Sai Kee Congee Shop — Restaurant in Hong Kong

油條 Fried Dough Fritter = HKD10.00 艇仔粥 Sampan Porridge = HKD25.00 No Service Charge

This was an Eatery that I stumbled upon on a Late Night Walk back to my Hostel and I thought I'd try out a Bowl of Hot Porridge since it was a Cold Night.

The Interior has a Modern Decor although I could feel that it also has some age to it. Quite Crowded with Customers even during a Late Hour and are mostly Middle Aged Men. Staffs are Polite and Friendly but keep to themselves.

油條 Fried Dough Fritter = HKD10.00

This is of course the Classic Common Dough Fritter that we usually pair with Porridge. Amusingly, the Receipt itself writes this item as "鬼" which means "Ghost". Actually for this Dough Fritter, other than its regular Common Chinese Name that we know "油條", it can also be written and pronounced as "油炸鬼" Yao Cha Guai or "Frying a Ghost in Oil" in Cantonese.

Sounds pretty Morbid and I have no idea why it has such a Amusing and Freaky Alternate Name but there ya go.

Served up within 1 Min, its a Big Chonky Boy and they cut it into Pieces. Unfortunately they were Cold and Not Crispy at all. Understandable since it was a Late Night and these have probably been left on the Heating Shelf for the Whole Day.

艇仔粥 Sampan Porridge = HKD25.00

Served 1 Min after the Dough Fritter, this is of course the Classic Sampan Porridge which I've enjoyed so many times in JB before. Its a Big Bowl for the Price and the Porridge is Boiled Very Smooth like Ber. The Ingredients within felt Generous as there were Noticeably Alot of Pieces of Cuttlefish, Fish Maw and Peanuts.

The Most Interesting Ingredients were Finely Minced Pieces of Half-Cooked Pork. This is a Cooking Technique to put Half-Cooked Pork within the Bowl and let the Residual Heat finish up the rest of the Cooking so in this way, you can serve up the Dish faster.

I don't think this is done nowadays especially in Singapore due to Food Safety Concerns. So if you do encounter such, I'd recommend to stir everything well, let it sit for 2-3mins before eating if you don't want your meat too rare.

The Porridge itself is Plain and Lightly Salted. But I feel that the taste here is Very Much More Bland and Light Tasting compared to the Versions I've had in JB. It is so Light Tasting that it needed Occasional Bites of the Peanut Pieces to give it even a little bit of Taste Flavour. Would recommend to add some Soy Sauce too.

HKD25.00 (S$4.40) for this Big Bowl feels worth it because of the Generous Amounts of Ingredients, but I wonder if Authentic Hong Kong 艇仔粥 is supposed to be this Light Tasting or is it this Particular Eatery that made it so Light?

Due to how Bland and Light I felt this 艇仔粥 was, I feel this sits at an Average Score for me. Personally, I still prefer Malaysia JB version of 艇仔粥 which is Much More Flavourful.

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Today, I had a lunch at this local congee spot in the bustling Mongkok area with my mom. The menu was an inviting selection of comfort food and we decided to try the fish congee, scallion and dried shrimp rice noodle roll, Ox-tongue pastry (牛脷酥), and fried noodles with bean sprouts.

The fish congee was satisfactory, with adequately cooked fish. The rice roll was a mix of textures with the soft roll and the dried shrimp, and the Ox-tongue pastry was decent, having a crispy exterior and a tender inside. The fried noodles with bean sprouts were seasoned alright, with a subtle wok-fried taste.

For the price we paid, the meal definitely hit the spot. It's a great place for anyone looking for a budget-friendly, quick meal while still wanting to enjoy some local flavors.

The restaurant ambiance was initially alright, seeming clean and well-maintained. However, as we were leaving, we spotted a cockroach near our bench. That was a bit of a letdown in an otherwise...

As expected in the HK culture, the moment you sit down you will get asked what you want to eat since these eateries are meant for busy local getting in and out between work, lunch break, and just whatever busy life style they have. You give them to them straight, ask factual question (like do you serve soy milk vs does the soy milk taste good), you'll get the typical, hk style amicable service. The speed of the food being served was lightning speed, my boat jook, crisp fried dough, and hot, non sweeten soy milk were all excellent. Service could feel slightly friendlier, but it was absolutely acceptable for the culture. I would come again to try...