This post was written in 2012. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.

Cheung Kee Noodle House has moved from Hongdae to Itaewon. For details, check Nokjang’s blog http://hsong.egloos.com/3368583~

Cheung Kee Noodle House is an egg noodle specialist in the alley by the Hongdae playground park. It became a talking point for bringing over, exactly as they are, the egg noodles of a Hong Kong shop famous enough to have earned a Michelin star. Counting the opening party, I think this was my second or third visit. I’ve had plenty of reasons to be in Hongdae since then, but I’m a drinks-first-noodles-after type, so noodles usually only call to me late at night, and since Cheung Kee closes early I haven’t had as many chances to go as I’d expected. This time I had a reason to be in Hongdae, so I made a point of stopping by.

Tea

I went in right as they opened, so the line wasn’t very long. I’d been worried since it’s a popular place, so that was a relief.

Pickled radish

The side dishes are simple.

Braised beef egg noodles

Egg noodles topped with braised beef tendon and rib-finger meat. The meat is good, but what I really liked was how rich the broth was. Last time I had it as fried noodles rather than in soup and thought that was delicious too, but this version has lovely flavour as well.

Wonton egg noodles

This is the house signature. Inside the wontons are plump, springy shrimp. You really do get the feeling that this is a place that knows its noodles. That said, the wonton broth felt light to me that day, and I suspect it was because I ate it after tasting the strong broth of the braised beef. If you order both, the wonton ends up a bit overshadowed, so that’s something to factor in when picking the menu next time.

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