The restaurant Fong Mei in the heart of Antwerp’s Chinatown doesn’t look too promising. It is filled with old furniture, paper tablecloths, stacks of wine boxes left lying around and a faded poster of Hong Kong at night.
But don’t be put off. This is the real thing, full of noisy Chinese people who work in the neighbourhood. You are handed a menu with a long list of specialities, including 34 dim sum dishes made by a dedicated dim sum chef who learned his craft in Hong Kong.
Some wonderful sensations are produced, like steamed shrimp balls with crab, and pork and shrimp dumpling. You can also order roast duck cooked in the Cantonese style, or the crispy Peking version served with pancakes.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
