Restaurants

A New Hong Kong-Style Cafe, Ho Yuen, Opens in South Van Tomorrow

Enjoy classic Hong Kong family-style breakfast and lunch at this family-run café opening February 1

By Gates Annai /

When Ho Yuen Cafe began as a humble food stall at the base of Lion Rock in Kowloon, Hong Kong, the Mui’s family could never have imagined their legacy would go international 50 years later. The family-owned restaurant has celebrated decades of popularity and success in Hong Kong and with second-generation owner Conina Mui, they’re ready to expand into Vancouver and introduce locals to classic but contemporary Hong Kong family-style (or “cha chaan teng”) breakfast and lunch.

They’ll be serving the dishes that earned them their popularity, such as satay beef noodle soup, and house made BBQ pork rice next to their artisanal bakeshop where you can enjoy egg tarts and other pastries with Hong Kong style milk tea, coffee, Yuen Yeung (coffee and milk tea together), Horlicks, Ovaltine, Lemon tea, or soybean milk. However, they’re also stirring the pot with a few new creations for the Vancouver crowd, including baked porkchop rice and ginger-sauced beef vermicelli in soup. Vancouverites can enjoy exclusive pineapple bun flavours such as dark chocolate with chocolate or creamy red bean filling from their bakeshop. The café intends on offering seasonal baked goods and flavours to keep an eye on all year round.

Pineapple buns, fresh from the oven.

“Our goal is to preserve the essence of Hong Kong’s culinary heritage with the spirit of Lion Rock, while also using ingredients from the Pacific Northwest and working with local suppliers and more,” says Mui.

A little BBQ pork on rice to fuel your day.

To find this gem, head to the quiet industrial area in South Vancouver, bordering Southlands and Marpole near YVR airport. You’ll find a 1200 square foot space featuring framed photos of the original food stall and Mui’s family, bright orange walls with yellow accented furnishings, and a mural of Lion Rock between Kowloon and Vancouver painted by the owners and based on the one they have hanging in Hong Kong. The café also expects to create a patio space opening this summer.

Luncheon meat and macaroni in tomato soup, a comfort-food fave in Hong Kong cafes overseas.

The grand opening is on February 1, and from the 1st to the 5th, customers will receive a complimentary pineapple bun between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. each day. Those unwilling to wait can still visit now during their soft opening for a limited breakfast and $1 pineapple buns while they last.

Ho Yuen Cafe
113-1750 W 75th Ave.
hoyuencafe.ca

Gates Annai

Gates Annai