Ping Kee Noodles

I recently saw the No reservations Hong Kong episode. It’s an old episode. I think it’s from 2007. Check out the video below. I was surprised by the segment on the noodle maker from Tai Po. I lived in Hong Kong for a year back in 2002. Specifically, I lived in Tai Po. I never knew this guy existed. He’s an old-school noodle maker who uses a traditional method that’s most likely dying. His noodle making space is probably a fifteen minute walk from my old apartment. Word is that the owner only makes a small amount of noodles every day so they’re always fresh. Once he runs out, he closes.

Knowing I was coming back to Tai Po before heading off to Northern Ireland, I decided to try to find his noodle shop. I found it and I tried it for lunch today. The place is called, Ping Kee Noodles. It’s on the second floor of the cooked food market in Tai Po. You can find a map of the location here. Give it a try if your ever in the area. Besides Ping Kee Noodles there are many other food shops inside. There’s something there for everyone.

I ordered the dry noodles with pork lard. It’s exactly what it sounds like, soft noodles with pork lard poured over the top. I wasn’t blown away with the pork lard flavor but the noodles were quite good. I was expecting a stronger pork fat flavor. The noodles were delicate and would’ve been good with anything. You get a bowl of broth to drink with your noodles. I wish I had taken a picture of my noodles before I mixed them. You could really see the lard then.

We also ordered wonton noodles which were surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because some posts I read said his wontons were average. I would get them again and the broth was tasty. The thing I liked the most was the fish ball, fish cake and fish skin noodles. All three of those ingredients were top-notch. Don’t forget to order a vegetable in Hong Kong, everyone makes them good. We got Chinese broccoli (gai larn).

Food traditions are changing and certain ways of doing things will soon be gone. If you ever get to Hong Kong, take a trip to Ping Kee Noodles while the master is still around. Here’s the No Reservations clip. The noodle segment starts at 11:30.