Monday, November 24, 2008

Wan Chai foodie recommendation


Does the sight of this make you hungry
and want to come flying over to Hong Kong? ;b

Say "Wan Chai" to many people outside of Hong Kong and, especially if they're Westerners, odds are that this'll conjure up The World of Suzie Wong for them. Even among many Hong Kong residents, Wan Chai doesn't have the greatest of reputations. (There's a scene in the set-entirely -in-Wan-Chai Crazy 'n the City where Eason Chan's character tells Joey Yung's that, whereas Central represents "heaven", Wan Chai is "hell".)

This is due in large part to their being a number of 'girly' and other sleazy bars in this district of Hong Kong Island. And I'll readily admit that there are parts of it that I don't particularly like to walk around.

However, not least after having worked for more than a year in the area, I have come to discover that Wan Chai has its charms and attractions. E.g., from a culture vulture viewpoint, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Wan Chai is home to the Hong Kong Arts Centre and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts that is the venue for many performing arts events as well as the alma mater of quite a few movie actors, actresses, etc.

If truth be told, however, what I find myself missing most about Wan Chai now that I no longer work there is the profusion of budget eateries serving some very tasty food at reasonable (by Hong Kong standards) prices. And so much so that I have found myself returning on weekends and even some weekday evenings to dine in the area.

Among the places I have returned to frequent is a modest establishment over on Hennessy Road called Yeung Noodle that, despite its name, actually serves more than one noodle dish. Still, if it only served the one dish I find myself pretty much always ordering when I'm there, I'd definitely be more than satisfied.

More specifically, here's recommending their dry egg noodles with slices of beef, a smattering of spring onions and a generous sprinkling of shrimp roe that comes with a complimentary bowl of hot, tasty soup. Together with a glass of dark chrysanthemum tea, the damage to one's wallet comes to HK$29 (i.e., around US$3.74). Not bad, eh? Except that my one caveat is that I can foresee those with larger appetites than mine needing at least two of those plates rather than being able to settle for just the one like I'm able to! ;)

9 comments:

Kathie Smith said...

That was enough to make me hungry - Yeung Noodle is on my list for my next rip ti HK!

Kathie Smith said...

...that would be, trip to HK...

YTSL said...

Hi Katie --

Hope it'll still be there when you next visit Hong Kong (what with the recession adding to the already usually high dining establishment turnover over here)!

Maria Verivaki said...

yes it does - i am now hungry and wish i could take a flight to hong kong directly!

Unknown said...

i love eating in wan chai too. Besides Yeung noodle, I recommend Bread Tree also!!

Glenn, kenixfan said...

Wow. That looks really good and I don't even particularly like beef that much.

How fitting that I just snuck out of work to run to Border's to get the Criterion DVD of Chungking Express?

(Maybe I'll do a post on it once I watch this nice edition!)

YTSL said...

Hi Mediterranean Kiwi --

Heheh, doing my bit for the Hong Kong tourism industry, I guess... ;b

Hi Joyce --

Bread Tree's good too even while serving a very different type of food -- what might be called Hong Kong's take on Western food. (E.g., what I like best there is the spaghetti that's topped by a sweetish Bolagnaise sauce that I help balance and spice up with dashes of Tabasco sauce that comes with such choices as fried egg, pumpkin, courgettes/zucchini and aubergine/eggplant! ;b)

Hi Glenn --

If you don't like beef, you can have such as dried squid as an alternative topping for the dry noodles and shrimp roe. But the beef at Yeung's Noodle is really yummy!

And on a "Chungking Express" note: Just two Fridays ago, ate at the dai pai dong that Little Tony ate at in the movie... ;b

Willow said...

My mouth actually watered while reading the ingredients of the dish. Haha! I think I need another breakfast right now. ;p

YTSL said...

Hi Willow --

Hahaha, sounds like you're quite the food lover (too)! ;b