“It’s Hong Kong’s secret recipe”…Interview with Mr. Lo Cheong He, owner of She Wong Hei

For many, Covid-19 was a window of temporary quarantine and social distance. But for many restaurants, it meant a brutal shutdown. Due to the strict social distancing protocols set by the Hong Kong government, many smaller restaurants in the city struggled to cope financially as a result. Covid safety protocols meant halving the already small customer capacity these restaurants could offer seats to. 

Unfortunately, She Wong Yee was one of the restaurants confronted by a plunging business when the pandemic hit, leading to its eventual closure in 2020. This restaurant, known for its snake skin soup, had been a local favorite for decades. Thus, members of the local community expressed pity and sorrow to see its departure from Hong Kong’s local cuisine. 

For many, the closure of She Wong Yee meant a loss of traditional snake skin soup. But for Mr. Lo Cheung Hei, it was only the end of a chapter and the start of a new one. After the pandemic, he had reopened a new snake soup restaurant, known today as She Wong Hei, located in Causeway Bay, not far from its old location. 

I had a chance to visit She Wong Hei. The restaurant was rather small but no doubt cozy. Restaurant staff conducted friendly small chats with its customers as they sipped on their porcelain spoons filled with snake soup. Of course, I also ordered a bowl. 

On the wall just across from me was a watercolor portrait of a man in his 50s or 60s. I squinted my eyes to study his facial features and finally connected the dots… it was a picture of Mr. Lo. At the same time, the automatic doors of the restaurant slid open. What a coincidence: he had just returned. 

I was three quarters into my snake soup and Mr. Lo stepped out of the kitchen. I took this opportunity to start a conversation with him and hear his experience on reopening a restaurant as well as his perspective on preserving Hong Kong’s local restaurant culture. Here is how it went: 

“Good afternoon! I’m really enjoying this soup! Can I just ask how long your business has been going for?”

Lo: “About two and a half years. The last store, She Wong Yee, had been around for over 40 years.”

“Who is your main clientele?”

Lo: “All ages come to my restaurants. I didn’t really intend to appeal to one age demographic specifically. As you know, Hong Kong is really famous for its snake-soup tradition. Its been around for centuries. There are restaurants in Sham Shui Po for example. Yet, those restaurants are more “dan yat” [single-dish/specialty]. Here, we have expanded our options. Some may either come here for the “Siu Mei” [roasted meat dishes] or just for a warm bowl of soup. We welcome everyone, both young and old.” 

“In your opinion, why should we maintain local restaurant culture and dining habits?”

Lo: Every country has its distinct, specialized restaurant and cuisine culture, whether that be China, Taiwan, Japan and even Thailand, we each have century old legacies of food culture. You can certainly find the same dishes all over the world, but which one really tastes the most authentic? You can’t really find Cantonese snake soup elsewhere. Snake soup is Hong Kong’s delicacy. We cook it in a style other countries can’t replicate. It’s Hong Kong’s secret recipe.” 

Mr. Lo Cheong He, owner of She Wong Hei

You can visit She Wong Hei at 59 Percival Street, Causeway Bay, 11am-11pm.