Hong Kong Station - Bayard St. Branch

As usual, we were out gallivanting the streets of NYC last weekend and ended up in Chinatown just in time for a late dinner (isn't it amazing that we always 'just happen' to be in Chinatown during mealtimes? :P). Since it was already pretty late, we were looking for something simple, quick and of course, easy on the wallet. Then we stumbled upon this shop.

Hong Kong Station! No, it's not a MTR subway station :P It's a noodle shop located in the heart of Chinatown. I believe they have 3 branches located around Chinatown, with this being the #2 branch. The other two can be found on Hester St and Division St. This particular branch opens early and closes late, from 7:00AM til 11:30PM! The Hester St branch closes at 8:30PM on weekdays and 9:30PM on weekends and the Division St branch closes at 9:30PM (they open at 6:30AM though).

So, what's so special about this noodle shop? Well, it's pretty much a build your own noodle kinda place. There are 9 different types of noodles to choose from (price ranging from $1.75 - $2). Once you have decided on the type of noodle you want, then you can pick your toppings ( with over 30 different choices). Each topping is $1.25, so it's up to you how many toppings you want on your noodles. You can get a big bowl of egg noodles with one topping for as low at $3!!

It's a self service restaurant, so you just have to walk up to the noodle bar, make your choices and they will cook it there and then for you. Here is the list of noodles and toppings that you can choose from.

NOODLES

Thin Egg Noodles (Wonton Mee)
Thick Egg Noodles (Thick Wonton Mee)
Yellow Noodles
Thin Rice Noodles (Mai Fun)
Flat Rice Noodles (Hor Fun)
Thick Rice Noodles (Lai Fun)
Instant Noodles
Udon
E-Fu Noodles


TOPPINGS

Fishballs (regular, curry, stuffed)
Squid (regular or curry)
Fish Cake (regular or pan fried)
Squid Balls
Beef (stew, tendon, tripe, stomach, shin, shank)
Beef Balls
Lobster Balls
Pig's Feet
Pork Intestine
Pig's Blood
Sausage
Spam
Ham
Eggs
Fish Dumplings
Chicken Gizzards
Chicken Wings (regular or curry)
Seasonal Vegetables
Mushrooms
Turnip
Tofu (skin or silky tofu)
Spring Roll

This is what Kevin and I ordered. You can see from the topping selections which is the 'ang mohs' bowl and which is the Asian's bowl :P I had their famous Iced Hong Kong Milk Tea ($ 2.25) and Kevin had a Pepsi ($1.25). They also have all kinds of Hong Kong style Toast and Sandwiches as well as Bubble Tea and Hong Kong style drinks (Lemon Ribena, Salty Lemon 7 Up...ect).

Here is a close up of Kevin's bowl. I guess he didn't feel like trying out all the 'weird stuff' on the menu, so he stuck to a 'safe' selection of toppings. He chose udon noodles ($2.00) with three toppings ($3.75). His three toppings were fishballs, mushrooms and spinach.

This is my bowl :P I chose the E-Fu Noodles ($2.00) with three toppings ($3.75). My toppings were pig's feet, beef tendon and pork intestines. Boy, were they good! The pig's feet were stewed just right and the beef tendon was very tender and nice. Pork intestines are sometimes pretty tricky to prepare. If not cleaned right, they can sometimes have a strong smell. This however was perfect! There wasn't any smell and the texture was just right, not too soft or too chewy. $5.75 for such a big bowl of noodles was really really worth it. I am so glad we found this place and we'll definitely be going back in the very near future! Great food at affordable prices, what more could you ask for? :D

Hong Kong Station - Bayard St. Branch
45 Bayard Street,
New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 233-0288
Fax: (212) 233-5488
Web: http://www.hongkongstation.us/