Bangkok Eye
Survivor from the '60s | Mido Cafe | Hong Kong
The Mido Café in Kowloon is a institution which is a blast from Hong Kong’s historical past. Located right in the heart of the Temple Street market and across from the Tin Hau temple, this landmark ‘café’ opened its doors in 1950 and not much has changed. The original cash register is still there as are most of the signs, furniture and flooring.
More of a living museum rather than a place to grab coffee, Mido Café is decorated with small tiles on the floors and walls, a feature which was typical of that era. The 2nd floor is particularly atmospheric because of the hard bench seating, big windows, high ceilings and neon light filtering in from the sign just outside. It’s not a coincidence that so many movies and photoshoots were inspired by this place.
At Mido Café, you will not find lattes made with fancy roasted coffee beans, rather you will find typical Cha Chaan Teng fare (Hong Kong style café food and snacks.)
In the boom years of the 1960s and 1970s, Hong Kong people demanded increasingly sophisticated dining options to match their swelling pocketbooks, and what they got was the cha chan teng. Under names like "The Gloucester" and "The Cherikoff," these neighborhood restaurants attempted to present a reasonable simulacrum of Western-style cuisine but in practice served heavily syncretic fare. The likes of soya sauce chicken spaghetti or pork chop with applesauce and steamed rice became the stuff of fashionable Friday nights, washed down with things like yin-yang (coffee and tea, mixed in the same cup). Several cha chan teng have survived, serving the same kind of food, but now they're a cult thing — visited by young people looking for their childhoods in salads of tinned fruit cocktail and mayo, with side servings of irony and retro decor.
www.hiphongkong.com/eat/restaurants/cafes/mido_cafe_yau_m...
www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,185011...
From reviewing a few images on Flickr it seems there was some renovation of the Mido in the last 3 years. The retro wallpaper on the cieling is new as are the halogen lights that replaced fluorescent tubes.
Visit my website: Southeast Asia Images
Survivor from the '60s | Mido Cafe | Hong Kong
The Mido Café in Kowloon is a institution which is a blast from Hong Kong’s historical past. Located right in the heart of the Temple Street market and across from the Tin Hau temple, this landmark ‘café’ opened its doors in 1950 and not much has changed. The original cash register is still there as are most of the signs, furniture and flooring.
More of a living museum rather than a place to grab coffee, Mido Café is decorated with small tiles on the floors and walls, a feature which was typical of that era. The 2nd floor is particularly atmospheric because of the hard bench seating, big windows, high ceilings and neon light filtering in from the sign just outside. It’s not a coincidence that so many movies and photoshoots were inspired by this place.
At Mido Café, you will not find lattes made with fancy roasted coffee beans, rather you will find typical Cha Chaan Teng fare (Hong Kong style café food and snacks.)
In the boom years of the 1960s and 1970s, Hong Kong people demanded increasingly sophisticated dining options to match their swelling pocketbooks, and what they got was the cha chan teng. Under names like "The Gloucester" and "The Cherikoff," these neighborhood restaurants attempted to present a reasonable simulacrum of Western-style cuisine but in practice served heavily syncretic fare. The likes of soya sauce chicken spaghetti or pork chop with applesauce and steamed rice became the stuff of fashionable Friday nights, washed down with things like yin-yang (coffee and tea, mixed in the same cup). Several cha chan teng have survived, serving the same kind of food, but now they're a cult thing — visited by young people looking for their childhoods in salads of tinned fruit cocktail and mayo, with side servings of irony and retro decor.
www.hiphongkong.com/eat/restaurants/cafes/mido_cafe_yau_m...
www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,185011...
From reviewing a few images on Flickr it seems there was some renovation of the Mido in the last 3 years. The retro wallpaper on the cieling is new as are the halogen lights that replaced fluorescent tubes.
Visit my website: Southeast Asia Images