Lunchtime is here—Taiwanese-style restaurants in Hong Kong bring back childhood memories in the classroom

Text & photos /TRAVELBAG

Since TravelBAG’s base is in the Kwun Tong industrial area, we often have to eat lunch there. Editor S turns into a pseudo-factory girl roaming the area every day, constantly pondering... But now, the factory girls are bringing you along too. The food here is pretty decent, and because we don’t want to limit ourselves to just office buildings, as long as it’s a restaurant or cool spot within the industrial area, the TravelBAG team will share it with everyone.

Today, let’s introduce a recently popular restaurant—Xiao Shiguang (Little Moments). Does the name sound very Taiwanese to you? Indeed, this is a restaurant that specializes in Taiwanese cuisine. Its popularity isn’t just because of the food, but also the decor.

This place operates entirely on a self-service basis. The first thing you do when you enter is... find a seat (usually by scanning a QR code), then go to the counter to purchase your food. After that, wait for the notification machine to vibrate, and you can go pick up your meal yourself. What makes this place so talked-about is its vintage decor, mainly themed around a school. The owner has sourced Taiwanese-style desks and chairs commonly used in elementary and middle schools, along with a huge collection of comics, taking everyone back to the happiest times of their childhood.

The menu is also self-service. Since it’s currently in its trial phase, the selection isn’t very extensive. Besides Taiwanese-style lunch options, there are also Southeast Asian ones, such as Hainanese chicken rice and laksa noodle soup.

On this day, Editor S ordered a classic Taiwanese-style three-cup chicken rice. The flavor was just right, but unfortunately, the chicken was skinless, making it less tender and the texture slightly lacking. The portion wasn’t quite enough to finish the whole bowl of rice. Maybe Editor S also isn’t a fan of baby bok choy, which brought the score down. If you’re not a fan of sweet soy sauce, you might find it a bit too sweet, since the three-cup chicken is cooked with one cup of soy sauce, one cup of sugar, and one cup of sesame oil. For drinks, Editor S had Hong Kong-style milk tea, which wasn’t particularly outstanding. $55

Editor K ordered the nostalgic pork rib rice box (she frequently travels to Taiwan for work). This lunch turned into an ordeal. Editor K waited and waited... and waited some more... Editor S got so hungry she started eating her own three-cup chicken rice. Later, Editor K went out to inform the staff that she had been waiting for a long time, only to find out the kitchen had missed the order. Fortunately, the staff were very polite and offered her a drink first, but she had to wait another 10 minutes for the food. The pork chop was coated in flavorful fried batter, looked appetizing, but was a bit dry and overcooked, falling short of the standard she’d experienced in Taiwan. $55

Regarding our thoughts on the food, we all agree: “Only come if you have time, and it’s worth a try.” Because the issue with missing orders is indeed serious. Although it’s in its trial phase, that can’t be used as an excuse. We all believe the most appealing part of this place is the decor, so we’ll have to come back once it’s officially open to see if there’s any improvement.

In terms of decor, the owner has put in quite a bit of thought. Not all the items could have been easily sourced—they weren’t collected overnight—and that effort helps redeem the experience a little.

There are also plenty of comics here, but we doubt you’ll have the leisure to read them during the hectic one-hour lunch break. But if you come during a holiday, you might find yourself reminiscing about a beautiful day from your past.

Did you ever leave a few words on your school desk as a child?

Do you remember the music room days? Though Editor S didn’t use this kind of piano even in elementary school...

The space here is quite narrow, and it’s easy to bump into the person behind you when standing up—it doesn’t feel very comfortable.

Xiao Shiguang scoool
Address: 1/F, Mei Hing Industrial Building, 16-18 Hang Sang Street, Kwun Tong
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/scoool.hk
Business hours: 12:00–18:00
Phone: 3188 2380
Transport: Exit B1 of Kwun Tong MTR Station, walk straight for two blocks, turn left into Hang Sang Street after seeing McDonald’s.

TravelBAG
Website:http://www.travelbag.hk
FB Page:www.facebook.com/TravelBuyandGo