Restaurants, like relationships, come and go in this city. Gleaming lights promising something new, something different, something to surprise our jaded appetites, or just something to fill our void (and memory cards) in the middle of the night. The initial spark, the excitement of the unknown, the spiraling addiction, the desperate desire to believe in the hype....but lust fades and quality speaks for itself. Does anything last forever here? is the most persistent question on my mind as I walk past another shuttered restaurant that burned too fast and too bright, wondering about the fate of my old haunts the same way I wonder about the boys who never called me back.
"Find a simple guy," my mom told me once, and the same goes for food--at the end of the day, we just crave something simple, dependable and true. In this sense you can't get any simpler than noodle shops in Hong Kong, their low key presence in every street corner at risk of being replaced by the next big restaurant mogul. They are the geek in a romantic comedy, quietly watching you chase the most popular chefs and food trends, comforting you amid your disappointment before you realize that they were the ones who were there for you all along.
Lau Sum Kee in Sham Shui Po is one of these simple guys, albeit one of the more famous ones. But rightly so, as they consistently churn out honest and delicious Hong Kong staples--al dente dry noodles sprinkled with shrimp roe, braised beef brisket and tendon, wonton soup...I basked in its unpretentious and comforting presence, with barely a dent in my wallet. Wrapping up the night with some local desserts around the corner, I was grateful to be reminded that there are still some things that are consistent in this transient city. (The simple and dependable guy part though remains to be seen...)
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G/F, 48 Kweilin St
Sham Shui Po
2386 3533
Tian Tian Di Dessert House
G/F 120 Fuk Wa St
Sham Shui Po
2398 9499
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