Beef noodles from Guiyang jumped in popularity when president Xi Jinping praised them when meeting a Guizhou delegation in 2014 – beef noodles in a pungent broth made from pig bones and chilli powder is a famous dish from the province. Now, with the opening of Emma’s Noodle in Causeway Bay, you no longer need to travel to the mainland to taste the dish.

With cow head sculptures decorating the walls, the small shop has a simple menu,with just four noodles on offer. The biggest one – the stewed assorted beef noodles (HK$98) – has beef tripe, tendon and shank, in addition to deep-fried bean curd and marinated egg. The beef is tender and the soft noodles soak up the flavourful broth.

Chilli oil beef noodles (HK$56) are a delight. The house-made chilli oil is mixed with minced fried chillies, which combine to give the broth a spicy, pungent taste. For the braised soup beef noodles (HK$56), the meat is cooked with star anise, cinnamon and chilli. The beef used in the noodles are from the hindquarters of local cattle. Staff blanch the beef in boiling water and cut it into cubes before braising them until tender. Just before serving, condiments such as minced garlic, parsley, chilli powder and green onion are sprinked on top of the soup, accentuating the pungent taste of the broth.