Shanghai Wonton in Causeway Bay

My friends often ask me where to eat good Shanghainese food. The answer is … the Shanghai Hongkong Noodle Restaurant in Causeway Bay. It’s been here for more than half a century and the first-generation founder/boss is a poor migrant to Hong Kong from Shanghai after the war time.

My favourite here is the Shanghai-style “little wonton”, and I will also order fried dumplings if I’m a bit more hungry. Soy milk is the popular drink here, brewed by the restaurant on its own everyday. Of course, the best takeaway is always the Shanghai-style “rice wrap” (秶飯), which has two flavors, sweet (pork) or salty (vegetables).

This restaurant is one of the unspoken secrets for the local and it’s open for 7/24/365. It was once featured in American newspaper USA Today, which described the hardworking entrepreneurial spirit as the “Spirit of Hong Kong”.

The History of Hong Kong Wonton Noodle

During the post-war time in the late 1940s, wonton (or wantun) noodle and congee became popular in Hong Kong.

There used to be the Big Four families in the noodle and congee business, including “Hung Kee” (the Ho family), “Chiu Kee” (the Chan family), “Chee Kee” (the Mak family), and Wing Kee (the Au family).

Originally from Canton (now “Guangdong”), Mr. Ho Chiu Hung moved to Hong Kong as a migrant worker. In 1946, he set up his first shop “Ho Hung Kee Wantun Noodles Shop” in Hong Kong. From its humble beginning as a roadside food stall in Wan Chai, “Ho Hung Kee” quickly became a household name in Hong Kong.

Mr. Ho Koon Ming succeeded his father’s trade in 1984. In September 1996, the “Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop” (正斗) was founded in Happy Valley, and the same original shop remains even to this day. It also has a branch shop in the Hong Kong airport, clearly a popular spot for many travellers and perhaps their last chance to enjoy the local Hong Kong taste before they take off.

My favourite congee here is the “Double Frog and Chicken Congee”, and it’s always nice to finish with some traditional Chinese dessert.

The restaurant is also well known for its traditional rice dumplings, aka zongzi, especially during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is June 14 this year, also a public holiday in Hong Kong.

Address: Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop, 21 King Kwong St, Happy Valley

上海薺菜餛飩

真沒想到在香港也能買到非常地道上海口味的薺菜餛飩，讓我有種幾乎淚流滿面的感覺。

沈大成算是上海的一個老招牌了，小時候每次逛南京路，媽媽都會在永安公司對面路口的沈大成買些糕點帶回家，不知道那個門店現在還在不在。香港也有永安公司，曾經是上海的“四大公司”之一，但是如今要在香港找正宗的上海餛飩，其實並不算是一件容易的事情。

說起沈大成，這也真的是百年老店了。沈大成起家於1875年清朝光緒年間，一開始是做點心店，創始人叫沈阿金，這也是招牌沈氏的由來，沈氏希望開一間點心店，集江浙各式點心與風味小吃之大成，故取店名為沈大成。沈大成最初以蘇式糕點和上海小吃揚名上海，之後也開起了更大規模的餐廳，以上海本幫及江浙菜系為其特色。

薺菜豬肉餛飩

薺菜豬肉餛飩

沈大成最出名的其實應該是他們家的青團，每逢清明節，沈大成的青團總是供不應求，據說現在沈大成在上海南京路的旗艦店在清明期間，依然是人山人海排隊購買。

不過能夠在香港吃到沈大成的上海餛飩，我也算是很心滿意足了。

廣東人的餛飩叫雲吞，這也是香港雲吞麵中的“雲吞”，比較多是豬肉或者蝦肉，粵式的雲吞好像不怎麼喜歡菜肉混搭，這恰恰是上海餛飩的特色，而且老上海們最喜歡用薺菜做餡料。喜歡吃香菜的，還可以在湯裡面最後加點香菜，如果要更加考究一點，湯裡面還可以有紫菜和蛋皮絲，加上一點點蝦米，那更是鮮味十足。

上海餛飩另一個特色在於皮薄，尺寸也中等，和北方餃子的敦厚比起來，上海餛飩可能給人一種很優雅的感覺。餛飩可以當主餐，也可以當點心，10或15個一碗，看你自己心情和胃口。我在香港買的沈大成餛飩（冷凍）是35港幣一袋，總共15個，湯料也幫你準備好。這個價錢在香港算是公道，你去銅鑼灣上海餐廳吃一碗餛飩，可能都不知這個價錢，味道也不是很正宗。

遠走他鄉那麼多年，我的胃啊還是家鄉的胃，沒辦法，從小吃到大，波士頓龍蝦再好，義大利的提拉米蘇再甜美，有時候也都敵不過一碗上海餛飩來的親切。

上了年紀的人，想必都會有這樣的味道和感受。

（亦感謝好友及真正的美食家李純恩先生，他推薦我在香港買到正宗上海餛飩。）