On one fine afternoon

Among the high-rise and modern shopping malls in Hong Kong, an old building managed to stand the test of modern commercialism times. 

Champagne court was once the tallest building in Tsim Sha Tsui, a proud development from the Fok’s family housing numerous local stores from photography and tailors to humble eateries like Star Cafe. 

There may be plenty of flashy restaurants to visit nearby, but it’s worth braving the dark and grey corridors and venturing into what could be a horror movie basement to taste Star Cafe’s signature tomato soup noodles before the real estate companies get their hands on the building. 

Successfully locating the cafe, a feat in itself, and you will be rewarded by... well. A very unimpressive and yellowing set-up. Though the numerous newspaper and magazine clippings are almost entirely faded, it is still a testament of the longevity of this family-run, decades-old cafe. 

Warming and spiked with chemically induced umami, the familiar taste of 出前一丁 soup powder hits your tongue with almost a slap, before the sweetness of tomatoes and creaminess of the egg waltzes in. The noodles looked at first undercooked but did a great job of holding onto the slightly thick sauce-soup, nestling pieces of fresh tomato bits in between each noodle. Rather than calling this a soup noodle, perhaps it’s best to think of it as Hong Kong’s own version of tsukemen. Drizzle in a teaspoon of chili oil, and the entire experience was perfect and complete, accompanied by the low hum of the ceiling fan and local soap opera playing in the background. 

Shabbily hand written menu on Coca Cola sponsored plastic boards. Almost homogenous shade of white-faded-yellow from walls to ceiling to fan. The faux-leather red chairs with shiny silver frames reminiscent of local seafood restaurants. 

23 October, 2019, 11:49am.