西記粥店 Sai Kee Congee Shop

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (Average)

Address: 25 Mong Kok Rd, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zLQ4EqsFnJD2qiaX7
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)

油條 Fried Dough Fritter = HKD10.00
艇仔粥 Sampan Porridge = HKD25.00

No Service Charges

 Here is the Full Menu of the Eatery/Restaurant.
Prices are Accurate as of the Date of the Post.

This was an Eatery that I stumbled upon on a Late Night Walk back to my Hostel and I thought I'd try out a Bowl of Hot Porridge since it was a Cold Night. 🥶🌃 The Interior has a Modern Decor although I could feel that it also has some age to it. 🤔 Quite Crowded with Customers even during a Late Hour 🌃 and are mostly Middle Aged Men. Staffs are Polite and Friendly but keep to themselves.

油條 Fried Dough Fritter = HKD10.00

This is of course the Classic Common Dough Fritter that we usually pair for Porridge. 🍲 Amusingly, the Receipt itself writes this item as "鬼" which means "Ghost". 👻

Actually for this Dough Fritter, other than its regular Common Chinese Name that we know "油條", it can also be written and pronounced as "油炸鬼" Yao Cha Guai or "Frying a Ghost in Oil" in Cantonese. 🔥👻 Sounds pretty Morbid and I have no idea why it has such a Amusing and Freaky Alternate Name but there you go. 😅

Served up within 1 Min, its a Big Chonky Boy and they cut it into Pieces. Unfortunately they were Cold and Not Crispy at all. 🤔 Understandable since it was a Late Night and these have probably been left on the Heating Shelf for the Whole Day. 🌃🤔


艇仔粥 Sampan Porridge = HKD25.00

Served 1 Min after the Dough Fritter, this is of course the Classic Sampan Porridge which I've enjoyed so many times in JB before. 🍲 Its a Big Bowl for the Price and the Porridge is Boiled Very Smooth like Ber. 😋 The Ingredients within felt Generous as there were Noticeably Alot of Pieces of Cuttlefish, 🦑 Fish Maw 🐟 and Peanuts. 🥜

The Most Interesting Ingredients were Finely Minced Pieces of Half-Cooked Pork. 🐷 This is a Cooking Technique to put Half-Cooked Pork within the Bowl and let the Residual Heat finish up the rest of the Cooking so in this way, you can serve up the Dish faster. 🔥🤔

I don't think this is done nowadays especially in Singapore due to Food Safety Concerns. 🤔 So if you do encounter such, I'd recommend to stir everything well, let it sit for 2-3mins before eating if you don't want your meat too rare. 🤔

The Porridge itself is Plain and Lightly Salted. 🍲 But I feel that the taste here is Very Much More Bland and Light Tasting compared to the Versions I've had in JB. 🤔 It is so light tasting that it needed occasional bites of the Peanut Pieces 🥜 to give it even a little bit of Taste Flavour. Would recommend to add some Soy Sauce too. 🍯

I wonder if Original Hong Kong 艇仔粥 is supposed to be this Light Tasting or is it this Particular Eatery that made it so Light? 🤔

Due to how Bland and Light I felt this 艇仔粥 was even with Soy Sauce added, I feel this sits at a Basic Average Score for me. 🍲🤔 Don't get me wrong, this doesn't taste Trash. But this Eatery probably isn't a Good Representation of how a Good 艇仔粥 should be.

That said, for now, I personally still prefer Malaysia JB version of 艇仔粥 which is more Flavourful. 🤔 Ironically, I feel 香港粥 Hong Kong Porridge Ka Ka Lok at JB Taman Johor Jaya that I reviewed previously makes a Better 香港粥 than an Actual 香港粥 in Hong Kong itself. 😅