Chinese heritage restaurants hold on to tradition

CHINESE New Year invariably brings up thoughts of tradition and a sense of nostalgia for the family reunion dinners of the past. But today’s Chinese restaurants seem more focused, for example, on serving up modernised yu sheng fit for Instagram pictures than on upholding heritage.

However, a handful of old-school eateries are still presenting their dishes in ways that haven’t changed for decades; these are the places offering Teochew, Hakka and Cantonese dishes that have stood the test of time.

That their businesses have not folded during the Covid-19 lockdown and the travails of the F&B industry attests to the owners’ tenacity to keep going despite the challenges. Supporting them are their regular diners, as well as a growing number of the younger set who are curious about the restaurants’ heritage and are keen to try out restaurants frequented by their parents and grandparents.