Tak Lai Eeatery 德麗食店
謝生謝太
兩餸飯近日如雨後春筍，掀起熱潮。屹立西環十多年的德麗食店一直堅持初心，視學生為子女，簡單的住家飯菜讓食客感受家的味道。
The "two-dishes meal box" set off a wave recently. Tak Lai Eatery, treating students like their daughters and sons, keep its faith by providing simple home-cooked dishes over the past 10 years.
Q1. 為甚麼會參加食物券計劃? Why did you join the Food Coupon Scheme?
因為我們覺得計劃可以在讓有需要人士享用兩餸飯、三餸飯的同時，幫助自己的生意。
Because I want to help people to enjoy daily meals with two to three different dishes everyday, at the same time, it is helping me as well.
Q2. 你地最受歡迎的菜色是甚麼？What is the most popular food here?
公公婆婆大多喜歡魚類和扒類。我們的招牌菜也是魚餅、雞扒、豬扒和三文魚。有些沒有牙齒的老人家就比較喜歡吃蔬菜。
The elderly like fish and steak. The signature dishes are fish cake, chicken chop, pork chop, and salmon. People who have weaker teeth prefer vegetables.
Q3. 這裏開業多久了？How long has it been running?
我們的店舖開業超過十年。我們見證著區內的變化。比如以前西環沒有地鐵，現在就開通了地鐵線，人們出去就更加方便，也方便了附近居民，我們上班也更加方便。但是，地鐵也沒有幫助到這裏的生意，只是方便了居民出入。因為這裏不是傳統的旅遊區，難以吸引居民以外的人過來。現在沒有甚麼空置的舖位，之前好多吉舖，不知道是好事還是壞事，對我來說就一般，可能競爭變大了。
We have run the shop for more than 10 years. I have witnessed the changes taking place in Sai Wan like there was no MTR before but now we have. It is more convenient for residents here to leave the district and travel around. It makes it easier for us to leave for work too. But it doesn’t help with our business as it only brings people out but not in. Also, there are fewer empty shops here as compared to the past. It might be a good thing, but not for me as the competition grows.
Q4. 店鋪的主要客群是甚麼？Who are the customers mostly?
最主要都是學生支持，這裏的年輕人都超級有禮貌，就好像我們自己的子女，很疼愛我們，我們都能感受到。
Most of the customers are students. They are very polite and nice, like our own sons or daughters. We can feel the love from them.
Q5. 為甚麼選擇在喜歡開店？Why did you choose Sai Wan to run your shop?
講緣分，我們以前在西灣河開店，但我們嫌西灣河那邊太遠，想不到最後來到這裏更遠了，真的是緣份使然。西灣河的人流比較旺，甚麼年紀的人都有，這裏就大多是老人家和學生。這裏最初也有很多辦公室， 例如西環大樓，不過後來搬遷，變成住宅區，所以這邊的人流也少了許多。
It’s all about fate. We had our restaurant in Sai Wan Ho before, but we thought that it was too far so we decided to move here. It turned out it was even farther here. It’s all about fate indeed. Sai Wan Ho has a greater flow of people and in all age groups while in here, there are more elderly and students. At the beginning, there were many office buildings like Western Court, but it moved and there have been fewer now. Now the lands are mostly for residential purposes and the flow of people is less.
Q6. 疫情對你們來說有甚麼影響？What are the impacts of the pandemic on your restaurant?
疫情的時候，餐廳要在下午六點關門。幸運的是街坊還繼續支持我們。平時我們會與不同教會合作送飯盒，比如與聖巴拿巴會之家合作派飯。我們憑良心，注重食物質素同健康，和其他小店的關係都很好。很感謝大家，尤其是學生的支持，學生們很有禮貌，會稱讚食物好吃，和我們說「辛苦晒」（辛苦了）、「多謝」（謝謝）、「會再嚟幫襯」（會再來光顧），讓我們更有動力去繼續營業。我們不捨得不開店，就算是不舒服我們也會儘量營業，害怕常客不習慣。我們平時只會在星期日休息，但是之前有一次我被熱水燙傷，需要住院一個星期，我覺得很不好意思。
We need to close at 6pm before but luckily the neighbors are still supporting. We cooperate with different churches in meal delivery like St. Barnabas’ Society and Home. We cook with our hearts and we care about food quality and nutrition. We maintain a healthy relationship with other restaurants as well. We have been so grateful to everyone’s support to us, especially the students. They are very polite, they compliment the food, say ‘Thanks for the hard work!’, ‘Thank you!’, and promise to come back, and it keeps us motivated to continue with what we are doing. We would not miss a day of opening the restaurant, even though we feel sick as we are worried customers who always come here would find it difficult to find something else to eat. We usually close on Sundays and it closed additionally only once when I got scalded by hot water and was hospitalized for a week. We felt sorry for the neighbors.
Q7. 在西環最不捨得的東西是甚麼？What would be the thing you miss the most working here?
我最不捨得就是熟悉的客人和街坊。以前都有來自上海、天津的學生跟我們分享讀書和鄉下的故事，有些留在了香港定居，結婚和買房子，會帶他們的子女再回來光顧，有些學生臨走前都會買禮物過來探望我，就好像家人一樣，餐廳就像是他們在異鄉的家，他們有時候出去吃飯也會跟我們講。雖然我們賺錢不多，但是我們都很開心、很珍惜。
We would miss the neighbours and customers the most. In the past, some students who ate here came from Shanghai and Tianjin and they would share with us stories about their studies and hometowns. Some of them stayed here to get married and buy flats and they visited us with their children. Some came to see us before they left. They felt like family to me and they treated here as home. They would tell us what they had planned for the following night such as dining out. Even though we do not make a lot of money, we feel happy and we treasure all of these.