From Hong Kong private dining to Britain's "Habibie Kitchen" — A BNO migrant's restaurant venture story

Four or five years ago, the Hong Kong BNO migration wave began, with many Hongkongers bringing their dreams to British soil. Wong Dai Ba was among them. Upon arrival, he chose to establish himself through a restaurant venture. "I was among the first batch doing property inspections, and he was among the first batch starting restaurants," the host joked about this memory, with Wong responding with laughter that everyone back then was full of entrepreneurial ideas, supporting each other and exploring business possibilities.

The origin of the nickname "Dai Ba" actually stems from his earlier life in Hong Kong as an Uber driver. Because he frequently handled various bookings — weddings, wedding photography — he established a small fleet to share the workload. Without realising it, friends began calling him "Dai Ba Dai Ba", which stuck naturally until now. Ten years on, the name still accompanies him.

In Hong Kong, he initially ran a private dining establishment specialising in Western cuisine. "The restaurant was called '飯聚地點' [dining gathering place], and later I brought this name to Britain and continued using it." He laughed, explaining how from tentative beginnings hosting VIP friends to formally opening a restaurant, everything developed through gradual exploration. His current restaurant is named "Habibie Kitchen", where "Habibie" comes from Arabic meaning "My Love", symbolising his passion for cooking while reflecting his Muslim family background.

Cultural differences presented a major challenge in his entrepreneurial journey. "The way Hong Kong people eat differs from locals — for example, our beloved curry beef tendon with cold rice strikes locals as too fatty, leading to complaints." He specifically adjusted dishes to accommodate different customers. Africans were the opposite, preferring offal and tendon-based ingredients. Wong carefully observes each customer's cultural background, having waitstaff mark customer preferences, "so I know what to cook and how to present it."

The restaurant's menu fuses Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern and Western elements while preserving Hong Kong characteristics. "We Hongkongers often travel to Southeast Asia — Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia — so I chose these cuisines, which locals also accept because they occasionally travel and miss these flavours." His most popular dishes include Hainanese chicken, handmade mock abalone, and Hong Kong-style stir-fried noodles and rice. The mock abalone particularly stands out, made from wheat gluten washing, hand-kneading, deep-frying, then soaking and braising. "Almost nobody in Britain makes this — even overseas Chinese who've lived here for years say they haven't seen anyone selling it for over 30 years." Wong earned market recognition through these signature dishes.

Beyond the restaurant, he actively shares cooking insights on YouTube. "My philosophy is to teach people what I make, especially Hong Kong delicacies that are hard to find here. Take pineapple buns — Manchester used to have very few sellers, so I teach people how to make them from scratch." He hopes his videos enable people to recreate flavours they crave at home, believing this sharing brings more joy than money.

The entrepreneurial path is never easy. Wong acknowledges the restaurant industry's immense challenges, particularly with family and children. "Out of 24 hours daily, you might only get three or four hours of sleep, spending the rest on operations, procurement, serving customers and caring for family." He advises Hong Kong migrants considering restaurant ventures to expect enormous sacrifices and understand the importance of persistence.

For his newly opened "Habibie Kitchen", Wong hopes to integrate Southeast Asian cuisine with Hong Kong concepts into the local community. "This was a decades-old local pub — I want customers to feel comfortable while experiencing our culture and dedication." He believes long-term effort and careful management will ultimately enable customers from different cultures to enjoy the charm of Hong Kong cuisine.

Restaurant Information: Habibie Kitchen Gastropub Address: 57-59 Stockport Rd E, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2AA Manchester, United Kingdom

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 12:00pm - 11:30pm (kitchen till 8:30) Wednesday (quiz night) 12:00pm - 11:30pm (kitchen till 10:00) Sunday 12:00pm - 11:30pm (kitchen till 7:30)

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Sinic

Sinic Analytica is a UK-based advisory firm that brings together expertise from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Singapore, and Taiwan, specializing in political-economic analysis.