroni) with BBQ pork, toast and a drink for $ 44. I LOVE the toast. It’s a thick toast that is buttery and crispy. Their milk tea has a very rich taste and is very smooth.
The only reason I don’t give them 5 stars is because I’ve been several times where they’ve ran out of certain foods, things that I think they should stay well stocked on such as the BBQ pork that goes in my set. Also, I think it’s over priced for what it is.

Really good toast. No, seriously. Really good toast. Nice café that has been remodeled with old school vibe. Cha chaan teng style.
I like their set with spaghetti/​macaroni with BBQ pork. Comes with the toast and your choice of egg in scrambled/​over easy, etc. Also with a drink. Of course my preferred? Hot milk tea with condensed milk.
Great for photos. Friendly staff, too!

I went to Café Match Box on a weekday at the suggestion of a friend of mine from Hong Kong, who wanted to introduce both my sister and I to a nostalgic old style local café. That sounded great to the both of us, who had been looking for such a place for a while.
We arrived at around 8pm and the place was rather empty; sat at a table close to the window and started looking around, before we decided to study the menu. It’s a replica of a cha chaan teng (tea restaurant) with a retro-​modern touch. It felt like a blend of authentic and new, and I could imagine how the real ones would look like back in the 60s. The menu, short and affordable, was a no surprise. We ordered a couple of milk teas, two breakfast sets (sandwich slices, ham and omelet), two noodle soups topped with pork and a curry. They arrived quickly and we immediately dug into the food. Even though we aren’t keen on Chinese food, neither we were too hungry, we did like it. It’s a little more expensive than in other local cafes, but it’s worth a try, just to enjoy the atmosphere. Also, they are conveniently located in Causeway Bay, in a slightly less crowed area, which makes it perfect for a tea break!
Will I come back? Yes, but not for the food. I will take some of my non-​local friends over there, just as my friend did with me, so that they get to know Hong Kong culture a little better.