September 30, 2018

Tsim Chai Kee

We tried this shop when we were coming home after a long day out, and were hungry. We found one of our favourite places.

Hong Kong Streets. Photo: Daniel
Hong Kong Streets. Photo: Daniel

We tried this shop when we were coming home after a long day out, and were hungry. We found one of our favourite places.

The setup is as simple as it gets: You’ll be efficiently ushered to the next free seat – and no, you don’t get to chose your table mates.

You get a choice from two or three types of noodles, and and add one (or all three) of the toppings. No fuss, from door to bowl in a few minutes. And as you get seated wherever there’s space, you may also meet some locals in the process.

Here, like in all good noodle places, the secret is in the broth. It’s a hearty and will pick you up when you’re tired or a bit under the weather. The noodles were firm and the toppings all recommendable.

As an added bonus, the whole experience will only cost you a handful of (HK) dollars.

We’ve returned here whenever we were in town. Tsim Chai Kee isn’t fancy, but a solid and honest experiences.

For comparison we also tried Mak’s Noodle on the other side of the street, which the guidebooks claim is a Hong Kong institution. And while their noodles weren’t bad, we still came out feeling sorry to have passed up the opportunity to hit Tsim Chai Kee’s instead.

Practical Details: Tsim Chai Kee

  • Tsim Chai Kee, 98 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong station, then Mid-Level escalators
  • Open: All days 10:00-23:00

Practical Details: Mak's Noodle

  • Mak's Noodle, 77 Wellington Street, Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong station, then Mid-Level escalators
  • Open: All days 11:00-21:00
  • http://maksnoodle.com

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