LockCha offers traditional tea service and vegetarian dim sum in a stunning colonial-era building with elegant furnishings, carved wooden panels, and framed calligraphy on the walls. When it first opened in 1991, it was a simple tea shop, but over the years, it evolved into a haven for tea lovers and connoisseurs, and an important player in the revival of the traditional Cantonese teahouse. From the start, LockCha’s discerning founder, Mr. Wing-chi Ip, did things differently from other shops, buying his tea directly from farmers and focusing on unblended, pure, single-harvest tea. This attracted attention and loyal customers. Today, LockCha not only sells more than 100 different teas but also designs and sells tea wares—teapots, cups, canisters, and so on. There are also concerts every Saturday night, and tea and calligraphy classes on weekdays.
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LockCha Tea House, Hong Kong
The city of Hong Kong was largely built on the tea trade, and this teahouse and shop in Hong Kong Park is still one of the best places in the world to buy high-quality leaves from across China. “To me, tea is never a commodity; it is something with a story, with culture,” says the owner, Wing-Chi Ip, who was a pioneer in selling single-origin Chinese teas abroad in the 1980s. Ip opened his shop in 1991 and still sources the tea direct from tea farms—mellow golden oolongs from Taiwan; rich, dark, aged pu’ers from Yunnan province; Silver Needle tea from Fujian province—himself. He also commissions exclusive handpainted Jingdezhen porcelain tea sets and Yixing earthenware teapots to sell in the shop. K.S. Lo Gallery, Ground Floor, Hong Kong Park, Admiralty, 852/2801-7177. This appeared in the October 2013 issue.
Veggie Teahouse
This is a great place to have quality tea and dim sum especially for vegetarians. The selection of tea ranges from low-priced greens to very expensive pu’er teas. I would suggest arriving after 2 p.m., since the place gets pretty busy during lunch hours.
LockCha Tea House
This cha chaan teng, or dim sum and tea restaurant, is set in a colonial-era building with elegant furnishings, carved wooden panels and framed calligraphy on the walls. A revival of the traditional Cantonese teahouse, LockCha offers more than 100 teas along with vegetarian dim sum. There are also Cantonese concerts and calligraphy classes from time to time along with a shop selling tea and teapots.
