HKG: Tsim Chai Kee

Michelin Bib Gourmand - King, not queen, prawn dumplings!

Why do I feel like writing everytime I have a mid-term exam the next day? Anyway, for those who're not familiar with the Bib Gourmand category of the 2012 Michelin Guide, it's actually a list of restaurants offering what they judge to be "good food at moderate prices". Today, we'll look into a humble, yet successful noodle eatery tucked in the Central District of HK.

Don't expect a long menu list since this eatery only serves noodle with three types of toppings: prawn wantons, fish ball and sliced beef, as well as a vegetable dish. Anyway, I was quite lucky since I didn't see any queue when I reached there on a Saturday afternoon.

Three Toppings Noodle HK$28.00 (~S$4.65)

Taste: 8.5/10

Tsim Chai Kee did a wonderful job in preparing the bowl of noodle that I had. Out of the three ingredients, the best was the prawn dumplings which were probably bigger than the size of a ping-pong ball, filled with unbeatable juiciness beyond my imagination. The beef slices were tender and flavourful as well. The weakest topping would be the fish ball; although it was gigantic and starchy, it didn't have a distinctive charm in terms of taste in my opinion. Before I describe more, I'll show you the noodle below.

This is actually a picture of another bowl with only prawn wantons as the topping. The thin, stringy noodle was delightful and it went down the throat easily, not forgetting the broth which was adequately sweet to slurp until the last drop. Don't forget to add black vinegar and/or hot chili oil for a more explosive taste! Pika's advice: You can have rice noodle in place of the thin egg noodle!

Vegetable with Oyster Sauce HK$12.00 (~S$2.00)

Taste: 7.5/10

A simple dish of blanched chye sim (Chinese mustard green) which still retained its taste with smooth, slightly sweet oyster sauce was part and parcel of a great lunch!

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8/10

Ambience: 5/10

Service: 8/10

Overall: 7/10

Although there wasn't particularly exemplary service, the server was kinda nice and most importantly, the food came in no time. Since it's a small and busy eatery, it's no place for relaxing and/or chit-chat. You come, eat, pay and go.

Tsim Chai Kee

98 Wellington Street

Shop B, G/F Jade Centre

Central

Hong Kong

(Daily: 9.00am - 10.00pm)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)