Macau Tsui Yuen Cafe – Hong Kong Hawker Centre?

Macau Tsui Yuen Cafe (澳門翠苑茶餐廳)

English Address: Mong Kok Cooked Food Market 557 Shanghai St Hong Kong

Chinese Address: 旺角上海街557號旺角熟食中心2樓8號舖

Opening hours: Mon to Sun 7.00am to 9.00pm

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

Introduction

Macau Tsui Yuen Cafe is situated at a food centre above a bus interchange at Mongkok that is very little known among tourists. We always shop at Langham Place but almost never know of such a food centre exists.

Tsui Yuen is not exactly a cafe but a hawker stall. It is very well known for it’s Macau-Portugese dishes and their signatures are the Portugese-style Curry with Farmer’s Bun, Macau Pork Chop Bun and their Ice Coffee. Don’t be deceived by the stall outlook as they are very popular among the locals.

Apart from Kam Wah Cafe, Tsui Yuen is the most well-liked eatery on Hong Kong Openrice at the Mongkok District.

Click to enlarge: Menu Nov 2013

Grilled Chicken / Pork Neck Farmer’s Bun with Portugese-style Curry

I first visited them in 2012 when a Farmer’s bun cost $HK55 and they increased their price to HK$60 in Nov 2013. I ordered their Grilled Pork Neck and Grilled Chicken Farmer’s bun. A set comes with a bowl of curry, minestrone soup and a bread bowl of grilled meat. One portion is good enough to be shared by two person.

The giant bread is served hot from oven with a crispy exterior and pillow-fluffy center. The idea is very similar to our Singapore “933 Golden Pillow” except the curry is served in a separate bowl.

The curry is like Japanese curry that is more to the sweet scale and not as spicy as the Thai/Indian Curry. It coats the crisp-exterior bread effortlessly in a silky coat of smooth thick curry sauce.

i thought I would be more impressed with the Grill Pork Neck but the Grilled Chicken surprises me. The tender chicken slices were very well-seasoned and marinated and i can taste the fragrance of freshly grill chicken with every mouthful.

Curry Pork Chop Bun

I wasn’t impress with the pork chop bun. I thought the bread is a little dry, pork chop is ok, just that a little bit of curry sauce is added beneath the pork chop which was barely noticeable. It’s a bit disappointing as a signature dish.

Macau Iced Coffee

Introducing my favourite ice coffee in Hong Kong. Whenever i am here, I will order this ice coffee. It is really smooth and creamy and the scattered coffee powder adds on a light fragrance of freshly-grinded coffee bean. Like our Singapore’s Kopi-peng (Ice milk coffee), it quite sweet but that is what made it enjoyable. It’s definitely a revitalizing beverage to have after long hours of shopping!

Conclusion

I was actually a bit disappointed when I re-visited them in November 2013. Since the visit in 2012, my expectation of them is rather high. The curry and bread still taste as good but the much-anticipated grilled chicken didn’t keep up with the initial standard and the portion of the curry became smaller. I thought it’s still not bad, but was already less impressive, but the Ice Milk Coffee still kick ass.

For those who has never visited a hawker centre in Hong Kong, you may wish to pop by this place for a new dining experience. I thought the dishes offered by Macau Tsui Yuen Cafe is quite different from a typical Hong Kong cafe and i hope that their standard can improve. I will it another shot when i visit Hong Kong the next time.

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

The set that i ordered in 2012. The curry is served in a larger bowl.

Map and Direction

1. Exit from C4 at Mongkok MTR

2. Cross the very first street and walk a short distance and cross over to another street

3. Turn left and walk straight and you should be near a bus interchange already

4. Look for the escalator in my pic below and take the escalator to Mongkok Cooked Food Market

5. Macau Tsui Yuen Cafe is one of the first stalls that greets you.

This hawker centre is just behind Langham place within a bus interchange and most importantly, look for this escalator. This is the escalator that leads up to the food centre.

You know you are at the right place when you see this signage

 

Kam Wah Cafe that serves the Best Polo Bun in Hong Kong

Reputation for the Best Polo Bun in Hong Kong – Kam Wah Cafe

English Address (Google Map): G/F, 47 Bute Street, Prince Edward

Chinese Address: 太子弼街47號地下

Opening hours: 6.30am to 12.00am

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

Introduction

Hong Kong is very well known for two kinds of pastries – Egg tart and Polo Bun (Pineapple Bun 菠蘿包). According to online sources,  you can get the best of both worlds at Kam Wah Cafe. They are very famous for their freshly baked Polo Bun and Traditional Egg Tart. People vouched that they serve the best Polo Bun in the whole of Hong Kong.

Kam Wah Cafe (金華冰廳/金华冰厅) operates from morning to midnight and the peak hour is in the morning. It’s always crowded with a hectic atmosphere. They serve their meal at truly amazing speed. I shared a table with an old couple.  Their order arrived within 30 seconds upon placing their order and the couple jokingly told the waiter in Cantonese “Is there a need for such speed?”

As I am rushing to Australia Dairy Company for breakfast round two, I just ordered their signature dishes – their award winning Butter Polo Bun and Egg Tart, and one additional french toast. Oh yes, Kam Wah also has a minimum order of one beverage per customer.

Menu of their best sellers – Click to enlarge

Their extensive menu – Click to enlarge

Butter Polo Bun (HK$8)

Polo Bun (which means pineapple bun), has no pineapple content in it. It was named as such because of the appearance resembles a pineapple (although i am quite sure Kam Wah’s don’t look like a pineapple at all).  The top of the bun is made of dough that is in similar nature of a sugar cookie.

Kam Wah’s Polo Bun is served fresh from the oven once every 10 minutes in the morning. That’s how fast and furious it’s selling. Apart from dining in, many people just order their Polo Bun as takeaway. Morning is also the best time to catch their most fresh and piping-hot Polo Bun.

I ordered their Butter Polo Bun (S$1.40) with a thick slice of butter sandwiched in between the bun. I instantly smell the fresh-from-the-oven fragrance of egg and bread when the bun is served. But my usual ritual  (photo taking) stopped me from taking a bite instantly.

Despite that, the almost-a-centimeter top crust is still downright crispy. The crust layer is also not overly sweet. The melted butter compliments the warm fluffy center and introduce a savory taste that further enhances the flavor. It also has a tinge of lemon/orange peel fragrance. i give this bun a thumbs up!

Their french toast is not bad, and the middle is spread with peanut butter. But i had better one, which i will write on later.

Egg Tart (HK$4)

I wasn’t too impress with their egg tart filling though, as I have my own preference of how an egg tart should taste. Most importantly the custard must be bursting with egg fragrance and the custard should also be really smooth and soft. Kum Wah’s version lack in this two aspect.

Their milk tea is quite good. Smooth and fragrant, and most importantly, they are in the old school Dairy Milk Cow Tea Cup.

Kam Wah’s version is the more traditional Hong Kong style egg tart. The texture of the custard is not as soft and i thought it taste a little artificial. However, the tart crust is a totally different story. The crust literally crumbles in my mouth and I really love it’s texture. The crust doesn’t taste sweet, which rightfully should compliment the custard very well. If not for it’s custard, I would really recommend this egg tart. It’s also rather value-for-money at less than S$0.70 each.

Conclusion

I encountered something not very pleasurable at Kam Wah. The cafe is really crowded and I carry a rather bulky camera bag with me (i was slinging it in front) while I was going into the cafe. One service staff was rushing to attend to her customer and I think my camera bag was in her way and she just pushed and shoved my camera bag to the side using her hand without batting an eye.

I think this is one kind of service that you will get in Hong Kong cafe so just don’t be alarmed when it happens. For Hong Kong first-timer, you may want to read up my “Eight must-know about Hong Kong Cafe Culture“.

Crowded cafe in the morning

That aside, this is my second visit to Kam Wah. I didn’t order their Polo Bun the first time and I thought there is nothing fantastic about this cafe. But then it’s another story after trying it. So my opinion is, the Polo Bun is worth the calories for sure and be sure to pop by for it, even as takeaway. However, I will leave it to you to decide if you would like to have a full meal at Kam Wah.

For myself, I just try what i think is deserving and i visited Australia Dairy right after this.

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

The takeaway counter that sells pastries and their signature Polo Bun

Map and Directions

Kam Wah is actually in between Prince Edward and Mongkok station but i went from Mongkok station.

1. Come out from Mongkok Station Exit B3

2. You will see an escalator leading up to a bridge. Go up the escalator.

3. As shown on my map, you are walking along Mong Kok Road, on a pedestrian bridge above Mong Kok Road.

4. Turn to the left and goes down that escalator to reach ground floor.

5. Walk straight until you come to a T junction.

6. Kam Wah Cafe is on your left.