The origin of the Hong Kong Cha Chaan Teng
If you live in Hong Kong you’ve definitely seen them around — diners forever bustling with locals, serving up an eclectic blend of Chinese, Western, and Japanese dishes on their menus. Have you ever wondered how they came to be?
The Bing Sutt
Bing sutt, the Cantonese reading of the characters “冰室” — meaning “ice” and “room” — were the original incarnations of cha chaan teng’s. They were first spotted around the 1940s, when the city was still under the rule of the British colonial empire. Influenced by the British customs of afternoon tea, bing sutt’s served a wide variety of drinks and light snacks such as baked goods and desserts, very much like the café franchises Starbucks or Pacific Coffee that we see nowadays. Central to their service was the way they served their food quickly and at cheap, affordable prices. The name “ice room” might have come about because of the cold drinks, shaved ice desserts, ice cream they tend to serve.
The Cha Chaan Teng
Cha chaan teng, with the characters “茶餐廳”, has the literal meaning of “tea restaurant”. A common perception is that they evolved from bing sutt to meet the growing demands of customers, offering everything the bing sutt had to offer in addition to full-cooked meals, from rice dishes to spaghettis to soup-instant noodles.
However, the true difference actually lies in the type of restaurant license owned by the two. Bing sutt’s carry a “smaller” license that only allows them to carry cooked food items — dishes that don’t require a stove. The licenses carried by cha chaan teng’s allowed them to cook in their kitchens, which is the reason why cha chaan teng’s menus are so much more varied.
These days, locals generally refer to this sort of restaurant as cha chaan teng. While a small number of stores might still have the characters for bing sutt in their name, they are cha chaan teng through and through.
Whether you go to cha chaan teng’s regularly or have never set foot in one, here are a few dishes and drinks that you will almost certainly find and definitely should try in all cha chaan teng’s in Hong Kong:
Meals and baked food
Check out our Cantonese course to learn more of these useful Hong Kong food phrases for when you visit the city!