A Tiger In The Kitchen

Lan Fong Yuen (Hong Kong): The Perfect Breakfast

There are far too many mornings in New York when I wake up with a pressing question: Where is my pork chop bun?

Flaky croissants, fluffy pancakes and hearty breakfast casseroles are perfectly delightful but one of my absolute favorite breakfasts is something far more basic -- a soft white roll filled with a hot pan-fried pork chop.

It's a classic Hong Kong breakfast -- one you'll find in coffeeshops all over the country. There are variations on the dish -- the pork chop is sometimes breaded, the bun is sometimes sweet.

During a recent trip to Hong Kong, however, one place called out to us above all others: Lan Fong Yuen, a little shop in Central that is so beloved you'll have to elbow aside throngs of starving locals for a place to sit ...

Lin Heung Tea House: Hong Kong Dim Sum, The Old School

Because we are in Hong Kong, dim sum is a must.

My dear friend Jeanette and I -- two women who have been driven by our stomachs in the 20 years that we have been the best of friends -- we wake up in the cool grayness of Hong Kong bleary-eyed and starving.

Even in the fog of sleepiness, our mission is clear -- we stumble out into the dusty bustle of mid-morning Hong Kong and make our way toward Central. On a corner of narrow Wellington Street lies our destination: Lin Heung Tea House, a dim sum place that has been around since 1928 and is packed most mornings with regulars who head there for a morning dumpling fix, strong pu erh (or po lei as it is known in these parts) and some quality time with the day's newspaper ...