Kau Kee 九记牛腩 @ Hong Kong

I have been eating here since I was working in Hong Kong, and this is the first time I brought Princess here. But they got a lot of bad rap since they got famous with Mainland Chinese in Xiaohongshu for their attitude towards the Mainland diners.

Kau Kee has been trading since the 1930s and has consequently built up such a huge following that you’ll probably have to line up in the street first to eat here. It’s all very basic and you’ll have to share your table but the food is delicious. They were awarded the Bib Gourmand since the first time Michelin published the Hong Kong guide (2009). They can’t be bothered with displaying the Michelin plaque as they got it 27 times since it was renewed in 2026.

The menu in the Kau Kee may look complicated as they are translated to Japanese, Korea, Thai and English. But they are permutations of the type of meat (beef slices, tendon, different types of brisket), the types of noodles (or rice), and choice of original beef broth or curry broth or dry version (oyster sauce or curry sauce).

I ordered a bowl of Kau Kee’s special beef brisket in clear stock 上湯牛爽腩. To the Hong Kongers there are three types of beef briskets – 爽腩 crunchy brisket, 坑腩 pit brisket and 崩沙腩 sandy brisket. If you do not ask specifically which type you want, you will be served the pit brisket. The special comes with all three, so you get to taste a variety of textures. The broth is now much heavier than I can remember. If you like a robust and heavy soup, this is it. If not, Sister Wah is better.

The flavours of the curry distinctively “Hong Kong” with that Indian curry taste but flavoured with Chinese herbs and condiments. Curry came with the British and became a local flavour during the colonial days. I like Kau Kee version of curry better vs Sister Wah, as the curry broth is mixed with the clear broth. 牛筋 Beef tendon is my favourite part of the cow if cooked correctly, a very nutritious eat with almost no cholesterol and full of collagen. It requires hours of soaking, boiling and stewing to get it to an edible state.

伊面 E-fu noodle is a variety of flat Cantonese egg noodles made from wheat flour. They are known for their golden brown colour and chewy characteristics. Because it was deep-fried, the noodle is known for its absorbent nature and perfect for soaking up the curry broth.

I decided to try something that I never tried before – beef slices with flat noodles in broth 上湯肥牛粗面. It’s like a bit like Vietnamese pho, where the beef slices are blanched using boiling broth and topped on noodles of your choice.

If you are wondering what is 粗面 “thick noodles”, it’s the Singapore equivalent of mee pok 面薄, or “thin noodles”. Can wipe my smirk when I dig into this contrasting naming conventions. Many friends have warned me before this encounter after a long time, but it still checks off a lot of boxes – flavours, environment, memories.

Kau Kee 九記牛腩
21 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel : +852 2850 5967

Visited May 2026

Michelin Hong Kong Guide Bib Gourmand 2009-2026