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2014-03-26
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I have friends and know people online who live eat breathe and crap Michelin and high end dining. And it is really sad when people ask to visit HK and what to eat, that these same schmoes keep recommending the same tried and true places, whether Michelin or not.Granted, a nasty crusty old dai pai dong that is not located in Central, isn't going to be super appealing, but it represents a dying piece of food culture and history that needs to be experienced. Because you and I both know that our chi
I have friends and know people online who live eat breathe and crap Michelin and high end dining. And it is really sad when people ask to visit HK and what to eat, that these same schmoes keep recommending the same tried and true places, whether Michelin or not.Granted, a nasty crusty old dai pai dong that is not located in Central, isn't going to be super appealing, but it represents a dying piece of food culture and history that needs to be experienced. Because you and I both know that our children and their children won't have much else local to enjoy and savor as the years go by. It also doesn't help that kids get sucked into trendy crap that frankly does not last very long.
Cheung Fat is one of a handful (~ 4) dai pai dongs on Yiu Tung Street, within a leisurely walk from the Sham Shui Po MTR station. After so many years of living in Hong Kong, relocating abroad and revisting only a handful of times since then, I'm ashamed to not have ever visited this historic side of HK/Kowloon, let alone venture further into dai pai dong territory. You only live once, and so do the dai pai dongs.
Cheung Fat reminded me of some of the dai pai dongs from the 1980s in Wanchai....one in particular whose name I never learned, but also specialized in noodles, beef brisket noodles. The only upsetting experience was that, dai pai dong in Wanchai had a ridiculous ammonia presence (via their noodles) which smelled like Windex, but was actually due to the heavy alkali water. Fortunately Cheung Fat does not have this problem.
With thanks to the famous bloggers (as well as the heavy celeb who loves to eat, calls himself a young god, and had some pretty hot chicks on his late TV show), I knew I had to try the soy sauce brothless noodles (lo mein).
Soy sauce with a healthy dose of old fashioned lard at the bottom of the bowl, with nice al dente like Cantonese egg noodles with scallions on top. The side of broth was not remarkable, but the biggest joy was taking chopsticks and tossing the noodles and sauce(s) together. The noodles were visually stunning from a photographic standpoint, before remixing and after remixing.
In terms of taste, the soy sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking. But overall a very pleasing bowl and snack, despite having a lunch 1.5 to 2 hours prior. I would then venture across the street for snack #2...
But if this is how blue collars feasted in the old days just for a moment's escape from the sadness and stresses of life, what a joy it was overall.
The atmosphere of lurking and hanging around a dai pai dong cannot be explained easily to foreign visitors. It has a complete different feeling and vibe than going to a night market in Taipei, or a hawker stall in Singapore. Perhaps I am Cantonese at heart and forever.
Even though this visit was almost 2 to 3 months ago, I cannot help but wonder, if I would be able to enjoy this again next time. One can only hope the dai pai dong culture survives and persists.
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