Hong Kong: TamJai SamGor
11/20/16 Tsim Sha Tsui
The Storefront:
A massively popular HK Chain noodle shop that fuses a bevy of Chinese styles together into an ultimately affordable lunch stop.
Century Egg w/Scallions, Garlic, Ginger, and Chili Oil
Classic app, pungent topping. Can’t stop this.
Sliced Pork Belly w/Sesame Oil, Soy, and Garlic
The flotilla of garlic chunks is as intimidating and daunting as it looks, but it’s absolutely necessary to resonate the classicly in-your-face flavors of the Yunnanese. Embrace the sting, embrace the bitter, and wait for the garlic to ravage your mouth and your breath.
Classic Rice Noodles w/ everything
We ordered a light spicy with everything: bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, scallions, and pork. A huge bowl for a bit under 5 USD. I instantly reach for a swig of the broth and it is packed. Not a lot of fat on the tongue, but there’s a lot of spice, a bit of numb, and some serious depth. The snappiness of the thin rice noodles was a pleasant surprise but of course it didn’t last. We ate fast so it didn’t get too soggy near the end.
House Chicken Wings
Their signature chicken wings. A model of chicken wing cookery. I’m typically a saucey wing fan, but this dry wing had it all. Laced with five spice, sesame, salt, a bunch of peppers, and probably 10 more things even the Triads don’t know about, the light, but super crispy crust seals in the stream of brined poultry goodness.
Conclusion 100% unfair that this quality of food is readily available all over HK. It’s also a telling sign for the food landscape of a country when your chain restaurants are this good, yet they’re completely empty for late lunch. The model of availability isn’t always a successful one.