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Xinyi Wu

At Kellett Island Grocery, a pop-up store in Causeway Bay’s Hysan Place on Hong Kong Island, the words “Joy at First Bite” are more than a catchy slogan.
For Fred Cheng, the driving force behind the venture, the slogan harks back to his childhood memories of exploring markets at weekends and enjoying a good meal out as a treat when he did well in school.
“I wanted to combine the joy of eating good things and the joy of discovery – or in this case, rediscovery – of local stuff to form a shop like this,” Cheng says.
Kellett Island Grocery features a collection of speciality products from more than 20 small and medium-sized Hong Kong businesses, most of them selling food and drinks.
It takes its name from a piece of land off East Point in Causeway Bay, where, apparently, construction workers building the Cross-Harbour Tunnel used to buy snacks and groceries.
Kellett Island now houses the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.

When it comes to how the products were selected, Cheng stresses authenticity. “We want to [focus on] those that really started in Hong Kong, that are doing it here and for the people,” he says.
He highlights Kowloon Flour Mills, which was founded in 1964 and is the only surviving flour mill in the city; and Wing Lok Noodle Factory, which started as a small producer in 1976 before it moved into its current factory building in Kowloon Bay.
There are several Hong Kong noodle brands, but Wing Lok has a twist on the traditional technique by infusing soup directly into the noodles, turning the cooking water into a flavourful soup base.
“This is the Hong Kong way of instant noodles. This is the kind of product that we choose,” Cheng says.

“And of course, it has to taste good. This is very important,” he says.
Cheng has sampled foods from most of the brands, some of which he has been eating for decades.
He has fond memories of Chan Yee Jai’s vegetarian roast goose – a kind of sweet, sour and slightly spicy dried bean curd. He recalls enjoying the snack at a friend’s home in Sheung Wan, where Chan Yee Jai’s store has stood for decades on Queen’s Road, after school during his primary and early secondary years.
This snack is not what the confectionery brand is most famous for, but it is one of the best of its kind, Cheng said, adding that those who grew up on Hong Kong Island are probably familiar with it.

Other products featured at the store carry meaningful stories. Luna, a limited edition beer from brewery Young Master, is named after the previous head brewer’s daughter. The sour ale is now sold exclusively at Kellett Island Grocery, with a redesigned label by Hong Kong artist Katol Lo.
Several other brands have created exclusive products for the pop-up, with some teaming up to launch new offerings. For example, Chan Yee Jai and historic snake restaurant Ser Wong Fun are collaborating to make a deep-fried snake meat and shrimp roe crispy peanut snack, which will be launched in December.
While customers may recognise some of the Hong Kong brands, only a small proportion of them browse and buy goods from more than one brand.
In addition to fostering collaboration between brands, Cheng and his team hope to raise their profiles by recommending complementary products.
For instance, if they see someone buying a can of Young Master’s salted lime highball, they might suggest preserved fruit maker Tang Hoi Moon Kee’s cured prunes or a crispy snack as a pairing.

“It’s not exactly because of business. It’s because of the experience,” Cheng says. “We want to celebrate the idea of trying to match different things.”
“Right now, especially these couple of years after the pandemic and reopening, everyone is going out to travel all the time. It feels like all the brands in Hong Kong are kind of lacking attention,” he says. “So we are trying to present the brands in a way that can attract attention.”
Minimalist metal racks are used so that the spotlight is on the products’ colourful packaging. The store’s orange and blue signage was also designed by Lo, and the cha chaan teng-style uniforms worn by store assistants are made by Sham Shui Po vintage store Bunkaya Zakkaten. The music shoppers hear is a playlist Cheng and his team curated from vinyl records music store White Noise Records is selling at the pop-up.
Cheng hopes the pop-up can entice people to explore and discover something new, much as they did before the internet changed how we shop.
“We love telling the stories [of these brands] to the customers,” he says.
Kellett Island Grocery will be at B212, Hysan Place, Causeway Bay, until February 12, 2025.


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Kowloon Flour Mills, the only surviving flour mill in the city, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Photo: Handout

More than 20 Hong Kong brands are featured at the Kellett Island Grocery pop-up store in Hysan Place, Causeway Bay. Photo: Kellett Island Grocery

Fred Cheng is the driving force behind Kellett Island Grocery, which sells local speciality products. Photo: Handout

Wing Lok Noodle Factory, which has been around since 1976, has transformed traditional noodle-making by infusing soup directly into the noodles. Photo: Handout

Young Master’s limited edition beer Luna, named after the previous head brewer’s daughter, is now sold exclusively at the pop-up with a redesigned label by local artist Katol Lo. Photo: Handout

Kowloon Flour Mills, the only surviving flour mill in the city, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Its products are sold in the grocery pop-up. Photo: Handout

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Food & Drink

The store in Causeway Bay sells Hong Kong-produced food and drink items such as a Young Master beer and Wing Lok soup-flavoured noodles


The store in Causeway Bay sells Hong Kong-produced food and drink items such as a Young Master beer and Wing Lok soup-flavoured noodles.


Hong Kong

Hong Kong culture