On Lai Chi
On Lai Chi Kok Road in Prince Edward, under the maroon canopy, spotlights illuminate the sign with black letters on a white background - "Golden Phoenix Restaurant" seems to be telling the story of Hong Kong for half a century. Pushing open the doors and windows and hanging the curtains, it seems as if you are walking back to the golden days. In 1969, he opened his own steakhouse on Lai Chi Kok Road and named it "Golden Phoenix Restaurant" after a newly built residential building nearby.
When talking about Hong Kong-style western food, we cannot fail to mention the signature Teppanyaki. Most of the steaks at Jin Feng are served on the iron plate. The waiters hold several beef-shaped wooden iron plate mats and bring them to the customers. Customers can choose between rich roast sauce or black pepper sauce. The waiters pour spoonfuls of sauce on the high-temperature iron plate, making a sizzling sound. Diners pull up napkins and put them in front of themselves to block the sauce from flying around. The steam is rising, and it is truly delicious and tasty, forming the classic impression of Western food for Hong Kong people. To this day, there are still many guests who come with their families or whole families of all ages. "Two dollars minced garlic" is also one of the specialties of Golden Phoenix. Back then, Lin Zhiqiang discovered that minced garlic and steak have a particularly good taste. After grinding and sautéing the minced garlic, eating it with the steak makes it more flavorful and also balances the greasiness of the meat. For many years, customers have had to pay an extra "two dollars" for an additional serving of minced garlic. Noble, the youngest daughter who took over Kam Fung, laughed and said that when she was a child, when she asked her colleagues at Kam Fung to get "two dollars", she knew that they had to go to the kitchen to get minced garlic. If they wanted an extra serving of minced garlic, they would ask "four dollars", "six dollars", and so on. Being truly anti-inflationary for many years can be considered as the sentiment of Jinfeng.
Golden Phoenix also retains the characteristics of an old-style steakhouse in its decoration. Whether it is the menu inside the store or the handwritten blackboard standing in front of the window, all of them list the various types of steaks offered by the restaurant. There are 14 beef dishes to choose from, including top sirloin, short ribs, rib-eye steak, tenderloin, T-bone steak, etc., and abalone, scallops, prawns, etc. can also be added as a side dish. For those who don't like steak, we also offer lamb, pork and chicken steak meals. After more than 50 years of operation, some dishes have quietly disappeared, such as the "full meal" with salad appetizers and fish fillet served in champagne glasses in addition to the classic soup, main course and drinks; there are also old-style Western restaurant bar specials such as "Orange Mix" and "Lemon Mix" which are made by adding juice or syrup to soda water, which can be regarded as the Hong Kong version of Mocktail (non-alcoholic cocktail). Golden Phoenix is a Western restaurant with a liquor license. It used to sell a variety of cocktails at the bar, and still offers several types of beer to customers today.
The décor of the Golden Phoenix branch deliberately retains nostalgic elements, such as red walls, two-person booths, leather seats with pineapple rivets and stainless steel table legs. The location is close to the people's livelihood area to attract more diners and get rid of the old-fashioned flavor of old-fashioned steakhouses. The two sisters likened this style to "fashionable nostalgia". The store must be clean and well-lit. The red and white checkered tablecloths that were common in the past have now become employee uniforms, creating an overall friendly atmosphere for guests. Among them, the Prince Edward flagship store best preserves the "original flavor" of a Hong Kong-style steakhouse, such as the hanging "bobo lamp" that has been preserved after multiple renovations, and the wooden board with "Famous Beef and Ox Restaurant" written on it facing the entrance in the restaurant. The decorative lights outside the store have also been preserved since the restaurant opened. Mary and Noble said that they actually wanted to preserve their childhood impression of their father's shop, and every time they clean, they would remind their colleagues not to damage it, because if it was broken, they would not be able to find these old decorations again.
Nostalgia is not only about the things, the Golden Phoenix Restaurant also embodies a Hong Kong-style human touch everywhere: from being a duo in the past, adding positions as the business improved, to today's scale of a catering group with over a hundred employees, who maintain good relationships with each other and have a low turnover rate, which can be seen from the qualifications of the floor staff. The company holds an anniversary dinner every year, inviting new and old colleagues to gather together to celebrate the efforts of the past year. After taking over, Mary and Noble inherited their father's management style and worked hard to get along with employees. As for suppliers, Golden Phoenix rarely makes profits. Many bad habits and cultures in the local catering industry that are criticized by the public are rejected by Golden Phoenix. These business intentions and principles are more or less influenced by Lin Zhiqiang: "We are all doing business", not harboring ill intentions, doing our own business well, and allowing the industry to flourish. As a guest, you will also benefit from this. Today, when you step into the Golden Phoenix Restaurant, the nostalgic atmosphere and the proper service of the waiters will give you a good experience. The Prince Edward flagship store has been standing for over 50 years. For many old customers, it can be described as “from small food to large food”. In addition to being a restaurant, it also contains memories of gatherings with family and friends. In today's fast-changing world, it is fortunate that we can still taste this timeless flavor.
Store Name:
Golden Phoenix Restaurant - Prince Edward
Created in:
1969
Operation:
Hong Kong-style steakhouse and nostalgic western cuisine
address:
Shop A, G/F, 102 Lai Chi Kok Road, Prince Edward, Kowloon (Prince Edward Main Store)