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2014-05-10
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The four of us basically swept through the various nooks and crannies of Tai O fishing village, eye shopping, buying some local offerings, and of course eating! In the afternoon, we started working up a sweat, and my Americanized ass was down to a t-shirt and getting pretty thirsty.Remembering a must stop, we almost lost track of coming here, but fortunately found it, and told my friends "hey guys, we HAVE to come here". Found a table inside and without skipping a beat, ordered four cups of 凍檸茶,
The four of us basically swept through the various nooks and crannies of Tai O fishing village, eye shopping, buying some local offerings, and of course eating! In the afternoon, we started working up a sweat, and my Americanized ass was down to a t-shirt and getting pretty thirsty.Remembering a must stop, we almost lost track of coming here, but fortunately found it, and told my friends "hey guys, we HAVE to come here". Found a table inside and without skipping a beat, ordered four cups of 凍檸茶, iceless cold lemon tea.
This vendor is like a classic tea stall, almost dai pai dong like in nature, but set in the suburbs. I recognized this shop, and the signature 凍檸茶 drink, all thanks to an uploaded (but now deleted due to copyright issue) youtube video....yeah yeah...Suzy "Loud mouth" Wong. She was entertaining some years ago, but she lost me when she complained about Gonpachi's grilled toro skewer and said it was all fat and oil (DUH!!!!). But kudos to her for mentioning this drink.
We saw that the drinks were prepped to order. It was essentially a pre-refrigerated mixture, and the only prep work needed was to add some sugar/liquid sugar, and ample stirring. This is not just a brewed tea with some lemon slices added, but a mildly more labor oriented process of mixing lemon, pulp, juice along with the tea in the correct proportion, under the right combination of conditions, and refrigerating it to the right temperature. And when the order is placed, sweetened to the right level.
OMFG, damn PERFECT. A trusted food friend of mine really likes the iced lemon tea at Sing Heung Yuen in Central, but I think Kei Kee's iceless cold lemon tea absolutely blows it away.
At the price point they are charging, it is by local standards, not a cheap drink. Very small portion, but sufficient for a sample. Yet way too addicting!
After four glasses, we had to double down and get another set.
And it was so addicting that before we left the area to get on the bus, we dropped by Kei Kee again. They were pretty much closed for the day, but the kind staff still accepted our request to get the drink to go. Unfortunately the third cup was not as good, maybe a tad diluted. But the first two cups will forever be cemented in memory.
It's really amazing how that grandma came up with such a simple yet effective perfect drink. It is kind of like that 80+ year old "Jiro" guy (no, not the sushi movie)....I'm talking about Shui Kee...cold milk tea in a Schweppes soda bottle. A drink that is simple, yet made with care with the utmost deliciousness. This is like "kodawari" in very old school yet extinct approach to food in Hong Kong food culture...kind of sad it might just be stuck in the old generation, and when these folks go, nobody is going to carry on the bloodline and lifeline of the business (or attempt to clone/learn it).
Kei Kee also offers other things on the menu, but am quite happy to return just for that lemon tea. Absolutely unforgettable.
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