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[Hong Kong] The 90 plus year old Kau Kee at Gough Street has become the ‘must-visit’ restaurant for beef brisket noodles, included into many foodies’ bucket list. What is the charm, you may wonder.
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Despite looking kind of run-down, the noodle shop is on the Michelin recommended “Big Gourmand” list for several years, with celebrity patrons from Chief Executive of Hong Kong Donald Tsang to award-winning actor Tony Leung. (Must have been a long time ago. The Tony Leung now would cause a massive stir if he is there.)
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Getting to Kau Kee is a 15-20 minute walk from either Central or Sheung Wan MTR (do not miss Sing Heung Yuen’s tomato noodles while you are here).
I usually go via Central MTR, coming from the Mid-Level escalators, walking past several dai pai dong and characteristic indie shops and cafes.
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Depending on what time you go, there would always be a queue (seems like 90% tourists) that can take anything between 10 minutes to an hour or more. Be prepared to sit in a crowded cramped place with strangers on the same table and slippery floor.
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On its menu: Beef Brisket, Slices or Tendon in Broth, Curry, and Oyster Sauce, with choices of Rice Noodle, E-Fu, Flat Noodle or Vermicelli, ranging generally from HK$30 to HK$66. There is also a Kau Kee’s Special Beef Brisket In Broth for HK$155. Emmm… too expensive for me.
There is a minimum spending of HK$40 per diner by the way.
My friend who was a first-timer was expecting the typical thin springy noodles used in other beef brisket eateries, but none of this was used here.
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Most customers would go for the Beef Brisket With E-Fu Noodle In Broth (HK$43) or Beef Tendon Noodles In Curry (HK$43) – which can be described as rich and oily, but full on in flavours and spiciness. Now imagine some melt-in-your mouth tendons soaked right in that curry gravy.
However, I was not overly blown away by the Beef Brisket Noodles in broth. It was a good bowl – clear and light, no doubt about that. But the lack of umami-ness made me wonder if this bowl had seen better days before.
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Not sure if Kau Kee can be considered the ‘best’ beef brisket noodles in Hong Kong, but this almost a century old noodle shop manages to stand the test of time, and is a feat in itself.
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Kau Kee 九記牛腩
21 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong (15-20 min walk from Central or Sheung Wan MTR)
中環歌賦街21號地舖
Google Maps
Tel +852 2850 5967
Opening Hours 12:30pm – 10:30pm (Mon-Sat), Closed Sun, PH and Lunar New Year period for 10 days
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