Hong Kong's coffee shops and noodle joints will soon be able to expand their offerings, as rules on what they can and cannot serve are relaxed.

Such stores, which have light refreshment restaurant licences, are currently limited to a small range of products, with coffee shops allowed to sell sandwiches and cakes for example, and noodle shops usually not going much further than offering wantun and boiled vegetables.

But from March, these catering establishments will be allowed to serve other types of food as well, as long as only simple cooking methods are required, such as steaming or stir frying, and they don't create much of a smell.

"The new regulatory regime can provide greater operation flexibility to some 4,300 light refreshment restaurants across Hong Kong. As they can sell more types of food, the public can also enjoy more choices," the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said in a statement.

It added, however, that these usually small establishments will not be able to branch out too far, with things such as teppanyaki grills and hotpots to remain banned, for the safety of customers.