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

Sing Heung Yuen, the surviving Da Pai Dang and it’s Tomato Noodle

Sing Heung Yuen (胜香园/勝香園)

English Address (Google Map): Mee Lun Street, 2, Central, Hong Kong

Chinese Address: 中環美輪街2號排檔

Opening hours: Mon-Sat, 8.00 am to 5.30pm Sun, closed

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

Introduction

Introducing another of my favourite eatery in Hong Kong – Sing Heung Yuen (胜香园/勝香園). This place is not exactly a cafe but a Dai Pai Dong (大排档). Dai Pai Dong is a kind of open-air food stall that was once very popular in Hong Kong in the older days. It’s directly opposite another famous eatery Kau Kee Beef Brisket Noodle (九记牛腩).

Sing Heung Yuen has a proper kitchen though, but the dining area is a make-shift area built with temporary structure and canvas with no air conditioning.  I read from somewhere that such Da Pai Dang is very rare nowadays and there’s only less than 30 such stalls in Hong Kong.

There’s a queue even at 4pm on a Friday

Sing Heung Yuen’s specialties are tomato noodles and their unique crispy toast (condensed milk / pork chop). During meal hours (or even non meal hours on weekend), long queue is formed outside this no frill eatery. Like a typical Hong Kong cafe, the turnover rate is amazing and therefore the waiting time is not as painful.

If you plan to visit Sing Heung Yuen, there is a need to do some leg warming up exercise because there are some steps and slopes to climb. If comfort and tidiness of surrounding is an utmost consideration for an eatery, I think you also can give this place a miss.

Menu 1: Click to enlarge. As of 25 Apr 14

Menu 2: Click to enlarge. As of 25 Apr 14

Tomato Noodle Soup

Sing Heung Yuen’s tomato noodle is actually a very simple dish with simple ingredient. It’s instant noodle, cooked in tomato-base stock while there are 101 combinations of ingredients to choose from. There are choices like sausage, ham, fried egg, canned pork cube, pork chop, luncheon meat, chicken wings, beef etc.

On my first visit, i thought that it’s just instant noodle soup cooked in tomatoes but i think i was wrong. Back in Singapore, i tried combinations of instant noodle with fresh tomatoes, canned tomato, tomato puree but i can never get their kind of taste. This made me realised that their soup stock is more than meets the eye.

To be honest, i think the soup broth has a tinge of instant noodle seasoning taste, but also cooked in other ingredients that i can’t figure out. It’s really rich in flavour while it’s scattered with tomato pieces cooked so soft that it almost melts in your month. Unlike some tomato noodles, the tomato taste is not overpowering and i’m still able to taste the sweetness of the broth. I would finish the soup to the last drop on every visit.

My favourite combination is the pork cube and luncheon meat tomato noodle (HK$28) as i thought the pork cube gravy compliment the broth pretty perfectly.

Condensed Milk / Pork Chop Crispy Bun (脆脆)

Their Crispy Toast is also my must-order whenever i visit Sing Heung Yuen. Some people said that this is even more worthwhile than the noodle itself. Piglet Bun (猪仔包) is commonly found in Hong Kong cafe and Sing Heung Yuen’s Crispy Toast is similar to a Piglet Bun for it’s outlook, but with an almost completely different texture.

Sing Heung Yuen call their toast as Cui Cui (脆脆) that literally means “crispy crispy”. As the name suggest, the bun is really “crispy crispy”. The bread literally crumbles and crackles when you sink your teeth into the bread. Remember to lean towards the table or it will cause a mess with the bread crumbs falling all over you. No joking. It really does. While the exterior is so crispy, the interior yet remains fluffy and soft.

My favourite is their Crispy Bun with Pork Chop and Egg (HK$19). The pork chop is really tender and well-flavoured while it’s paired with fresh tomato slices, fluffy eggs and mayonnaise. It’s easily one of the best pork chop buns that i had in Hong Kong.

Their Condensed Milk Cui Cui (HK$10) is a good option if I feel like having something sweet but not overly cloying (aka “gelat”). There’s actually only a thin layer of condensed milk applied onto the butter spreaded toast bread.

Conclusion

My friend (who don’t really like instant noodle) once told me that this Tomato Noodle “is just instant noodle” and i don’t think he is 100% wrong. One of the reasons why i visit this place whenever i can is i love the simplicity of the dishes and it feels very home-cooked. I love instant noodle, luncheon meat and pork cubes by the way.

I like how they manage to put such simple ingredients together and successfully made it as their signature dish which is well-loved especially by their locals. Set your expectation right before making your way down to the most popular eatery at Hong Kong island district to indulge in Hong Kong old school’s dining culture and  understand why their local folks love this eatery so much.

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

Map and Direction

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 two rather famous eatery as landmark – 莲香楼 and Kau Kee Beef Brisket Noodle (九记牛腩).

Sing Heung Yuen 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 another eatery 九记牛腩. This is where you should turn in.

5. Walk towards that direction and you will see Sing Heung Yuen on your left.