the flying pan (soho)

This is as New York as HK gets; a diner serving breakfast, burgers and shakes 24 hours a day, the kind of place that is best during waning drunkeness or recovering mornings. It doesn't make sense to go to a place like this under any other circumstances. However, in NY there'd be so many places like this that each one would have to specialize in some character-defining drink or plate. But since it's the only diner in town, it sadly can afford serving mediocre food and and LKF-priced drinks. Even with its so-so food and 75HKD eggs, it still has more character than any LKF bar. If you catch it when it's popping it's more fun than any LKF bar too.

Like I said, the food is fine. It's not as spectacular as a real diner, and it's not nearly greasy enough. The eggs are completely customizable and the steak is pretty cheap beef, which sounds about right to me. The juice glasses for some reason are twice the size of a shot glass, but at least they serve regular ice water as well. The burger is pretty cheap here, and is not too shabby for HK--it's actually better than some that I've had in SoHo.

I miss brunch and late-night breakfasts in the US because it's the best way to recap an evening or recover from a hangover with new friends. During peak times it's fun to listen to drunken neighbors and to imagine stories about the people sitting just out of earshot.

The Flying Pan doesn't drive traffic like Tsui Wah, but it's the same kind of crowd, only they're primarily English speaking. Tsui Wah is great too on late nights, of course it's definitely more Hong Kong, but at 3am eggs and toast sound so much better than yellow chicken curry and pork chops. But that's just me.

4.5 of 5, the decor is right on, the food is almost.

the flying pan

g/f 9 old bailey street

central

2140 6333