Wong Fei - Not to be confused with Wong Kei
Not my favourite by any means but this legendary haunt deserves a mention. Funnily enough, I walked past there acouple of evenings ago and a middle aged Indian couple who were clearly tourists, approached me and asked for directions to Mr Wu’s (in)famous buffet. I pointed them towards their destination but also nodded in the direction of Wong Kei. ‘You can also give that place a try’, I confidently motioned. They then asked me what it was like, to which I mumbled something about the eatery’s popularity with Hong Kong students and it’s aggressive pricing strategy. Alas, the lure of all-you-can-eat-for-seven-quid proved too strong an attraction and the lovely Indian couple made their way towards Mr Wu.
But it did make me think about the place. If you live in London then chances are you’re familiar with Wong Kei, and if you’re a tourist you can click on this link here to find out more. I’m personally quite fond of it, maybe more for the nostalgia than for the food. The online reviews are quite polarised from ‘best Wonton soup this side of Hong Kong’ to ‘Wonton soup tastes like dishwater’ when in my opinion it falls right down the middle. Their Wontons are heavy and meaty and a little bland, but at less than £3 for a bowl, is surprisingly comforting. The fried noodles are deliciously crispy but are let down by the soggy toppings – it doesn’t matter what it is: king prawns, duck, monk’s vegetables, they will all get served with some non tasting corn flour based sauce. The coup de grace however are their rice and meat combo dishes. A massive plate of hot rice with a slab of cold meat on top. I tend to go for the chicken (sweet and moist) and belly pork (crispy, salty and fatty) combo. The rice is nearly always over cooked, but the plentiful meat more than makes up for it.
I remember going there nearly 10 years ago and the waiters were ruuuuude. I made the mistake of ordering something off the menu by number, to which the response was ‘GIVE ME NAME! NAME! NOT NUMBER!!’ in a shouty voice. Don’t expect a heavy measure of rudeness now though. They’re still hurried and abrupt but you no longer sit in fear of receiving a slap on the back of your head or a gob of spit appearing on your food when you ask him what wines he would recommend for number 69.
All dishes are super cheap and the pots of tea are complementary. Wonton noodle soup which is main meal sized costs £2.80, meat and rice will set you back £4.50 as will most of the other complete dishes like fried noodles with meat/prawns/veg…
You’ll find this place just off Chinatown – 41-43 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6PY
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