October 22, 2018

Now that I know more about “Hong Kong style” cafes, I started seeing more of them in Chinatown (Manhattan). Apparently, Mee Cafe has been around for a long time. As you can see, the outside does not look so welcoming. You wouldn’t randomly walk in there as there is no indication of what they serve. I was there for about 15 minutes and I saw a steady stream of Chinese customers. The place is pretty small—they have two tables for two, and a counter with 3 stools—but their kitchen is pretty big.

This place is cheap. It’s so cheap, in fact, that I’m not sure how they survive. My French toast took at least 10 minutes to make and it’s only $2.50. How do they account for the labor cost with that price?! Curry fish balls, on the other hand, are easy to make once they have a big batch of them premade.

As this is a Hong Kong style cafe, don’t expect quality—It’s supposed to be more about fun. The French toast, however, was not deep-fried (as HK style would typically have); it was made in a conventional way but it uses Chinese white bread. Fish balls were served in a spicy coconut (I think) sauce. They were good. I’ll definitely go back there.

#hongkongcafe #chinatownnyc #chinatown #chinesecafe #frenchtoast #fishballs #nycfoodie #nycfood #nyceeeeats