Fong Mei Cafe — Restaurant in Howick

Grew up going to this place, it used to be good but those days are long gone. I can't think of another place worst than this in the same shopping complex. From my recent visit for lunch we ordered three basic/stable menu item for HK cafes:

Wonton noodle soup: Only ordered because they don't do brisket anymore and on the rare days it's actually available the quality is bad. The wonton don't have much prawns, it's very much a meatball, definitely not traditional HK style. Noodle itself isn't up to par either. Would've just went to Eden noodle next door if I wanted non-HK style Wonton Noodle Soup, Eden noodle is much better for any noodle soup by the way. If you crave HK/Canton style noodle soup then go across to Kinston Noodle or Panda Kitchen, they are both excellent.

Pork slice congee: They took short-cut to grind the rice before making congee, yes it's faster to cook that way but it's doesn't taste as good and definitely not real HK style. They can't even slice the meat through properly, the slice still stick to each other and it's just a a big lump of meat in the congee. Someone need to tell them about seasoning too, only plain congee are supposed to be bland, but not any other kind.

Stir fried flat noodle with beef: This is a signature dish of HK and they managed to mess this up. How do you mess up a stir-fry? Well try burning the beef to a black char and giving the whole plate of noodle a smoky burnt taste. The noodle are all broken as well, just not enough prep on the flat noodle itself before cooking.

If the owner doesn't want to work anymore after a couple decades then it's understandable, just go on ahead and close the shop already or let someone else take over. This place is now poorly managed with low quality food. Frankly it is ruining my fond childhood...

This is one of my favourite places for casual asian style dining. I have visited the place at least 30 times and here is hopefully a constructive review.

The location is okay, slightly far for those travelling from different parts of Auckland. It is easy to find and has an adjacent carpark. The carpark gets quite busy during evening meal times but there are plenty of off street parks.

The environment is clean and tidy, but very casual. Jandals and shorts would be no problem. The staff often appears somewhat indifferent and expressionless - I dont really think they are rude, they just seem somewhat bored of the job and cannot be bothered to try harder.

The menu is bilingual, and the main lady who runs the place has okay english/mandarin. Some of the staff does not speak anything other than Cantonese so communication can sometimes be difficult.

Now, food! They have a very good range on the menu from noodle soups, congees to dishes you can share. No MSG in their food! (thats the best thing about this place). There are also a small range of cold/hot drinks and snacks (hongkong style sandwiches/french toast). Their food is not complicated and fancy, so you dont feel bloated and greasy afterwards. The price is fair.

Overall, its a good place to enjoy simple casual hong kong style food. If you dont expect to be treated like the queen and not after lobster meals definitely...

After reading a few other one star ratings I totally think my experience was not a once off. Having travelled all the way from the Northshore to Howick, a friend recommended this restaurant. I had my 1 and 3 year old children with me and walked in around 11am (not busy). I asked the woman at the front if there was a high chair. She said no so I asked if I could bring my pram in. She then said that there’s going to be other diners… mind you the restaurant was half empty and my pram would not have taken up much space.

I decided to walk out and dine at Eden Noodles which is 20m away from this place. Their service was a 180 degree difference. A smile, highchair bought to my table, answered all my questions politely.

Some people aren’t really cut out for being front of house. You lady are doing your restaurant...