Dairy Farm cafe | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Dairy Farm cafe

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Dairy Farm cafe
Submitted by Susan B-K

Is this the Dairy Farm Martin Booth wrote about in "Gweilo"? I know there was a cafe on the Hong Kong side, too, but this one looks like it could be in the New Territories. It's dated from sometime in the 1950s.

Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Sunday, January 1, 1950
Gallery: 
1950s Hong Kong
Connections: 
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Comments

Submitted by moddsey on Fri, 2010-10-01 18:31.

The photo is of the Dairy Farm Soda Fountain on Beach Road, Repulse Bay. See:

http://www.life.com/image/50773804

Submitted by J (not verified) on Mon, 2010-10-04 23:11.

Memory serves that we used to refer to the 100 Peak Road complex as 'The Dairy Farm'. I am unsure as to when it became Wellcome, which is now Market Place, all different names for the same grocery shop owned by the same company. I've always justified calling it the dairy farm as the company's logo still appears on the building.

Submitted by vanessa (not verified) on Tue, 2010-10-05 05:46.

in the late 60s there were several 'dairy farms' usually along the lines of what the americans call 'ice cream parlours'.  besides repulse bay there was one in shatin (where you could ride donkeys), another on nathan road in lane crawford house and the best was on queen's road central - it served all kinds of other delicious snacks too - malted milkshakes and toasted club sandwiches, mmmm.

dairy lane was the supermarket which morphed into parknshops and wellcomes as the dynasty grew.  my late father called them all dairy lanes anyway, no amount of correction changed that :)

Submitted by annelisec on Tue, 2010-10-05 11:14.

My Dad's office was in the building next door to Dairy Lane in Central.  As a very special treat, the whole family (5 kids) were allowed to go on Saturday and have lunch at Dairy Lane until my Dad could join us after his Saturday half-day of work at noon.  

The restaurant was on the mezzanine floor with a staircase similar to the way the Mandarin lobby is designed (but definitely not flash).  It was at Dairy Lane that I first learned that it was impolite to blow bubbles into your milk with your straw.  Good heavens, then what is a straw for - asked my infant brain ?  I can pick up the glass and drink the milk without it.  In fact, that question has never been properly answered to this day.

And the waffles - just like in America - I was told.  In today's world of "all day breakfast", I still remember feeling decadent eating waffles in a restaurant at noon smothered with butter and syrup.

Submitted by tngan on Tue, 2010-10-05 12:47.

Hi there,

I guess that concerns local customs and table manners, which differs from country to country or ethnic groups to ethnic groups.  However a piece of straw (pun intended) is basically for sucking........

Anyway, if you are in Japan and if you enjoy noodles, it would be impolite if you do not slurp your noodle through.  In their strange table manners the louder the slurp the merrier.  Oh, BTW, if you like the noodle you should drink up all the soup as well.  However if you are among Chinese, slurping on anything (soup, noodles, drinks to say a few), or using your chopsticks to bang on other utilsils would be treated as very impolite.

My 2 cents,

T

Submitted by David on Tue, 2010-10-05 13:29.

Hi Vanessa, any chance you know where that was? Phil's found a few people who remembered it, but they couldn't give a firm location.

Regards, David

Submitted by vanessa (not verified) on Wed, 2010-10-06 04:16.

unfortunately i wouldn't be able to pinpoint it on a map but from memory it was off the taipo road - (the only road) as you came down from shatin heights on the right.  it was quite well frequented on weekends - i know someone who has a photo, will see if she will authorise its posting

Submitted by David on Wed, 2010-10-06 19:02.

Thanks Vanessa, fingers crossed we can see the photo, and it clears up the mystery of its location.

Submitted by harryhktc on Sat, 2014-04-19 02:57.

1953 -  the waffles were my favourite, too !

"And the waffles - just like in America - I was told.  In today's world of "all day breakfast", I still remember feeling decadent eating waffles in a restaurant at noon smothered with butter and syrup."

Afternoon Break at Shatin Roadhouse - 1953

Submitted by goldfinch on Sat, 2014-04-19 17:45.

I remember there was one on the Peak (now Welcome) and one on Repulse Bay.  Dairy Lane veloved into Welcome not Park N Shop which is in Li Ka Shing's stables.

The best of them was located in the ground floor of Gloucester Building, it was the cafe in Central to see and been seen.  The smell once one went inside was distinct, a mixture of coffee and smoke.  When Gloucester Building was demolishd, the coffee shop moved to Windsor House on the Mezz floor.  The building was also eventually demolished......

Submitted by moddsey on Wed, 2017-09-06 19:13.

The Dairy Farm Soda Fountain on Beach Road opened on 21 September 1947. The newspapers of the day noted its opening.