Cyclists’ obsession with coffee is a quick realisation for anyone picking up our treasured sport. We are amazed by most baristas’ ability to distinguish between all the personal preferences ordered at shotgun speed. Bo fondly recalls the first time heard the term ‘flat white’ from an Australian friend. He had no idea what it meant and neither did the girl behind the counter in the highlands of Malaysia. The customer was not impressed and did what so many do when someone doesn’t understand them. He raised his voice…“FLAAAT WOYT”. She just stared at him. No one knows what he got, but it might just have been coffee with warm milk and no froth. Poor guy.
Hong Kong is no different and the café scene has evolved significantly since 2004, when the riders of South Island Road Cycling started crisscrossing the SAR. In the early days, good coffee shops were few and far between and the group usually finished their rides at Pacific Coffee in Stanley. On occasion we stopped in Shek-O as well, in a very local, but very friendly shop that is no longer there. The standard order was coffee and toast. That was it and everyone knew it. A newbie came along one day and asked us quietly if we thought it would be ok to order a cappuccino instead. “Of course”, we all assured him and he confidently ordered his double-shot skinny cappuccino. A few minutes later all of us, including him, got our black coffees as usual. He looked at his cup for a short while and we all burst out laughing. No harm in asking right? But you get what they serve.
Coffee stops used to be primarily for weekend rides only. But with new work-from-home arrangements in place, mid-week coffees are now more common. There was one Guy who, during the height of the pandemic, even turned his favourite coffee shop into his personal office.
Below are some of our favourite cafes that have welcomed us cyclists and helped make Hong Kong such an enjoyable place to ride and live.
Whilst in recent years Ming’s has become the SIRC’s regular café in Shek-O, if you are in the village early doors or if Ming’s is already full, Lulu’s is the place to go. In addition to coffee, the restaurant offers an extensive menu ranging from noodles to spectacular door-step toast.
We should also give some credit to Feather & Bone in Tsuen Wan West which, with its large outdoor terrace next to the MTR station, is the venue of choice for those completing a SIRC Grand Tour on a Sunday morning.
And of course there is Pacific Coffee. Not just the original SIRC waterhole in Stanley but also the café in Peak Galleria. Here, after the Annual Peak ITT in December, you’ll find the entire group uploading rides to Strava in the hope of winning the prized Colin Robertson Trophy or simply getting one over their TARGET!
See you on the road and over a cuppa…
Bo and Ric