Waso Cafe (Tsim Sha Tsui) — Restaurant in Kowloon

Come for the noodles, stay for the pork bun.

車仔麵 or cart noodles were originally served out the back of a wooden cart. For a few dollars, busy customers could pick between a few pre-prepared dishes which would be tossed into a bowl of noodle soup - Hong Kong’s equivalent to the McDonald’s drive-thru.

Waso represents another modern interpretation of this traditional Hong Kong meal. It offers a wide variety of potential toppings and fresh ingredients, and customers can have a hearty, and more importantly quick, meal as they go about their day.

Your critic has come here a few times (mostly accompanying a local cart noodle fanatic), and though the noodles have certainly been solid, it has been the pork buns that have really captured his imagination.

Nestled in the fluffiness of a freshly baked pineapple bun are a succulent pork-chop (deboned for anyone worrying), accompanied by a crisp layer of lettuce and a fresh tomato slice. The interplay of textures, starting from the loaminess of the bread to the firm tenderness of the pork, to the ultimate crispness of the lettuce, is an absolute delight.

The flavors, too, present an interesting exploration for the palette. The buttery sweetness of the pineapple bun is contrasted with the savory goodness of the pork chop, with the lightness of the lettuce and tartness of the tomato providing much needed balance to each bite.

After demolishing his sandwich, your critic found himself craving more, even as the noodles, ostensibly the star of the show, were served.

Come for the noodles, stay for...

23/12/24 - 3.5 stars

A super popular café in Tsim Sha Tsui with lines of up to 40 people at peak hours. Lines are reasonably quick but waits of 30-60 minutes are probably standard. Furnishing and decor are much nicer than many other similar restaurants. Service is decently friendly and food is solid.

Overall, don't think this is worth waiting more than 20-30mins for but does have some classic dishes.

Fried pork chop with curry Pork: SS, 9/10. Super crispy yet tender inside without being that oily. Very well done. Curry: S+, 8.5/10. Mildly spiced and thin enough to coat the other dishes. Value: S, 8/10. $64 is pretty good

Iced yin-yang: S, 8/10. Good but not super special

Pineapple bun: S, 8/10. Decently crispy and soft inside. Not the best we had and $18

Tom yum soup: A, 7/10. Nothing special. Similar flavour profile to Australia. $60-70

Tomato soup noodles: A, 7/10....

Popular local Cha Chan Teng, queues form as early as 8.30am even on a weekday when they open at 8am. The cafe is rather spacious by HK standards but you are still expected to share the table when it gets busy. We were lucky to be there just before the queue formed.

Highly automated, they have a queue ticket machine at the doors. Once you are seated, scan the QR code on the table to submit your order, which allows for customisation such as less ice and less sweet for the milk tea.

Their Polo Bun is highly recommended and it lives up to the reputation. I ordered it as a burger with Pork Chop since I already had a plain one last night at another cafe. Mum's noodles were equally good and super generous portion of the scrumptious pork chop (flavourful, lean and tender).

Worth the queue and...