Ding ding and dim sum

Bo Lei or Pu'er tea with earthy taste.

Trams rumbling by outside compete against the chatter inside and the clattering of crockery and cutlery. The sound and ambience are so redolent of a Hong Kong movie that I wouldn't be surprised to see Jackie Chan doing some kungfu kicks over the tea cups. A nudge in the ribs from Vicky, my breakfast companion and guide, brings me back to the present and reminds me that I'm ready to eat.

This is a new branch of the famed Lin Heung Kui Tea House (the name means House of the Fragrant Lotus), a Hong Kong institution for more 80 years and a place where men used to show off their pet birds. The feathered friends are no longer welcome guests but cages hanging over the counter bring back memories of the good old days.

"Can we get the menu?" I ask Vicky after my sign language fails to produce results.

"This place sticks to the traditions of a Hong Kong tea house in the 1930s so that means no menus or English speaking waiters. That's why I brought you here," she replies with a smile.

While Vicky orders tea and dim sum, another waiter places a bowl, dish, cup and chopsticks in front of me. He then pours hot tea in the bowl and places my cup in it.

Vicky sees my confusion that quickly explains that the scalding tea is first used to sterilise all the utensils. Only then will "yam cha" - the drinking tea - be served.

Five kinds of tea are offered at Lin Heung Kui, each with different properties. Bo Lei or Pu'er is a dark reddish tea with a strong, full earthy taste, which helps digestion. Heung Peen, jasmine tea, aka Xiang Pian, is a very light green tea with a subtle flavour and sweet jasmine scent. Sui Xin, which literally means water fairy, is an Oolong tea with a rich flavour and pleasant after taste with cold curing properties. Sau Mei or Shou Mei is a white tea with slightly bitter taste with relaxing and mood enhancing properties, while Lung Jiang, Dragon Well, or Long Jing, is a light green tea once favoured by emperors.

"If you come on a weekend, you'll probably have to share a table with other customers. It's packed to bursting point then," says Vicki, adding that at yam cha, it's customary to pour tea for others before filling one's own cup. In return, the person whose cup has been filled then taps the table with three fingers as an expression of gratitude.

The table tapping custom can be traced back to Qing Dynasty, with some saying it originated with Qianlong Emperor who liked to travel incognito. On visiting a teahouse with his companions, he took his turn at pouring tea and to maintain his anonymity, instructed his companions not to kowtow but instead to tap three fingers on the table. One finger represented their bowed heads and the other two represented their prostrate arms.

As we sip our tea, baskets of steaming dim sum arrive on our table and we eagerly taste the authentic dishes. But after just a few minutes, I spot Vicky half-opening the lid of her cup.

"What are you doing? The lid might fall off!" I shriek.

"That's the polite way to ask for a refill. It is also a sign of good service, if your pot is refilled soon after the lid is lifted," she says softly.

With such a hearty meal and pleasant conversation, time flies and before I notice, the morning is almost gone.

"Are you full? If not, perhaps we could go for a coffee," Vicky suggests.

We jump on a double-decker tram, known locally as "ding ding", and head to Central. The trams have been running since 1904 and just HK$2 buys you a ride from the east to west of Hong Kong Island.

From Central, Vicky leads us to Duddell Street and stops in front of a Starbucks.

"No offence, but I can have Starbucks anywhere," I tell her.

Vicky smiles and pushes me through the door. Inside, with a full view of the shop, my jaw drops. On the left, the decor is typically Starbucks, but on the right, I'm looking at a bing sut - the traditional Hong Kong cafe.

The space is decked out with birdcages, ceiling fans, benches that date back to the '50s and old Chinese posters.

Unlike other bing sut in the area, this cafe is not filled with old people sipping coffee and reading papers. Most of the customers are girls taking photos of each other in between sips of iced fruit juice and caramel macchiato.

"The local designer from GOD came up with the concept for this shop. It is the only Starbucks with a local theme and they even have bo lo baau, the famous pineapple bun, on the menu," Vicky boasts with a grin.

We relax with a hot coffee in this comfortable bing sut background. Next time, I tell myself, I'll come prepared and dress up in the right outfit so I too can send some special photos back home.

If you go …

Cathay Pacific Airways flies 5 times daily to Hong Kong. Check out the schedule and promotions at www.CathayPacific.com

(The writer travelled to Hong Kong as a guest of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.)