Tucked away in an open space linking to a staircase at the back streets of Central-Sheungwan area, the half al fresco eatery is all the time busy. With canvas as shelters and placed with simple stools and wooden tables, the "daipaidong" stood there for more than 40 years, but it wasn't until the 2000s that they started specialising in tomato broth dishes.
There aren't many food stalls like this remaining in Hong Kong, the license of which stemmed from wartime Hong Kong and was only given to families with injured civil servants with limited transfer of ownership.
Macaroni with tomato, scrambled eggs with corned beef and beef
A vibrant bowl of red greeted me, however red to the extent that it looks a bit eccentric to be edible. There lies no doubt of its genuine tomato content, which is a hearty mix of several types of canned tomatoes with variance in sweetness/ acidity.
Beef is always tender and without tendon, which nearly melts in your mouth with a sip of tomato broth. Smooth and gentle, there lies no necessity to linger long in your mouth but swallow.
Butter & Honey with Lemon Crispy Bun
Crispy on the exterior and slightly tender inside, a simple spread makes an elevated spin by the utter freshness of acidic lemon.
Sing Heung Yuen is one (among several) of my favourite local eateries where I long for a visit at desperate times. What I pay is truly worth the wait and crawl, instead of going to food presentation and vibes.