A favorite memory of living in Cambodia for two years was a restaurant on my street called Chinese Noodle, which made fresh thick rice noodles woven daily by hand.
Almost as good: My first bowl of noodles at Hong Kong’s Michelin-recommended Good Hope Noodle in Mong Kok district.
Good Hope Noodle’s unassuming interior is endearing. Low stools force patrons to crouch around low tables. Several booths line the edges of the linoleum-floored restaurant.
The place is strictly about noodles and congee, which is made fresh daily in a small kitchen at the front of the restaurant. Clear windows surround both spaces, which keeps out some of the soot and dirt and also allows you to watch the preparation of the food you’re about to intake.
I started with the classic beef brisket noodle soup. Howard ordered dry noodles with sweet & sour pork. Then I tried the rice porridge congee, while Howard had shrimp wonton noodle soup. The congee was a bit bland, but warming and a comparable to a good bowl of oatmeal. The shrimp wantons were wrapped in a thin envelope that didn’t coat the mouth or overpower the natural shrimp flavor.
From the city center, it took about 45 minutes to find the place, as both my guidebook and Google gave the wrong address and few people in this rowdier area of the city speak English. But I had hope eternal for finding Good Hope Noodle, and after a lot of finger pointing by locals the shop finally appeared on Sai Yee Street (fyi, not on Sai Yeung Choi Street).
Generally, this area of Mong Kok district is known for excellent street stalls and noodle shops. The neighborhood is a conflagration of seediness and upscale, street vendors and shopping malls, hourly hotels and pricey McDonald’s… and maybe the best food in Hong Kong.
