Nostalgia on a plate

Typically, a dish from 50 years ago will contain a greater amount of saturated fat. Lo and BMA's catering manager Michelle Lee understand that people want healthier, more sustainable versions of traditional dishes. Stuffed chicken wings with vegetarian shark's fin are one example of Loyal Dining stepping up to the plate. "Historically, this dish was stuffed with real shark's fin," Lee says. "Today, we feel that it is more responsible to stop using shark's fin altogether. We kept the wow factor with vermicelli in a traditional shark's fin broth."

BMA, the group that owns and operates Loyal Dining along with four other restaurants, was originally an entertainment business. A few years ago, it began to diversify and opened Loyal Dining in July 2011.

While there are other restaurants that serve retro dishes, Loyal Dining is the only one I've seen with so many nostalgic offerings jammed into one menu. It even offers all-day dim sum courtesy of head dim sum chef Wu Kwok-Kwan.

"We have a wide clientele," Lo says. "We have tourists, business executives and locals seeking classic Hong Kong dishes, families bringing parents or kids to relive past memories, and late night revelers from Lan Kwai Fong." Loyal Dining is one of the few restaurants in Central open until 2 am on weekdays and 4 am on weekends.

I love the black-and-white photos of old Hong Kong street scenes decorating the three-story restaurant. There is a decidedly different vibe on the ground floor, with its dark wood paneling, plaid wallpaper and art-deco bronze pendant lamps. The two floors above are more intimate and boast diamond-stitched booth seating with sunburst-patterned lamps mounted on the ceiling.

After we indulge in black cows, a parade of dishes past began to rain upon us. I was really glad that I insisted on covering my Loyal seafood soup with puff pastry. The pastry was so buttery that I couldn't resist tearing off greedy chunks, and the tomato-based soup was rich with an assortment of herbs. Squid, mushrooms and a giant prawn made the soup a meal in itself.

I also enjoyed the bright green spinach dumplings with their crunchy greens. Lee mentioned that the spinach was stir-fried before being stuffed into the dumplings for a distinctive texture, and the green pastry was tinted naturally with spinach leaves.

We next enjoyed two types of pigeon: crispy and soy. Both were tender and juicy, but the crispy version literally melted in my mouth. Ditto for the chicken wings in homemade sweet soy sauce: It was a contemporary take on Swiss wings and had the perfect balance of acidity, sugar and salt.

Another standout for me was Portuguese-style baked chicken with rice. I adored its crusty curry-coconut sauce and the big chunks of boneless chicken with carrots and potatoes. It has just the right amount of sugar and spice without overwhelming the inherent flavors.

On my way out, I patted Lap Sap Chung, a huge green sculpture of the beloved litterbug that the Hong Kong government launched in 1972 as part of a clean-up campaign. Like the rest of Loyal Dining, he was an oldie but a goodie.

IF YOU GO

Loyal Dining

G/F-2/F, 66 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong. 852-3125-3000.

Average cost per person: $32.

Recommended: Seafood Soup with Puff Pastry, Chicken Wings Simmered in Homemade Sweet Soy Sauce, Portuguese-Style Baked Chicken with Rice.