Hongkonger Alex Hung arranges dim-sum-loaded bamboo baskets with the speed of an orchestra conductor.
“The weekend is peak time,” he says as he places a selection of staples –
siu mai, har gow and pan-fried turnip cake – on the table.
Hoi King Seafood (13-15 Wing On Side Street, Peng Chau. Tel: 2983 9588) has been dishing up tradition for 60 years on Peng Chau, a tranquil, car-free island nestled in Hong Kong’s western waters.
Dim sum is king here, which is confusing considering the restaurant’s name. Seafood is not on the menu at all. Instead, diners can buy it at the nearby Peng Chau Market, and Hoi King will cook it.
Preparing fresh catches from local fishermen harks back to Peng Chau’s heyday during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), when the fishing industry was the island’s economic backbone.
By the 1990s, the industry had crashed as overfishing depleted resources. A rise in marine pollution and habitat loss through land reclamation also took a toll.