Although I prefer my Chinatown photos in contrasty black and white, I’m not opposed to shooting in color. I used my Leica D-Lux 8 for this photo instead of the Leica Monochrom. I generally used the D-Lux 8 for quickly documenting the place. I busted out the manually focused monochrome camera when I was greeted with a scene that deserved extra photographic attention. In this picture, the contrast of the red brick and bright blue sky works especially well.

I had several pictures of Wo Hop and originally thought that was the restaurant where I ate with my friend. But I was wrong. My photos from inside the restaurant, however, pointed to another place with a similar name called Hop Lee. In fact, within a few yards of each other, there were Hop Lee, Hop Kee, and Wo Hop. All are independent establishments. I learned that hop in Cantonese roughly translates to together, united, or in harmony. Certainly auspicious to have this in their restaurant names.

My friend suggested Hop Lee, which was included in the New York Times 100 Best Restaurants list. In 2023, it was #61 and #73 on the 2026 list. Our actual food experience was less stellar, but I later found out that we probably ordered the wrong items. It’s a Cantonese restaurant, and we ordered dishes more associated with Hunan and Sichuan cuisine. The restaurant interior, however, had the old-school Chinatown feeling that made the visit interesting. Many of the Flushing restaurants are newer and more modern, with less of that traditional Chinatown vibe.

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