Kau Kee Beef Noodle, Hong Kong (Mar 19, 2009)

Not only is this place legendary but if you google for Kau Kee , you will find that it is the benchmark for the best beef noodle in Hong Kong. Of course, most would suggest other better alternatives. It is hard to tell, unless you taste Kau Kee's beef noodle yourself and I am glad I did.

Kau Kee is tucked away on 21 Gough Street, Sheung Wan, somewhere amidst mid-levels in Central. Along the street you will also find some unique and quaint ID and furniture shops. Don't mistake Kau Kee for Ngau Kee, which is also located on the same street. Kau Kee opens for lunch and then closes in the afternoon and reopens at 830PM.

We were there at 8:15pm and it was not opened for business yet. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the restaurant opened a few minutes earlier and we were the lucky early birds to have a table.

I was warned that the serving is very small and so, normally two bowls will be just right. So, I ordered a bowl of beef brisket in clear soup and a beef tendon in curry soup, both with "yi mein".  By the way, "yi mein" is not the deep friend yellow noodle that we are familiar with in Malaysia. Instead, it is like a flat egg noodle but with softer texture. 

The 90 years of history did not fail to impress. The beef brisket was cut to bite size. The meat was really soft and it melts in your mouth. The soup was delicious and it was surprising that it doesn't really have a very strong beefy flavor. True enough, the serving is extremely small. It is probably equivalent to a regular bowl of instant noodle. The curry beef tendon was great too. The curry is light, not oily, not spicy and the tendons were very soft. 

Clearly, this is the best beef noodle I have had in Hong Kong. Only downside, is the shop is really small and normally you will have to share a table and be prepared to finish your food in 15 minutes to avoid darting eyes from the long queue. Try swallowing hot, steamy curry beef tendons without burning your tongue... boy, was I sweaty or was I really sweaty...