LockCha (Admiralty) — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Went here ages ago. Lock Cha Tea Shop is a nice place for Chinese tea and vegetarian dim sums. I have always wanted to try their tea and dim sums but whenever I came it was closed. They change their dim sum menu daily so if there is something particular you want to eat you have to call them to find out because their website is not update. You would think they would be kind enough to email or fax you the daily menu but they do not have a fax machine or computer to facilitate this. There were a few items I wanted to try but it was not on the menu that day, they were 梅菜煎餅 (panfried preserved vegetable cakes) and the 煎薯仔餅 (panfried potato cakes). The portions were quite small, normally you get four pieces but here you only get two pieces which is very filling (not). This place is famous for Chinese tea but not every table had a heater (shown on photo below) to keep the water hot because there was no plug underneath my table and they did not let me change tables. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Wrapped Glutinous rice with mushrooms: The glutinous rice had strong black pepper and the filling was mushrooms stalks! It tastes better than the ordinary glutinous rice with meat because it does not have any fat in it! ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Vegetarian shaomai : I was surprised there were only two in a portion, usually there are 3-4!! The texture of this was quite mushy and sticky with pieces of mushroom in it. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Stir fried pasta: The pasta was nice but the black pepper was too strong. Another hongkie thing because honks just love black pepper. Each strand of spaghetti was too short to be picked up with chopsticks and too long for the spoon. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Beans with tofu noodles: This was quite nice but could have tasted better with Chinese wine in it and the tofu noodles were not soft enough. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Vegetables wrapped in palm melon: This was quite boring and tasteless. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Sesame dumplings in Jasmine tea: The idea of this dessert was really good, it was dumplings in unsweetened Jasmine tea and not the usual sweet liquid. Usually I love Jasmine tea but the Jasmine they used was too flowery for my liking. ★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★ Chinese tea: I was expecting their teas to be good but most of them had a really strong flower scent which I did not like...

We stop by the Lock Cha Tea House in Hong Kong Park every once in a while during visits to Hong Kong Park. There is a wide variety of quality teas to try and some nice dim sum orders that you can sample in the traditional Cantonese style tea house. This makes a very nice compliment to the a visit to the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware just next door.

During our visit last year, we tried the Jasmine fairy-craft tea that was light and fragrant - a nice Jasmine tea to drink on its own. This is a flowering tea and you can watch the flower grow during steeping. This is a fun experience for those that have not tried before. We also tried the Fujian organic green tea which only required a short steeping time to create a light "grassy" taste; we liked this better with our food orders.

Dim sum orders included the Steamed vegetable dumplings which tasted ok but for two small pieces this was pricey. Second order was steamed savoury sticky rice served in banana leaf which was yummy but required patient separation of the sticky rice from the leaf wrapping. Highlight order was the Jasmine dumpling w/ black sesame. We enjoyed the combined taste and texture of the slightly sweet sticky rice ball and the nuttiness of the sesame seeds, best taken with the nicely scented floral water. This was just a great dessert option.

Unfortunately, we have often found service to be rather slow. During a visit last year, we arrived around 4pm, it was quite busy and difficult to get the attention of staff. In the end, tea is to be enjoyed slowly so best not to come in a rush or if you are particularly hungry as the dim sum orders are very light and not served as quickly as you'll find in the Hong Kong restaurants.

Overall, we find the Lock Cha Tea House experience to be quite tourist friendly and an easy activity to try when visiting Hong Kong Park. Those keen on trying local experiences will find this a particularly enjoyable...

When my wife, our child, and I arrived at the restaurant, we were shown to a table in one of the corners. Given the tight space and the fact that we had a pram, it was not an ideal spot. We requested to be seated at a different empty table near the windows but were informed that it was reserved. We then asked to move to one of two available tables in the center of the restaurant, and after some reluctance, the waitress allowed us to choose one.

The interaction left a bad impression. The waitress's poor attitude—along with the fact that she initially directed us to the least favorable table despite other options being available—dampened our mood. Ultimately, we decided to leave. Before departing, my wife gave feedback to the waitress (who wore dark-colored, thick-rimmed glasses), explaining that we were dissatisfied with the experience. The waitress reiterated that the table near the windows was reserved. My wife mentioned that she had called ahead and was told reservations were unnecessary—that we could simply walk in. The waitress responded indifferently, seemingly implying, "If you want to leave, just leave."

My wife had looked forward to trying the restaurant, but the poor service and dismissive attitude turned it into a...