永樂園茶餐廳 Wing Lok Yuen Restaurant review

Wing Lok Yuen Restaurant

Wing Lok Yuen has been with many generations of Hong Kongers, my parents always recalls this place whenever they talk about working in Central or when they are eating hotdogs. Wing Lok Yuen is known for their hotdogs because of the special secret sauce they use. 

Atmosphere:

• very casual (& no dress code)
• friendly staff
• helpful staff

Different types of people come to this restaurant anyone from people who wear suits and ties (businessmen... since this IS Central) to tourist to those who just want to get food after hangout with friends. There is such diversity!

I was actually scared of talking to the staff/waiters since 茶餐廳s are known to have bad service... but to my surprise, they were very friendly. They also gave good recommendations and were very helpful.

their famous hotdog

Price: $12 HKD (approx. $1.50 USD) - restaurant price

(if you order from their upstairs take out place, price is $10 HKD ($1.29 USD)

impressions:

• the hotdog is very small (especially compared to the bread)
• the sauce is really good...
• this isn't very filling
• take out and restaurant version taste the same

After you take a bite, you can understand why they are so popular... the sauce is really good!

I think the sauce contains: mustard, mayonnaise, sandwich spread, condense milk, ... something else... I tried mixing the sauce myself and it was something "similar" but not exactly what they served... so if you are around Central, definitely give this place a try (prices are certainly reasonable!)

I found the hotdog to be too small... you can hardly taste it (especially when the bread is so much bigger than the hot dog sausage).

Score: 8/10

Cold Lemon Tea

I forgot the exact price, but it was around $10 HKD (approx. $1.29 USD)

Every restaurant's drinks should be easily distinguishable... and I feel that their Iced Lemon Tea was very unique. I liked the blend of different tea leaves they used to create this special heavy tea taste. Just like other Hong Kong cafe's, they had included the standard 4 slices of lemon. It quenches your thirst and it tastes good! I also liked how they used shaved ice, making the ice easier to melt. The amount of sugar added was just perfect too!

Score: 9.5/10

Wing Lok Yuen's HK Milk Tea

after a sip, I could understand why they were given an award for their milk tea... first, it tastes different from the other places and second it is very smooth. You can tell that they made it.

they won HK's best milk tea in 2010

sugar packet with address

The also had their own sugar packets.

I love this place! I do regret not being able to try more menu items though. I would definitely be visiting this place again soon!

Score: 9.5/10
Website: no website

沾仔記 Tsim Chai Kee Noodle review

storefront of Tsim Chai Kee Noodle

Chinese name is: 沾仔記

How to locate:

If you are taking the escalator up Central, when you see Wellington Street, get off and it is just across the street from the escalator.

If you were to ask anyone in Hong Kong (especially in Central) about a good noodle place recommendation, Tsim CHai Kee Noodle will definitely be mentioned as one of those places. 

Tsim Chai Kee has received over 6 Michelin Stars.

tidy and simple presentation

Environment and Service:

• very friendly very casual
• the staff were very approachable, it was almost without effort to get their attention
• it was easy to carry a simple conversation with them (however, keep in mind, they only speak Cantonese).
• shop was extremely clean and tidy

Busyness

• I wouldn't recommend you to visit this place during lunch or dinner hours, I have heard there are huge lines (I visited this place at 3-4pm and I was able to find a good booth seat)

close up of partial menu

Their menu is available in Chinese, English and Japanese.  They do not have a big selection for you to choose from. But that is never a concern for me... I always think that Quality is better than Quantity. I would rather you serve one good dish than several bad dishes.

A quick glance at their menu and you will be surprised at their prices! How can you find such affordable Wonton noodles in Central?

King Prawn Wonton Noodle $26 HKD

King Prawn Wonton Noodle $26 HKD (approx. $3.50 USD)

One of the things I had to get was their famous Wonton noodles.  authentic Wonton noodles
impressions:

• noodles were incredibly fresh and chewy
• broth was extremely well made
• wontons were extremely juicy
• wontons had a perfect pork/pawn ratio
• wontons were huge
• extremely filling

This bowl of wonton noodles is delicious and extremely filling. I walked in hungry and was so full after finishing this bowl. The noodles and broth were authentic. Extremely delicious, The noodles were very fresh and chewy (or bouncy). I can say that these are the best wonton noodles I have ever had. You can tell that the chef has put lots of effort to making the noodles to a perfect chewiness.

The wonton broth was another element which I had appreciated. The broth is also one of the best wonton broths I have ever had. I couldn't figure out what ingredients they had used but I could tell they used lots of fresh ingredients... most importantly, there was no MSG used.

The wontons were huge, they were each filled with a large prawn and pork. They were extremely juicy and tasty. When the server came, I was a bit disappointed to see only 3, but after finishing this bowl of Wonton noodles, I realized that 3 was more than enough!

Fresh Minced Fish Ball Noodle $26 HKD

Fresh Minced Fish Ball Noodle $26 HKD (approx. $3.50 USD)

impressions:

• noodles were incredibly fresh and chewy
• broth was extremely well made and delicious
• fish balls were huge
• fish balls were made from extremely fresh fish

This bowl of noodles and broth was the same that were used for their wonton noodles, (I guess I do not need to talk about how much I liked it again).

The fish balls were huge, they were the size of my fists. There were only 2, but 2 is more than enough. These fish balls were made from fresh fish and it was properly marinated with the appropriate amount of salt and other ingredients.

I have read many reviewers online who claimed that these fish balls were not "chewy or bouncy" enough, but they should keep in mind that these are not supposed to be "bouncy or chewy", this type of "fish balls" should be quite soft... that's why they are so large. In Chinese, you can distinguish whether a fish ball should be chewy or bouncy by the name but unfortunately you can't in English.魚蛋 (yu dan) should be chewy and bouncy while 鯪魚球 (lang yu kau) should not be. These are  鯪魚球 noodles and should not be bouncy or chewy.

Drinks:

all drinks were $8(HKD) <-- Approx. $1.05 USD

I ordered drinks but I didn't get to take a picture of it, as I was busy chatting with some of their staff.

I wouldn't suggest you to get their Lemon Tea, as it isn't "Lemon Tea" but a box version of Vita's Lemon Tea. (the server was nice enough to warn us in advance)

However, I would suggest you to order their cold Soy milk drink. They would serve you a 500 ml bottle of Soy Milk... totally worth the price! I can't remember the brand of the soy milk, but I remember checking that the ingredients were very natural, just soy, sugar and water.

Verdict:

This place had me talking for days! I loved their broth and noodles and wonton. It is the best Wonton Noodles I have ever had... I guess there is a reason how this place was able to survive for so long (I do not know the exact date, but when my parents were working (and still in their twenties) this place was already quite famous. If that is not convincing enough, their 6 Michelin stars will show you just how well known they are, and how good their wonton noodles taste. I would highly recommend their Wonton Noodles!

Contact Info & Hours:
Address: 98 Wellington Street, Central
Phone:2850 6471

Hours: Mon.-Sun. 09:00-22:00

Score: 10/10
Website: no website