Let’s be perfectly clear: Scally’s can market itself as having ‘the best scones in town’ as often as it wants–and the scones really are good–but when you’re the only place making scones within a hundred kilometres, this is not the main reason to visit. No, what makes Scally’s endlessly enjoyable is the sheer absurdity of it all: to my knowledge, there are no British people working there, and the spot itself is decorated (wall to wall, mind you) with what appear to be homemade paintings of various members of the British royal family, in colours that border on the fluorescent.

Yet the cafe-restaurant does a fair job of presenting itself as British, sometimes to a degree that is comic but ultimately endearing. The service is friendly and professional. The location makes Scally’s perfect for people-watching. One of my favourite things to do is have a full English breakfast (and scones of course) at Scally’s, then sit and watch through the windows as the whole world in all its diversity walks up and down Chinatown’s main street.