In the grand scale of Hong Kong’s time-honoured restaurants, where the most venerated are pushing 100 years old, a “mere” forty-something establishment might not seem particularly aged. However, compare Sang Kee, a 46-year-old restaurant, to its more contemporary counterparts, which are lucky if they have a shelf life of 10 years, and we are reminded that five decades of continuous patronage is a significant achievement. And all that in spite of – or perhaps thanks to – the fact that the menu has barely changed in all those years.
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Such is the enduring appeal of everyday Cantonese cooking, especially when the signature dish is something as comforting as congee, a go-to for both its homeyness and healthful virtue. And at Sang Kee, on Sheung Wan’s Burd Street, congee is the star.
Sang Kee chefs at work. Photo: Alexander Mak
Sang Kee originally opened in the 1960s as one of the many dai pai dong on the street, but when the government began closing the open-air restaurant stalls in the 80s as it constructed the MTR, the family-owned eatery moved into a small shop emblazoned with now-iconic red-and-white calligraphy signage.
Split into two dining rooms, the interior is decorated with charmingly dated pink bow-embellished tiles, which clash quaintly with the brutal glare of white fluorescent lighting and stainless-steel cabinets. The larger of Sang Kee’s dining rooms is billed as a “clear soup beef brisket noodle” shop. Around the corner, a pokier dining room serves as the designated congee-consumption area. Regardless, both can be eaten at either of these spaces, though most of the customers are here for the congee.
Sang Kee’s clear soup beef brisket noodles. Photo: Alexander Mak
And what congee it is. Pure, thick and snowy white with fully bloomed grains of rice, Sang Kee’s congee has an elegance that far exceeds the term “savoury rice porridge”. When an order is placed, the congee is scooped into small copper saucepans to be prepared for serving, stirred vigorously by staff who manage five pots at a time, unflustered by the tremendous amount of steam swirling about them.
