12/12/2010
七喜粥麵小廚
灣仔謝斐道218號
https://www.openrice.com/zh/hongkong/review/lit-cigarette-e2136845
After seeing numerous pictures of the noodles with prawns and generous satay sauce, I decided to get a takeaway from this place.
I was surprised that it has so many branches across Hong Kong, as the decoration and style looks rather old and grubby.
Even though it is old and grubby, the prices are higher than the normal congee and noodle places, and they even do expensive stuff such as seafood and fish maw at seasonal prices.
It was surprising that from a shop like this, the bill could come up to around $2000 according to comments on Openrice.
I rang up for the prawn noodles to be collected, and when I got to the place to collect my noodle, I could smell cigarettes, assuming it was coming from smokers from the outside, anyway for takeaways there is a 10% discount, but extra $2 for the takeaway box.
The noodles turned out to be quite nice, the prawns were huge, and the satay sauce was as good as expected.
The satay sauce was very strong, slightly too salty, but not the usual peanut, sugary type.
I decided to go again and dine there to try fish skin and the fish maw congee, when I sat down in the restaurant, there was a nasty stench, as well as the stench, there was a strong cigarette smell which did not come from the outside.
I was sitting in the inner part of the restaurant, near the kitchen and no where near the entrance.
Anyway, the hygiene seems to be a problem there, because a cloth fell on the floor and one of the waitresses picked it back up and used it to wipe the sauce on the edges of dishes to be served.
As well as that, in 2007 there was a non smoking ban in restaurants, I was so shocked to see one of the staff SMOKING, and PUFFING his horrid smoke in the air INSIDE THE RESTAURANT! I am sure other people will complain in due time.
If it had been a customer, it wouldnt have been so shocking.
When he put down the cigarette on the side of the kitchen table, I took a photograph of it, as he only took a few puffs, it was a newly lit cigarette, hence its length.
Since he saw me take a picture of the cigarette, throughout my stay, he did not attempt to take the cigarette incase I took a picture of him.
I took another picture a few minutes later of the lit cigarette, and you can see more ashes in proportion to the cigarette, so obviously it was still LIT.
Then that staff used a bottle and put it on top of the cigarette and discreetly threw it in the bag directly below thinking I couldnt see it!
Well back to the food, the fish skin was the first I have tried in Hong Kong, to be honest, it probably tastes similar everywhere else, and probably more expensive here.
For the congee I ordered fish maw with conch/whelk meat, the conch meat was dark amber and rather chewy, the fish maw wasnt that soft either, and for that price of $65, I thought they could have provided slightly better fish maw or at least cooked it so that it was slightly softer.
The congee was a bit bland, a bit like heated up plain congee with those ingredients dropped in.
Not value for money for a shabby place like this!
Overall, the food is okay, but it is better to get a takeaway and not see the disgusting environment here that puts you off and there is a 10% discount.
When I left, that staff who was smoking, was at the counter so paid the bill to him.
