Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs – cafes where Western ingredients meet Cantonese sensibilities – have been a staple of the region since the post-war era. The affordable, all-day eateries are akin to American diners, and serve an old-school mix of Chinese and European food and drink. A typical menu may include Hong Kong milk tea, wonton noodles, macaroni with Chinese corn soup, scrambled eggs with soy sauce served on fluffy white bread and borscht.

Chinatown’s new Peninsula HK Cafe is a tribute to these institutions, complete with booth seating, quick service and an extensive menu filled with cha chaan teng essentials. The goal is to create a cha chaan teng experience that’s nostalgic for people who grew up with it, but also welcoming for newcomers.

The cafe is less than a five-minute walk from four other cha chaan tengs: Heyday Hong Kong Cafe, Le Charme, HK Cafe Melbourne and The Lucky Guys Cafe. The menu here includes classics such as pineapple buns with butter, instant noodle soup with satay beef, and custardy Hong Kong-style scrambled eggs on toast. But chef and owner Wai Wong – who grew up in Hong Kong before moving to Australia 10 years ago – has worked at several cha chaan teng-inspired cafes in Sydney and says his specialty is Hong Kong-style roast meats, a point of difference for Peninsula HK Cafe.

Stay in the know with our free newsletter. The latest restaurants, must-see exhibitions, style trends, travel spots and more – curated by those who know.

SIGN UP

Roast duck, barbequed pork sausage, char siu and crisp barbeque pork are served with noodle soup or your choice of egg noodles, rice noodles, vermicelli or macaroni. And you’ll find char siu throughout the extensive menu, served over rice with scrambled eggs and shallots, and on top of rice vermicelli that’s been stir-fried with XO sauce.

Another of the cafe’s standouts is the Golden Brick French Toast. The social media-friendly dish sees a cube made of French toast stuffed with rice and a savoury dish (such as a baked pork chop, fish fillet or chicken curry) along with a choice of sauce including sweetcorn, tomato and black truffle. It’s topped with melted cheese and the hot filling spills out when the cube is cut open.

There’s also the sweeter, and slightly less dramatic, Hong Kong-style French toast, which sees a peanut butter sandwich deep-fried before being drenched in honey or condensed milk. It’s crisp on the outside, pillowy soft inside and unapologetically rich.

As for drinks, the team is sticking to tradition with Horlicks, Ribena and milk tea on pour. The latter is a strong, smooth tea brewed Hong Kong-style (a blend of black tea, strained through a fine cloth filter to enhance smoothness and remove bitterness).

While Peninsula HK Cafe stays true to tradition, its design takes a more contemporary approach. Instead of the neon-lit aesthetic of many cha chaan tengs, the space is warm and inviting, with soft blue tones and wooden accents. A mural of Victoria Harbour greets diners at the entry – a nod to both Hong Kong and the cafe’s Victorian home.

Peninsula HK Cafe
191 Russell Street, Melbourne
0451961271
Hours:
Daily 11.30am–9pm
peninsulahkcafe.com