Sister Wah Beef Brisket at Tin Hau Station (Hong Kong)

Sister Wah Beef Brisket 華姐清湯腩

English Address (Google Map): G/F, 13A Electric Road, Tin Hau

Chinese Address: 天后電氣道13號A地下

Opening Hours:  Mon to Sun: 11.00am – 11.00pm

Click here to view my full Hong Kong Food Itinerary and the 8 must-know about Hong Kong Cafe Culture

Introduction

Apart from Kau Kee Beef Brisket that i wrote on previously, Sister Wah is another popular Beef Brisket Noodle in Hong Kong. It is among the winners for the “Best Restaurant Award 2014” on Open Rice Hong Kong and many always compare Sister Wah and Kau Kee on the same level for the best Beef Brisket Noodle in Hong Kong.

It’s only a couple of minutes walk from Tin Hau MTR station. I arrived at about 9.30pm at night and although there is no queue, there is barely any empty seat in the eatery so we shared a table.

Sister Wah – Small eatery situated along Electric Road near to Tin Hau MTR

Sister Wah is famous for their clear broth beef brisket noodle and radish, soaked and cooked in their thick beef brisket broth. The noodle comes in two variations, the soup version that cost HK$38, which is exactly the same price as Kau Kee, and the dry version, which cost HK$12 more. As i already had a soup version at Kau Kee Beef Brisket, i ordered Sister Wah’s dry beef brisket noodle.

Menu 1 of 2: Click to enlarge

Menu 2 of 2: Click to enlarge

Beef Brisket Stir Noodle (HK$50)

At HK$50, I thought that it’s a little pricy for a bowl of Beef Brisket Noodle in Singapore context but it’s a norm in Hong Kong. It comes with a good serving of noodle, beef brisket, with both the fatty and lean part, and also comes with a bowl of their famous beef brisket broth.

What i like about Sister Wah is for the thick chunky cut of beef that is stewed to the perfect softness. The lean portion is chewy and the fatty portion is melty soft. The broth is rich and robust and it’s a different style from Kau Kee Beef Brisket.

Like a typical Hong Kong style egg noodle, Sister Wah’s noodle is slightly more chewy and tough. Those that are not very used to such noodle should probably opt for their flat rice noodle a.k.a Kway Teow.

Radish (HK$12.00)

I am actually not a big fan of radish but i thought i had to try this since it’s their signature dish. Their radish is cooked and stewed in their signature beef broth till soft and manage to absorb the flavor of the broth and yet retaining it’s compact texture. Not a must-order my opinion, but goes rather well with the Beef Brisket to balance up the greasiness.

Conclusion

It’s a pity that i am already pretty full when i visited Sister Wah and i only ordered their Beef Noodle. This is one place that i will return to try out more of their dishes as there are some pretty interesting dishes like deep fried pork ribs, pork dumpling in chilli sauce, and i also wanted to try out their curry broth.

I find delight in their soup and beef brisket and i will definitely visit this eatery when i’m around this area.

If you ask me to choose between Kau Kee Beef Brisket and Sister Wah’s, it really depend on what am i craving for. If i want something light, sweet and refreshing, i will go for Kau Kee. And if i am looking for something heavier, satisfying and filling, i will go for Sister Wah.

Click here to view my full Hong Kong Food Itinerary and the 8 must-know about Hong Kong Cafe Culture

Kau Kee’s Beef Brisket Kway Teow

 Map and Directions

1. Sister Wah is accessible by MTR by alighting at Tin Hau Station

2. Come out from Exit A1

3. Walk towards Electric Road and Sister Wah is just around the corner

 

 

Kau Kee Beef Brisket Noodle, the most famous in Hong Kong

Kau Kee Beef Brisket Noodle (九记牛腩/九記牛腩)

English Address (Google Map): 21 Gough St Hong Kong

Chinese Address: 中環歌賦街21號地下

Opening Hours: Mon – Sat 12.30pm to 10.30pm. Closed on Sun and Public Holiday

Click here to view my full Hong Kong Food Itinerary and the 8 must-know about Hong Kong Cafe Culture

Introduction

When one think of the best beef brisket noodle in Hong Kong, one will definitely think of Kau Kee. This small little eatery in between Central and Sheung Wan station was said to be Tony Leung’s (梁朝伟) and many Hong Kong celebrities’ favourite Beef Brisket Noodle.

Apart from their food, Kau Kee is also famous for their less-than-passable service. There was one episode where netizen accused Kau Kee’s staff of chasing them out from their eatery. Despite their service, customers still pour in during meal hours just for their Beef Brisket Noodle.

Kau Kee only has a very small sitting capacity

Kau Kee was started by Mr Pan, whose nickname is Ah Kau (阿九, and thus the name 九记牛腩) back in the 1950s. It was only a road-side stall then and it was handed down to Mr Pan’s son 30 years ago, who is the current boss of Kau Kee. The father passed away in Year 1997. In the same year, Hong Kong government had limited the number of license for such stall and eventually Kau Kee moved to it’s current location.

They are most famous for two items – Beef Brisket Kway Teow Soup and their Curry Beef Tendon Noodle. Curry Beef Tendon Noodle seems like a very interesting choice but i ordered their Beef Brisket Kway Teow as i am not so much a fan of tendon.

Their limited menu – as of 26 Apr 14. Click to enlarge.

Beef Brisket Kway Teow (HK$38)

Brisket is one of the toughest cut of meat from the lower chest of a cow as those muscle groups support more than 50% of it’s body weight. It would be inedible of it’s cooked like a steak. Therefore brisket is usually cooked for a long period of time to break down the connective tissue and fibre and resulting in very soft and tender meat.

Kau Kee had done it perfectly in this sense. Their beef brisket is stewed till the perfect tender soft texture like no others had did before (at least to me). The tissues gave way while the sweet taste of their stew-infused brisket took over the palate. This should be the most tender beef brisket ever.

The soup base is rather light, mildly sweet and easy on the stomach. I am enjoying the soup despite already making my food rounds in this area. However, I have to highlight that it does has traces of MSG, which i believe it’s not an astounding discovery. The Kway Teow is really smooth and Kway Teow should be a good choice because it absorbs the clear beef broth easier thus making it more enjoyable.

Conclusion

I am glad that i didn’t experience much discomfort from Kau Kee’s service like what the online community mentioned. The staff there seems like an energetic and spontaneous group of people.

The pot of Curry Tendon Stew and their energetic staff

While I prefer the quality of Kau Kee’s beef brisket over their soup, the beef brisket is definitely enough to lure me back to Kau Kee again. And especially Sheng Heung Yuen tomato noodle is my must-eat for every Hong Kong trip, Kau Kee is literally just next door.

There are also rumours of the closure of Kau Kee and I really hope that it will not happen soon else it would really be a big waste.

Click here to view my full Hong Kong Food Itinerary and the 8 must-know about Hong Kong Cafe Culture

Map and Directions

The direction is exactly the same as going to Sheng Heung Yuen as mentioned in my previous post.

This place is not exactly easy to find. My way to this place is rather straight forward and remember to keep a look out for a rather famous dim sum eatery as landmark – 莲香楼

Kau Kee is actually in between Central and Sheung Wan but i always go from Sheung Wan.

1. Come out from Exit E2, cut through the square at Cosco Tower as shown in my maps. The square is easy to identify as it looks like a fountain with steps that lead up to a road.

2. Cross the road and walk towards the left narrow path as shown in my map. You will be going up a gentle slope. Walk straight until you see this restaurant 莲香楼.

3. This is where you should turn right and head up. There will be steeper slopes and stairs here.

4. While climbing up, don’t forget to look to your right for the signboard of Kau Kee (九记牛腩). This is where you should turn in.

Look out for the red hanging signboard. To the left – Kau Kee Beef Brisket Noodle. To the right – Sheng Hueng Yuen Tomato Noodle