Hongkonger Bryan Lee and his wife Cris cried when they heard the lease for their restaurant, Cinta-J, would not be renewed after being in business for more than four decades.

Serving authentic Pinoy food and offering live karaoke, Lee’s family has run Cinta-J and its predecessor Cinta in Wan Chai for 42 years, making it a home away from home for the Filipino diaspora in Hong Kong.

The sole branch for over two decades, Cinta-J’s impending closure on September 30 came as a surprise to many long-time patrons, but not more so than to the owners themselves.

“The landlord decided not to renew the lease because they want to sell the building,” Lee said. “We had no time to prepare a new outlet, so it’s tough for us.”

The family business began in a small location off Hennessy Road. At the time, the live band was just one man with an acoustic guitar.

“My parents opened Cinta in 1983,” the 49-year-old Lee said. “We first opened as an Indonesian restaurant, because they’re both Indonesian Chinese.”