yat lok barbecue restaurant
Nancy Fung ate so much roasted goose as a child that her appetite for the bird eventually took flight. It wasn’t until her sister Eugene introduced her to Yat Lok Barbecue Restaurant in Stanley Street, Central, a few years ago that her taste for its cripsy skin and tender flesh once again came home to roost. “Once I had a bite, I was instantly hooked,” she remembers. The restaurant has since become a firm favourite for Nancy, who is smitten by its cha chaan teng charm and its menu of Cantonese comfort food. Nancy’s friend Joyce Tam had little choice when it came to trying the restaurant’s famous roast goose. “A waiter loudly demanded my order and, as I was unable to decide, he then ordered for me—‘the roast goose with noodle.’ He said it was the best and, frankly, he was right.” Joyce and Nancy agree that the service and decor is “not something to write home about,” but the menu tempts them every time. Joyce swears by the roast bird with lai fun noodles, while Nancy prefers it with hor fun soup noodles. It seems the quick service and delectable dishes are what drives Yat Lok’s thriving business—but having a Michelin star doesn’t hurt.