Diner’s Diary | Hong Kong noodle shop to shut after 68 years – we have a final bowl of its famous egg noodles
Though its egg noodles made using a bamboo pole are known throughout Hong Kong, Wing Wah Noodle Shop in Wan Chai will shut its doors at the end of August after 68 years in business. But why exactly is it closing down?
After 68 years, Hong Kong restaurant Wing Wah in Wan Chai, best known for its egg noodles made using a bamboo pole, will shut its doors at the end of August.
The shop has already advertised its impending demise by covering its banner with Chinese characters saying “closing down”. As a result, when we recently visited the shop at 2pm on a weekday, there was still a large line outside the small restaurant.
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It took us almost 15 minutes to get a table – the place was packed with diners getting their last servings of noodles. The staff were so busy they didn’t even have time to replenish the small covered glass bowls of pickled vegetables for which the restaurant is also known.
The menus are still shown under the sheets of glass that cover the table tops, and items are still reasonably priced. A bowl of shrimp wonton noodles is HK$44, while noodles with braised beef tendon and brisket is HK$48. A chef’s special bamboo mushroom with shrimp roe is HK$90 for a small portion, HK$180 for a large one.
Several minutes after we put in our order, our dishes start to arrive one by one. The egg noodles topped with shrimp roe and served with oyster sauce (HK$80) are fantastic. The noodles have a bite to them, springy and slightly al dente. The sprinkling of shrimp roe adds a delicate texture.
