Rubbish and very disappointed! Definately not worth the $ and 60 mins waiting time. Don't be fooled by the crowed waiting outside the tiny shop. The soup is plain and beef is chewing i'd to forced to swallow each piece of tasteless beef.

Forget the famous Kau Kei in Central. Often touted as the best in HK, in fact it's overrated, the staff is rude, and the food is greasy, salty, and selection is poor. Not only are you expected to wait in line to be seated, but are rushed out the door as soon as you're done. Fortunately, there's an alternative...
I know Kwan Kee is a bit out of the way, but if you're a fan of beef brisket noodles, you HAVE TO make the trip out at least once (although once you come here, you may find yourself hovering around Tai Po more often than you used to...) It's not a difficult trip, just take the KCR to Tai Po Market, then walk 10 minutes into the main shopping strip (I would think Central's Kau Kee is more difficult to find). Once there, the staff will generally seat you without much of a wait, if any. Take your time and relax, you wont get the bum's rush here!
Kwan Kee's beef brisket is of the clear soup kind... but unlike Kau Kee, the soup is dense and flavorful without resorting to copious amounts of salt. This is a result of hours of simmering beef bones which produces a significantly deeper broth that does not require over-seasoning to bring out the flavor.
The menu offers a good selection of the various cuts of beef, and (thankfully) does not feature the often-present flavor-drowning curry beef brisket. Nope, these guys are dedicated to one thing, and they do it EXTREMELY well.
There is one problem however, and that is the lack of English menus. If you can read Chinese, great, but if not, you may well have to stumble through with your broken Cantonese, like I did. But don't let that stop you... there are many pictures on the walls, and you can always point to them.
Best deal is the beef cheeks (if you can get over the idea of eating a cow's face), which are tender, meaty, and gelatinous like the "song lam" premium cut of beef brisket, without the premium price. In fact, in general, the prices are a terrific bargain considering the addictive crack high you will get from a warm bowl of beefy perfection.
Have the methadone standing by...

Bonus: They sell Coke in those small glass bottles, rather than the aluminum cans you see in most places Cool!

爽腩 ($60): one small bowl. we thought that it was so so only. personally, I think that one in Yung Kee is better!
油渣麵($15): first time to have it. the 油渣 taste like the skin and fat of the roast pork. the noodles is quite chewy. not very special.
牛腩 noodles: so so too. the noodles is too tender.

there are many ppl even at 5:00 p.m. on sat. we waited for 15 mintues for a small table. very crowded

overall, the food standard is so so. all agree that kau Kee is better.

Thank you chowhounds for telling me about this place.

I tried going 2+ months ago, and they were on a holiday. and i finally made it back 4 days before i leave. I'm so sad i never went before.

I got the song lam and beef cheeks with really thin noodles (and soup). I would have preferred thicker noodles, but i don't know how to ask. i can say "noodle" and i can say "ho fun" ... that's it. BUT... this was hands down the tastiest soup i've ever had. The meat was tasty, and not being a huge fat fan, it was great how the meat just separated from the fat with almost no effort. The broth was amazing. I have no idea what it is that makes it so good.... the only way i can describe it is "super" beefy tasting (maybe extra bloody bones?) but with a rice wine alcohol flavor. So blood and booze. It permeated those thing noodles, so every bite was super flavorful. the price is higher than one might expect... but i suppose that was for the special meat ingredients. (29hkd).
The people sitting with me ordered an extra bowl of meat and broth along with their soups. that goes to show how strongly people feel about it i think.

what really made my day was getting a cold 芝麻糊 豆腐花 next door for 5hkd. it was an extra sweet one... and really hit the spot after those strong beef flavors.

Best lunch ever.