Perhaps its misleading name has intrigued you. The Australia Dairy Company is a Hong Kong food legend. Despite its name, it is not Australian. It is a cha chaan teng. These are Hong Kong-style cafés. This one is iconic and beloved in the city.
Australia Dairy Company is famed for speed. Its signature dishes are scrambled eggs. The dining experience here is chaotic and charming. Opened in the 1970s, it quickly gained a reputation. It is known for serving some of the best comfort food in Hong Kong. Locals and tourists flock here. They come for the scrambled eggs and steamed milk puddings.
The founder once worked on an Australian farm in the 1940s. That is where the name comes from. The restaurant’s brand name reflects high-quality dairy. The dairy ingredients are imported from Australia. The Tang family founded it in 1970. It is one of the oldest restaurants in Hong Kong.
Australia Dairy Company has efficient service. Some might even say rude. The average customer visit is short. It only lasts about 10 minutes. The restaurant is famous for egg custard pudding. It is also famous for its scrambled eggs.
I thought I’d never get to visit Australia Dairy Company again. It brings back so many nostalgic memories. I saw a glimpse of hope after dropping my son off. His English class was just across the street. I thought that maybe I could get us a table in 15 minutes. That was judging from the lineup. The lineup moved faster than I thought. Soon, we were offered a small private dining area. It was behind the big tables.
As usual, we went with our usual order. We ordered one yellow and one white. That is how people usually place orders here. It didn’t take more than a minute. Our two puddings arrived. I ordered steamed egg custard with almond juice. It is my all-time favorite. It was served lukewarm. It was very nice and custardy. It was sweet but not too sweet. It was much better than the take-away version. My companion ordered steamed milk pudding with egg white. She enjoyed it thoroughly. It was so good to be back at this traditional café. We used to hang out here when we were still dating. Like most nights, we were rushed out. But that was also part of the fun.
The Australia Dairy Company has received accolades. CNNGo recommended it in their Best Eats Awards for 2010. OpenRice gave it the Best Restaurant Awards. These were in the district and cuisine categories. The Guardian mentioned it as a top 10 budget restaurant. Some describe it as a Hong Kong institution. One writer sums up its aesthetic. She says, “I like the aesthetic of this place, it’s very Wong Kar-wai.”