Restaurant review: Red Pocket Cafe in Wan Chai – US$9 cart noodles disappoint, but other lunch dishes delicious
- Cart noodles in beef brisket soup with curry fish balls, fish skin dumplings, mushrooms and turnips were an overpriced letdown
- But baked smoked duck breast rice with peach in tomato sauce and the fish fillet burger were tasty and good value for money
Among the shops and restaurants on bustling Jaffe Road in Wan Chai, Red Pocket Cart Noodles Cafe stands out for its vintage Hong Kong-style storefront.
We arrived at noon when the shop only had a few customers, but within half an hour, it was full. The cafe has a nice, homely atmosphere and friendly staff. The walls are decorated with a fortune cat holding a fork and a bowl of cart noodles, Japanese style prints and small trinkets on circular wooden shelves.
We ordered two lunch sets and a bowl of cart noodles, so called because they were once served from pushcarts on the city’s streets. Unlike traditional cart noodle joints, the Japanese-style fusion cafe offers unconventional noodle options such as udon and ramen.
The base price of the cart noodles is HK$30. Basic toppings range from HK$10 to HK$18, while premium ingredients like lobster and abalone set you back HK$38. We chose oil noodles in beef brisket soup with curry fish balls, fish skin dumplings, mushrooms and turnips, which came out to a total of HK$70.
The fragrant fish balls had a springy texture and a drizzle of curry sauce on top. The fish skin dumplings were delicious, but the turnips were too soft and lacked flavour. The mushrooms were also too sour.
Compared to other cart noodle shops in Hong Kong, the prices are quite high and the flavours are not the same. But the shop redeemed itself with other dishes and drinks. The baked smoked duck breast rice with peach in tomato sauce (HK$69) tasted like a healthier version of Hong Kong-style baked rice dishes.
The set came with six pieces of duck breast topped with melted cheese and tomato sauce on a bed of rice. The peach was a nice touch, as the sweetness brought out more flavour from the duck.
We were excited about the fish fillet burger with sweet potato fries (HK$54), which came with a side salad with yuzu vinegar and goji berries. The fish made a delicious crunch when we cut into the well-toasted bun, and the tasty burger had the perfect amount of tartare sauce.
The lunch deal comes with the option to add a cold or hot drink for a small extra charge. Fresh ground coffee and speciality drinks are half price. We had an iced lemon tea (additional HK$8), hot chocolate with brown sugar (extra HK$20) and an iced mocha (additional HK$23), which tasted more like an iced cappuccino.
We recommend visiting Red Pocket Cart Noodles Cafe for the value-for-money lunch and tea sets. The cafe changes their menu on a regular basis, giving diners interesting and affordable options throughout the day.
Red Pocket Cart Noodles Cafe, Kam Sing Mansion, 151-161 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai, tel: 5660-3306. Open: Monday to Friday 7am-9pm, Saturday 8am-5pm
