Tsim Chai Kee Michelin Bib Gourmand Noodles, Best in Hong Kong?

Tsim Chai Kee or Mak’s Noodles – that was the question we had to decide. After doing research on the best wanton noodles in Hong Kong, these are the two that seemed to be at the top of most of the reviews. Since we have tried Mak’s Noodles in Singapore, we decided that we should try the Tsim Chai Kee wanton noodles which received a Bib Gourmand award in the 2019 Michelin Guide Hong Kong. With limited time and meals, our quest was to try to find the best wanton noodles in Hong Kong.

Tsim Chai Kee is located on Wellington Street in Central Hong Kong. Mak’s Noodles is just across the road. We were there early in the morning and there was no queue. The restaurant space is small but clean. There are a few long tables and some booth seats. Be prepared to sit anywhere and with anyone. The plaques on the wall show off the awards that Tsim Chai Kee has received over the years including the Michelin Bib Gourmand award which they have been receiving since 2012.

Tsim Chai Kee Menu

You can easily tell the locals from the tourists at Tsim Chai Kee. The tourist studies the menu and looks at the back and realises that the few items listed in front was all there is. The locals know what they want as there are not many choices to begin with. Basically there are only noodles with three choices of toppings – king prawn wanton, minced fish ball and sliced beef, which can be had singly or a combination of two or three kinds. Vegetables with oyster sauce is available as a side dish.

Being unfamiliar with the food at Tsim Chai Kee, we ordered two bowls with different permutations. Noodles with all three toppings (HK$42) and rice noodles with fish ball and wanton (HK$38). It dawned on us that we had severely over-ordered when the food arrived. The portions were huge. The wantons and the fish balls were the size of squash balls. They were generous with the noodles as well.

The rice noodles soaked up the soup rapidly resulting in a bowl of tasty but heavy noodles. For future visits, we would stick to the usual noodles, which by the way were very good. The wantons were the best toppings. Each one was crunchy and stuffed full of prawn and meat.

The fish balls were much larger than those we usually find in Singapore. They were coarser and heavier than out local version. Not bad, but we will save our calories for the wantons in the future.

As for the beef, they were also served in generous slices, but the taste was just average. The lesson we learnt at our first visit to Tsim Chai Kee is just to stick to simple wanton and noodles. They make the best combination. Were they the best wanton noodles in Hong Kong? Frankly, we have not tried enough to make any judgment, but we can safely recommend these wanton noodles to anyone, especially those with a big appetite.