Hong Kong’s mango dessert shop Hui Lau Shan is opening its first UK branch according to the Nottingham Post.
With over 300 Hui Lau Shan branches across the world, the dessert shop is finally opening in the UK.
Its first branch will be situated in Nottingham’s Market Street with an investment of almost £500,000. The store will officially open its doors on 23 September.
Hui Lau Shan was founded in the 1960’s originally as a herbal tea outlet before evolving into a restaurant chain specializing in Cantonese dessert soup ‘tong sui’.
In the early 1990s, the chain introduced mango pomelo sago, which has since evolved into its signature dish – mango chewy ball. Hui Lau Shan now offers a range of desserts and drinks made from fresh mango.
Other popular items on the menu include durian pancake and taro and coconut-based snacks.
UK franchise owner Wells Qi said that Hui Lau Shan is even more popular than famous western franchises.
“In Hong Kong there are branches of Hui Lau Shan almost everywhere you go and although the food is completely different the brand is even more popular than McDonald’s and Starbucks,” he said.
“It is popular for a casual, affordable and take-out friendly dessert shop and every store is so busy in Hong Kong that it’s nearly impossible to secure a seat inside.”
“There is nothing else like this in Nottingham – our desserts are healthy and made from the freshest of fruits, but they are still a sweet treat and during these strange times we all need a little indulgence.”
“We will be using the freshest and best quality mangoes we can source and everything will be freshly made in our kitchen,” said Wells.
Wells added that even more branches will open across the country.
“We are expecting the store to be really popular with students and families and this will be the first of several branches we open across the UK,” Wells said.
“We hope that the name Hui Lau Shan will become as a big a name in Nottingham, and the rest of the country, as it is in the Far East.”
