Classic Hong Kong restaurants: Lau Sum Kee, Sham Shui Po

Known as one of the few eateries in Hong Kong that makes its own noodles from scratch, Lau Sum Kee in Sham Shui Po started out as a roving street stall in Guangzhou in the 1940s. "My grandfather learned to make wonton noodles in Guangzhou," says Lau Fat-cheong, who now runs the business.

Lau's grandfather started his business by walking around his neighbourhood with ingredients and equipment dangling from a bamboo pole on his shoulder. He arrived in Hong Kong in 1954 and began selling his wares from a cart instead, in the Sham Shui Po area.

Lau's father learned the craft and eventually took over the business, moving it into a dai pai dong on Kweilin Street. In 1993, the stall moved into a proper shop. Lau opened a second outlet in 2007.

Lau Sum Kee is known for its wonton noodles in soup, as well as noodles tossed with dried shrimp roe. The noodles are made daily using a traditional method of kneading the dough with a large bamboo pole. One end of the pole is attached to the workbench, and the person making the noodles straddles the pole on the other end, bouncing up and down to knead the dough.

"It's up to the sifu [master] to adjust the ingredients," Lau says.