5 best beef briskets in Hong Kong, and possibly the world

We talk to Hong Kong's top-selling beef brisket chefs about the popular dishes and their stories behind them

6 July, 2010

Kau Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

In this town, Kau Kee Restaurant is synonymous with beef brisket. Poon took over his father's shop more than 20 years ago. "This job is dirty, demanding and harsh," Poon says. "But happiness is when I can sustain the brand that my old man founded."

Kau Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Kau Kee serves their brisket noodles in a delicious herbal soup with medicinal properties. Poon emphasizes the importance of freshness of ingredients for his brisket: "In 2008, when the beef supply was tight due to the snow storm [closing off supply from Mainland China], we chose to close the shop rather than use frozen beef briskets," he says.

Kwan Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Customers queue up for Kwan Kee's buttery fatty beef brisket and try to ignore the service staff's attitude. Owner Robert Wong says they are not arrogant, simply too focused on the cooking to pay much attention to service. “If you come simply for beef brisket, you will be satisfied. We sell beef brisket and not much else."

Kwan Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Although business is good, it remains a small business. Wong says, "when machinery breaks down, we have to close the shop and fix it ourselves in order to save a few hundred dollars."

On Lee, Hong Kong beef brisket

From a dai pai dong in 1966, On Lee grew into a shop space that is now managed by three siblings, Dennis Cheng, Fai Cheng and Kay Cheng. Although customers complain about the loss of original atmosphere in the new indoors location, Kay says: "It was very sad to leave the old shop. Yet, sometimes you just have to compromise with the reality. If we don't let go of the past, we cannot improve."

On Lee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Despite being an incredibly popular eatery, the Cheng siblings have struggled through difficult dips in business. Kay recalls the period when her father passed away and it coincided with redevelopment work in the neighborhood. "The restaurant turnover plunged. Everything was falling apart. It felt like the whole world was changing," Kay says.

Sang Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Au Chun Hoi's father started Sang Kee as a congee joint, then Au took the business into brisket, something he loves to eat. "It is very important to control the cooking time. Every piece of beef brisket needs a different amount of time. If you start to cook all of them at the same time, you need to watch each piece individually to catch it when it's perfect."

Sang Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Sang Kee's beef brisket comes with chunks of daikon radish, which often steals the show. The daikon absorbs the flavors of the beef broth and are refreshing between bites of velvet, melt-in-the-mouth brisket.

Wah Jeh, Hong Kong beef brisket

Chan Yee Wah is known as Wah Jeh, meaning "Sister Wah," and she started this small brisket business in 2003, when SARs hit. "It was a hard time and we barely could pay the rent," she recalls.

Wah Jeh, Hong Kong beef brisket

Nowadays, business is booming. Students from Queen's College nearby are regulars and some of them come back with their wives and children long after graduating. "The customers are like my family, they drop by to visit me once in a while even if they have moved," says Sister Wah.

1 of 1

Got something to say? Then speak up! CNNGo is looking to reward 6 smart, lucky readers with $200 vouchers to spend on Wotif.com. It’s easy, read our stories, speak your mind and our editors will pick the best readers' comments posted before 23:59:59 08/07/2010. Full details can be found here.

We got beef in a major way here in Hong Kong, the delicious, tender, slow-cooked-to-lip-smacking-perfection kind of beef. Preferably, brisket of beef.

A good bowl of beef brisket cooked in a broth of Chinese spices, ladled over a mound of slurp-worthy rice noodles is the stuff of foodie daydreams in this city.

Here are the best of Hong Kong's beef brisket shops and if you click the image above, you can access our gallery of images and the stories of the beef-crazed master chefs behind them.

Getting there

Kau Kee: Open Mon - Sat, 12.30 - 10.30pm. 21 Gough Street, Central, tel +852 2850 5967

Kwan Kee: Although the official opening hours are Mon - Sat, 1 - 11pm, Kwan Kee closes when the beef brisket is sold out, usually around 6pm. 26 Dai Ming Lane, Tai Po, tel +852 2638 3071.

Sang Kee: Open Mon - Sat, 7 - 9pm. 20-22 Cleverly Street, Sheung Wan, tel +852 2541 8199

Wah Jeh: Open Mon - Sun, 11am - 11pm. 13A Electric Road, Tin Hau, tel +852 2807 0181

On Lee Noodle: Open Mon - Sun, 7am - 7pm. 22 Shaukeiwan Main Street East, Shau Kei Wan, tel +852 2513 839

Read more on the CNNGo app for iPhone / Android / Nokia now!

Get the latest travel and lifestyle news and views from across Asia. Discover more about your city with the best in local coverage and perspectives. Find out where to shop, play, drink, eat and escape - www.cnngo.com/mobile

Tags:

Local Menu

5 best beef briskets in Hong Kong, and possibly the world

Kau Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Kau Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Kwan Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Kwan Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

On Lee, Hong Kong beef brisket

On Lee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Sang Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Sang Kee, Hong Kong beef brisket

Wah Jeh, Hong Kong beef brisket

Wah Jeh, Hong Kong beef brisket

you may also like

Photo Gallery

Video Gallery