Guyra NSW is a long way from Hong Kong, but it is in Hong Kong that you are now able to pay a visit to an exciting new venture that owes it inspiration to our home town.
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A new restaurant/coffee shop inspired by, and serving up, all things Guyra opened its doors in July. The Guyra connection is through Gloria and Jason Moses, who started a coffee roasting business in Hong Kong seven years ago.
The café side of the business, trading as 18 Grams, followed closely behind and their latest venture, Guyra 18 grams, opened its doors in July. Jason said that already they have had a few former Guyra residents try it out and they have given it their seal of approval.
John So manages the Guyra 18 grams restaurant and said that the idea came during a relaxed conversation with Jason, who mentioned that his father Phillip really loved the breakfast from his hometown – a hearty breakfast of lamb, sausage or bacon, two types of potato (mash and fries), tomatoes, beans, scrambled eggs and mushrooms. That hometown he talked of was Guyra.
The business has met with favourable reviews and was listed as one of Hong Kong’s ‘6 hot new restaurants’ when it opened in July. It was also reviewed favourably by Lifestyle Asia.com who wrote:
“Guyra is 18 Gram’s first venture into the restaurant scene, and a promising one at that. Named after a town in Australia famous for its agricultural produce, Guyra serves a well-balanced menu bursting with prime meats and fresh ingredients.”
“Guyra is simple and cosy, but if you take a few minutes to look around, you can tell that it was designed with a love for detail — where else do the placemats match the chairs which match the tiles?”
Just like in Guyra you will find lamb and potatoes on the menu and the reviewer liked what he found.
“Having tried several of Guyra 18 Grams’ signature dishes, we were most impressed by the chunky lamb pie with its smooth mashed potato top and tasty home-style tomato sauce.”
“Then there is the Guyra Breakfast which consists of two lamb cutlets, two big sausages, scrambled eggs, potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and beans — combined with their signature cuppa, it’s the perfect start to the day.”
You will also find lamb shanks and lamb racks on the menu and they have recently introduced another Aussie favourite - the Angus beef burger.
However recent political troubles in Hong Kong have impacted on the business, with Guyra at the heart of the so called ‘Umbrella Revolution.”
Mr So said that what was once a very active and hip area has turned into dead zone with people afraid of the area because of the police use of teargas.
“We are literally five minutes’ walk away from where the students are setting up tents right now,” Mr So said. “As a result, business has been very poor since this movement started around two weeks ago, and we are monitoring the event on a day by day basis.”
“There are very few people out on the streets in our area, and on top of that a lot of the bus and trams has suspended service. We are pretty much in survival mode now and we hope that this movement will end soon.”
“The students are fighting for what they think is right, however we the people who are really suffering from it,” Mr So said.
“I am not sure how this will end, but if it doesn’t end soon then we will face some very, very difficult challenge ahead.”
Guyra 18 grams is located at 10 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong so if you happen to be visiting why not pay a visit for some home-style cuisine.