Tsui Wah Restaurant (翠華餐廳) – Famous Cha Chaan Teng Chain in Hong Kong
After dinner earlier at Yung Kee, we were still a little hungry and decided to head to Tsui Wah, a cha chaan teng (tea cafe) located just across the street from Yung Kee. Also read: Tsui Wah Singapore – Famous Hong Kong Cha Chaan Teng At Clarke Quay
Tsui Wah Restaurant
Tsui Wah Restaurant (翠華餐廳) is an iconic cha chaan teng (tea cafe) chain in Hong Kong that had humble beginnings as a bing sutt (ice cafe) at Mongkok in 1967. This was a type of small traditional eatery which gradually evolved to become the larger cha chaan tengs today.
Since then, Tsui Wah has grown to become a listed Hong Kong company with almost 70 cha chan teng branches across Hong Kong, Macau, China and even Singapore.
In Chinese, Tsui means “evergreen” and Wah means “Chinese”. It is safe to say that the restaurant has come a long way in promoting Chinese culture and food.
Tsui Wah is not known for any particular signature dish, but they have a “Top 10 Dishes” list which you can check out on their website. Personally I am a little skeptical of this list (especially those dishes of other countries’ cuisine), but it might useful if you are unsure of what to order. Below is the list arranged in alphabetical order:
- Crispy Bun Served with Sweet Condensed Milk
- Fish Balls and Fish Cakes with Flat Rice Noodles in Fish Soup
- Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Jumbo Frankfurter Hot Dog
- Kagoshima Style Pork Cartilage with Tossed Instant Noodles
- Malaysian Beef Brisket Curry with Rice
- Milk Tea
- Shredded Pork & Mushroom with Fried Noodles (with Abalone Taste)
- Sizzling King Prawns with Fried Noodles
- Swiss Sauce Chicken Wings
Casual Atmosphere
Visibly pleased with Tsui Wah
We visited the Tsui Wah branch in Central along Wellington Street. It was easy to spot the restaurant’s large gold neon sign from afar. Walking to the cha chaan teng, I was very much impressed with its beautiful glittering gold facade.
We went on a Saturday at around 9pm and there was no queue at all. We entered the restaurant and were immediately led to a spacious table with comfy upholstered seats on the second floor.
Almost all the tables were occupied on this level. We saw many groups of locals and tourists having casual conversations with each other in a relaxed manner, while sipping on their cold milk tea.
Wow, this was definitely unlike the chaotic-like atmosphere we had experienced in other Hong Kong eateries. I guess at Tsui Wah you’re welcome to stay and chat even after you’ve finished your meal, as compared to other places where you’re expected to leave immediately once you’re done eating. We enjoyed this casual atmosphere very much.
Decent Service
After looking through the menu, we tried to get the attention of the staff to place our orders. After flailing my arms for a short while with no success, I decided to just walk over to one of them. She seemed apologetic and promptly came over to take our orders.
That said, I felt the overall service here was quite decent. We did not experience any bad service or rudeness at all. And our food came promptly too.
Crispy Bun with Sweet Condensed Milk
We ordered the Crispy Bun with Sweet Condensed Milk (HKD20). The buttered toasted bun had a nice crunch to it but was not overly hard. It had a nice rich buttery flavour. And I liked that there was a generous drizzle of condensed milk on the bun, so that when I bit into it I could thoroughly enjoy the sweet and buttery flavours.
Milk Tea
According to their menu, Tsui Wah’s Milk Tea (HKD21) is prepared using premium Ceylon tea leaves and Holland’s Black & White evaporated milk. As I took my first sip, I was pleasantly surprised by how sweet and creamy it tasted. There was definitely a generous portion of sweet condensed milk in here. However, after taking a few more sips, I realised that the condensed milk taste was too overpowering for the tea flavour to really stand out. It might even seem too jelak (overly-rich) for people who do not have a sweet tooth. Personally, I would pick the milk tea at Lan Fong Yuen over this version any day.
Tsui Wah Discount Voucher
I recommend getting this value-for-money Tsui Wah discount voucher, which lets you save HKD5 for every HKD50 spent. It can be used at all Tsui Wah branches and is easy to redeem.
Conclusion
We enjoyed our meal at Tsui Wah in Central very much! The casual and relaxed atmosphere here made it the perfect place to dine and enjoy milk tea in comfort. And the Central branch opens 24 hours, which is great if you need to eat at odd hours, or if you’ve just finished partying at nearby Lan Kwai Fong. We felt the food was quite delicious though it was slightly more expensive than other cha chaan tengs. If you are in Hong Kong and spot a Tsui Wah outlet (which is highly likely), why not pop in and take a short break over some milk tea and small bites.
Tsui Wah (Central)
What to order: Milk Tea (HKD21), Crispy Bun with Sweet Condensed Milk (HKD20), other “top ten dishes” (see list at start of this article)
Address: G/F-2/F, 15-19 Wellington St., Central
Directions: Five-minute walk from Central Station Exit D2
Opening Hours: Daily 24 Hours
Phone: +852 2525 6338
Other Tsui Wah Branches
http://www.tsuiwah.com/business/restaurant/branches
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