Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant has an extensive history in the Cantonese style fine dining industry. For the past 23 years, we have dedicated ourselves in delivering the finest of Cantonese cuisine. Our specialty lies in the preparation of luxurious Chinese foods including abalone, sea cucumber, shark’s fin, fish maw and bird’s nest. Our founder, Mr. Kwong, comes from a lineage involved extensively in the shark’s fin industry. In addition, our parent company, Kwan Kee Shark’s Fin Ltd., is a well-known brand name in the production and sale of abalone, sea cucumber, shark’s fin and fish maw with 42 years of experience.
Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant opened its first location in Hong Kong in the year 2000 at the Olympian City 1 mall under the brand name Shark’s Fin City. In May 2003, during the SARS period, we expanded our operations to include a location at the world renowned Time Square mall in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, which was very well received. In early 2008, we furthered our expansion to expand into mainland China and opened a branch in Guangzhou, China. At our peak, we operated a total of five restaurants under the Shark’s Fin City brand.
However, in the last couple of years, the shark’s fin industry has been under fire experiencing immense public pressure and attacks from all angles. A number of academics, professors and celebrities have openly criticized shark’s fin falsely stating that it is a harmful product. This has placed the shark’s fin industry in a negative light resulting in the general public’s misconception of the industry and a public outcry against the trade and consumption of shark’s fin.
In reality, shark’s fin is a precious and naturally available marine product. Shark’s fin, along with abalone, sea cucumber and fish maw, have long been considered as luxury food items throughout Chinese history and have strong cultural significance. In addition, only a small portion of shark species have been recognized by The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to be endangered species. Trade involving these shark species are also under strict governance. A number of species of sharks have also been recognized by the non-profit organization, The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), as sustainable species.
Reality as it may be, the shark’s fin industry and, in particular, Shark’s Fin City, are limited in power and cannot hope to successfully challenge the Goliaths of society. It is under this backdrop that we had to make the unfortunate decision to change our brand name from Shark’s Fin City to Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant in the year 2013. As of now, there are currently two locations under the Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant brand. The first location is in Olympian City 1. Our second and newest location has been in operation for two years. It is located on the iconic “Dried Seafood Street”, which has been in existence as far back as the 19th century, in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.
Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant is the continuation of Shark’s Fin City. It symbolizes that Shark’s Fin City continues to live on, that centuries of traditional Chinese food culture continue to be passed down through generations and that genuine sincerity will prevail. Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant continues to uphold the same values and ideals from the era of Shark’s Fin City. We continue to be a sensible and pragmatic choice for customers and strive for continuous improvement. Throughout the years, we have received numerous culinary awards including a number of gold awards from culinary competitions hosted by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The efforts of our founder, Mr. Kwong, has also earned him the title of “The King of Shark’s Fin”.
Our mission, from the very beginning, has always been to popularize luxurious Chinese foods including abalone, sea cucumber, shark’s fin, fish maw and bird’s nest. Our company has always valued and placed emphasis on company policy, the quality of employees, the quality of service, culinary skills and culinary ethics. We strive to become a trustworthy and reputable brand name in Cantonese fine dining through honesty and dedication.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our valued customers and friends for their support over the years. Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant and its predecessor would not be what it is today without your support. We will continue to deliver on our promise to serve quality luxury Chinese food as a means of gratitude.
We ask that supporters of traditional Chinese food culture and connoisseurs of luxury Chinese food and Cantonese fine dining to continue to support Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant.
Many Thanks!
From the Sweetheart Chinese Restaurant Team