CookSmart (5th Issue) Page4

EatSmart Restaurants Snaps

Daniel’s Restaurant

A Thriving EatSmart Chinese Style Tea Restaurant

Chinese style tea restaurants (alias cha chaan teng) are also known as People’s Canteens as they offer eclectic and affordable menus which include a combination of various cuisines. As more people have adopted a healthy way of eating, Chinese style tea restaurants are now reorientating themselves to keep abreast with customers’ needs.

Daniel’s Restaurant

Mr. Cheng Lin-how joined the business 27 years ago. In 1982 he founded Daniel’s Restaurant which mainly served desserts. Five years later, it changed to a Chinese style tea restaurant by providing noodles and stir-fried dishes. The restaurant has now developed into a restaurant chain with 13 branches and over 500 staff.

Transform the Cha Chaan Teng’s Style of Cooking

In the old days, Mr. Cheng said, most local restaurants could only afford a very small kitchen. To reduce the cooking time, chefs used to stir-fry food in high heat. They also tended to add more salt to enhance the taste. Patrons therefore tends to eat heavily flavoured and oily meals.

After the group has joined the "EatSmart@restaurant.hk" Campaign in 2006, Daniel’s Restaurant started to offer dishes with more vegetable, less oil and less salt. One tenth of the dishes offered in the restaurants are now vegetable based and he hopes that the proportion of dishes meeting "3 Less" and "More Fruit and Vegetables" criteria will be increased to 50% in two years’ time.