Tsim Chai Kee 沾仔记 – Michelin Bib Gourmand Wonton Noodles in Hong Kong

Walking along Wellington Street in Central, I decided to check out Tsim Chai Kee (沾仔记), a popular wonton noodles shop in Hong Kong. Apparently, the noodles taste so good that the restaurant is even on the Michelin Bib Gourmand List.

Tsim Chai Kee (沾仔记)

Tsim Chai Kee (沾仔记) is a small wonton noodles shop located along Wellington Street, Central. It is located opposite Mak’s Noodle, another well-known wonton noodles shop.

The restaurant caused quite a stir when it opened in 1998, because its wonton noodles were much larger in portion than Mak’s, but it only charged HKD10 per bowl. Twenty years later, the price has more than tripled, but the portion remains as large and it is still cheaper than Mak’s.

Tsim Chai Kee’s wontons are big (almost the size of ping pongs), which is why the shop is known as the “ping pong wonton shop” to many locals.

Old School Restaurant

This is a no frills establishment where customers dine on wooden chairs and long marble tables, and are expected to leave quickly once done.

I could tell that Tsim Chai Kee is very proud of its Michelin accolades, because one large area of the wall is covered with ten “Michelin Guide Recommended Restaurant” framed plaques. This is because the shop has been on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list every single year since 2009.

And in case you missed it in the restaurant, there are Michelin certificates plastered all over the restaurant’s glass facade too.

Entering the restaurant alone, I was led by an unsmiling auntie to a corner table which already had another diner. This was fine by me because the table was really spacious and could even seat four persons comfortably.

King Prawn Wonton Noodle (招牌云吞面)

I decided to order the signature King Prawn Wonton Noodle 招牌云吞面 (HKD31).

After reading many positive online reviews about this shop, my expectations were pretty high. However, I was left underwhelmed after tasting the soup. It wasn’t very savoury and was in fact quite bland.

As for the noodles, I felt that it was not very well-cooked, with quite a coarse texture and an unpleasant bitter alkaline aftertaste.

The famous “ping pong” wontons were the only redeeming factors here. They were indeed very big and I enjoyed the chewy and juicy shrimp fillings. However, I wouldn’t rate them as fantastic.

Tsim Chai Kee Menu (click to enlarge)

Other than shrimp wontons, you can also choose their signature fish balls and sliced beef as the toppings for your noodles. The noodles cost HKD37 with two toppings and HKD41 with three.

Conclusion

I was quite disappointed with the wonton noodles at Tsim Chai Kee. The portion was indeed very big, but I wasn’t impressed with the taste of the noodles and soup. The wontons were decent but not spectacular. I didn’t get to try the signature fish balls and sliced beef. In conclusion, I would say skip this joint and go for opposite Mak’s Noodle, though I was quite underwhelmed by the noodles there too.

Tsim Chai Kee
What to order: King Prawn Wonton Noodle (HKD31), Three Toppings Noodle (HKD41)
Address: 98 Wellington St, Central
Directions: Seven-minute walk from Sheung Wan station
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Phone: +852 2850 6471