Tai Ping Koon and its Sweet Swiss Sauce
There is this idea of a “Hong Kong Style Western Cuisine.” Its roots go back to the late 19th century, when many foreigners did business in Hong Kong. Thus the demand for western cuisine. In the beginning, only foreigners dined at these western restaurants, but slowly, the compradors and the local merchants also went.
The so-called Hong Kong styled western cuisine has come to be called “soy-sauce western.” And Tai Ping Koon, with its famous Swiss sauce dishes, represents some of the key features of this native breed, which, properly understood, is fusion.
Tai Ping Koon first established in Tai Ping Sha, Guandong in 1860. Its name Tai Ping was a reference to its founding location. Its founder Chui Lo Ko was a chef in a trading company in Shamian. He left to open this first western restaurant in Guangzhou. Some famous people were customers of Tai Ping Koon, including Sun Yatsen, Zhou Enlai and Chiang Kai-shek.
The restaurant then moved to Hong Kong in 1937, after the Sino-Japanese War broke out. During the 1950s, the Tai Ping Koon on Yonghan Road, Guangzhou met the unfortunate fate of nationalization. Since then, Tai Ping Koon no longer had any presence in China. In Hong Kong, the restaurant continued to be owned and run by the same family, Chui, over the past one hundred years. There are four branches in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon now. The restaurant on Mau Lam Street, Yau Ma Tei has been running since 1964.
Tai Ping Koon’s menu is the best witness to the unique style of cuisine for which it stands. In the earlier days, the restaurant offered dishes such as the American Garoupa and Sadan Chicken. Some dishes that the restaurant has always offered, since its earliest days, are Tai Ping Koon Style Roasted Pigeon, Baked Portuguese Style Chicken with Rice. Finally, the most popular Chicken Wings in Swiss Sauce are the most ordered item in all of the four branches.
As to how this slightly sweet soy-based sauce became known as Swiss Sauce, the story goes like this. A western customer noted that he liked the chicken wings because it tasted “sweet.” The staff then told another staff, who had better English, but the word “Swiss” stuck. That was how this blend of soy sauce came to be known.
Finally, the dimmed ambiance of the restaurant, all of the servers who worked at the restaurant till old age, and the classic compartment seating all made it a nostalgia to dine there. Although, by now, the restaurant is no longer a fine-dining establishment, it retains a special place for all walks of life in Hong Kong. Word has it that many famous people considered it a perfect place to meet mistresses for dates, probably because its dimmed lighting enabled anonymity.
This day that I visited, I felt like having the Fried Flat Noodle with Slice Beef in Swiss Sauce. Furthermore I had the Baked Souffle as my dessert. Visitors who would like to try the Baked Souffle should beware. The portion is enormous. It is certainly big enough for sharing amongst three or more people.
Sources:
Hong Kong Museum of History, Modern Metropolis, Material Culture of Shanghai and Hong Kong (2009).
Chris Dwyer, Secrets of Three of Hong Kong’s Oldest Restaurants: Quality, Loyalty and Consistency, March 22, 2018.
The Menu of Tai Ping Koon.