Cream Fragrance Half a Century Kowloon City Luxury Bakery Last Countdown to 70th Staff Day, 13 Hours of Regular Customer Queues to Remember the Taste of Childhood

The luxury bakery that has been standing on Nga Tsin Wai Road in Kowloon City for 48 years announced a few days ago that it will be open until September 30 to bid farewell to its neighbors.

[Yahoo News report]For half a century, Yaqian Wai Road in Kowloon City has always been surrounded by a creamy fragrance, but this smell is about to disappear with the wind. The landmark of Kowloon City, a luxury bakery that has been in business for 48 years, due to the old age of the owner Zhou and his wife, their children have no intention of taking over., there are only two employees left to accompany the luxury through the last years. The 70-year-old staff girl endured low back pain and cooked for 13 hours, serving fresh and fragrant egg tarts to guests. A large number of regular customers set up long queues outside the store to buy nostalgic pastries and recall their childhood memories with their taste buds.

Text reporter: Lu Peiyao

Photojournalist: HLKP

As soon as the news of the imminent closure of the luxury bakery came out, there were long queues outside the store every day, and dozens of people were already lined up at 10 am.

Egg tarts are the signature food of luxury bakeries. Neighbors also inquired about the stock of peanut chocolate. However, due to the close of business, most of the luxury bakeries only sell egg tarts, and the rest of the food are sold in limited quantities.

After some young people successfully snapped up egg tarts, they “punch in” outside the store as a souvenir.

Since the news of the closure of the luxury bakery came out, the crowd outside the store at 7 am every morning grew longer and longer. What the reporter saw yesterday, there are still about 30 people lining up outside the door at 9 am on weekdays to say goodbye to the old shop. “In the past few days, the sales (egg tarts) are almost 50 (about 1,500)!” The 73-year-old ball girl was very busy at the front of the door. In addition to dealing with customers, she also held out freshly baked goods. Egg tarts, demoulding and boxing one by one, each step with both speed and precision, is the result of her 20 years of training.

She has worked as a salesperson in a luxury bakery for 20 years. Although she is in her seventies, she still works for 13 hours a day and accompanies the luxury on her last journey.

Miss Ball pointed out that the number of customers has increased recently, and nearly 50 egg tarts are sold every day, that is, about 1,500 egg tarts are sold every day.

Egg tarts only use local egg buns and continue to use creamy cream

The luxury bakery is famous for its old-fashioned method of making, and the nostalgic Hong Kong-style pastries such as flower rolls and Nestle cakes that are rarely available in the market are the trump cards of the town store. The signature meringue egg tarts sell 3,000 pieces per day during peak hours. Mr. Zhou, the pastry shop “Shitou”, was originally a pastry chef. In the past, he insisted on making every cake and bread by himself. However, the owner and his wife are old and sick, and there are only two employees left in the store, namely the ball sister and a pastry chef.

Another employee in the store is Fu Afu, the pastry chef.

Miss Ball pointed out that the boss still insists on using local eggs to make egg tarts, “Local eggs are the most stable first, because they won’t be able to ditch others. It’s not too hard to put it on!” Egg tarts made from local eggs are also even better, “Each generation is the best selling egg tarts.” The chef will bake the egg tart in an iron egg tart mold, and the girl will hold the whole plate to the front, and then release the mold with her hands when it is hot, and put the fresh and hot egg tart into the box. She once burned her fingers but insisted on using her bare hands, just because every second counts, “if it is made with gloves, it must not be the freshest.”

In terms of bread, although the luxurious style of buns is not as bright as the one in the market, the ball sister described it as better than full stomach. The shop follows the Cantonese-style method of making, and replaces the lighter fresh cream commonly used in the market with creamy cream, which is firmer, has a bite, and is more filling.

When the chef has finished making the egg tarts, the ball sister needs to remove the iron egg tart mold with her bare hands and put each egg tart into the box.

The colorful flower design of the luxury bakery is also one of the symbols. After buying egg tarts, a customer asked to take an extra box as a souvenir.

Fa Ge visits “everything likes food” every week

. Miss Cuckold said with a smile that Fa Ge visited once a week, “He likes to eat everything! Fa Ge is a good person”, and also pointed out that he served as the store manager to help sell cakes, “The whole egg tart array has tried to kiss!”

Before she joined LUXE, she was an old neighborhood in Kowloon City, and has been working hard in the catering industry in the district. “I used to be a Jinhao (tea restaurant) for more than 10 years, and I have been looking at shopping malls since then.” Miss Cuckold’s home is adjacent to the luxurious Yaqianwei Road. Being single-minded about work is also an old-fashioned feeling.

The old house is rebuilt, the old shop is closed, the neighbors love

When it comes to the boss, Miss Qiu both loves it and hates it, “It doesn’t matter if you’re the boss, but the boss is so troublesome, you have to take care of everything. Trouble!” Boss Zhou seemed to love the old employee very much. Miss Ball remembered trying to put down the key in front of him: “You don’t like me, I don’t do it”. After listening to the boss, he was anxious: “I love you! You have to stay low!” It took 20 years to pull and pull like this. There was also a group of neighbors who made her stay, “I will be given a special gift for the holidays. I have moon cakes before, and a few days earlier, I will receive 300 mosquito nets!” After 13 hours of work, the waist and bones were strained, and I decided to recuperate. “Your grandma is in her 70s, will you ask her to do it?”

Miss Ball has lived in Kowloon City for many years, and has a deep relationship with the neighbors. She joked that many regular customers will give her gifts every season.

As early as three years ago, Miss Ball moved because the building she lived in was going to be rebuilt, and the bakery where she worked was about to close. Kowloon City seemed to be getting farther and farther away from her. , I know what I can do when I go backwards.” Kowloon City is about to be rebuilt, but she is not afraid of being completely unrecognizable. “We are not like the old people. Reconstruction doesn’t matter. The old will not go away, and the new will be different?”.

“You won’t find it in a new shop if it tastes like this”

Miss Ng, who has lived in Kowloon City for nearly 30 years, came to visit specially, “Actually, I want to buy flower rolls the most, but I have to return to egg tarts. I am disappointed!” She pointed out that she rarely had the opportunity to eat cakes when she was a child, and she cherished it very much every time. An important childhood memory, “one involved in the noodles has chocolate, cloudy noodles, and the thin one is greedy and delicious, but there is no place to sell it at home.” She also loves the luxurious bread that is firm and full. “And most of the new bread is made in the factory, and it seems that I have never eaten it.” She felt a pity for the luxurious departure, “If you have such a taste, you won’t be able to eat at the new-style shop.”

Miss Ng has lived in Kowloon City for nearly 30 years. She said that she loved the flower rolls from luxury bakeries when she was a child. “There are chocolates and vanilla on the top, and the thin ones have a greedy taste.” Moreover, the luxurious bread is harder and harder than The new bread outside is more filling.

Mr. Yung is also a luxury “loyal fan”. He will definitely visit Kowloon City for more than 10 years. Yesterday, he came to Tsuen Wan to buy egg tarts. Rong Zhi said that luxury products are the taste of memories. “It’s a different flavor of food, so it must be a pity that the more old-fashioned shops are getting more and more insistent, it’s better to ask Fat Brother to do it!” As for the reconstruction of Kowloon City, he Sigh is helpless, “It’s all the progress of the times, but I hope you can keep (reserved) to this old shop, and balance (balance) is the best.”

For more than 10 years, Mr. Yung must visit a luxury bakery in Kowloon City. He thinks that what he eats in the bakery is the taste of his childhood.