Hong Kong - Street Meat

It’s hard to miss the Prince Street station sign on Wyndham Street. Street Meat's entrance and look of its menu is modelled after the New York City subway, and it aims to bring a fresh New York vibe to the Hong Kong food scene. I’ve been wanting to try their interpretation of famous street food from NYC but was put off by their long lines and no reservations policy. Thankfully, JC knew the owner (as usual), so we were able to get seated at 8pm sharp, no waiting.

The restaurant is set up like a diner counter, where you sit on high stools and watch the chefs prepare your food. I love that. Push through the double kitchen doors and you will find the bar area. It’s neon-lit with an outdoor smoking area. I think it’s genius. You can get your drink on at the bar, go back out to get a Ramen Burger, drink some more, and eat more. You don’t even have to leave the place. There’s also a #selfie ready, Instagram’d out mirror in the bathroom complete with hashtags. Laubaby, this was made for you.

Their menu is a subway map. Each dish is a speciality “street meat” from an area of New York, like Canal Street, Upper West side or K-town. JC and I were greedy and ordered five dishes between the two of us. I tried two cocktails but their names allude me. They were great though. I remember one was a whiskey sour.

32nd Street K-Town Ramen Burger: A mixture of Wagyu beef bulgogi and kimchi sandwiched between two fried ramen buns. I haven’t tried the real one before so I can’t make a comparison, but I thought this was delicious. The ramen buns were crispy and contrasted nicely with the tender and flavourful bulgogi. The kimchi added a refreshing tangy kick.

Midtown Halal Chicken Bowl: The soft and juicy sous vide chicken sat on basmati rice, topped with “secret” white sauce (with Greek yogurt), red sauce (hot sauce) and iceburg lettuce. The flavour of the marinated chicken was spot on, and I liked their version of white sauce. But now all I can think of is the chicken rice from the Halal Guys. To be fair, I think Hong Kong has some great kebab places, like 27 Kebab House across from Marouche, but Street Meat’s version will do for now until my next NYC trip.

Upper West Atomic Wings: These were standard wings (says confit on the menu) served with spicy sauce, charred scallion sour cream, and celery sticks (oh who are we kidding!). They were delicious though, quite juicy and had a nice crispy crust.

Flushing Lamb Wrap: The lamb was marinated in Xinjiang Spices, cooked sous vide and paired with grilled leeks and carrots. The lamb’s robust flavour was enhanced by the spices, which went well with the sweet vegetables. The thin crispy Chinese pancake “wrap” was a bit too greasy for my liking though.

Brooklyn Ribbon Fries: They ran out of ribbon fries as you can tell, so they gave us waffle fries instead. Nonetheless, the fries were cooked perfectly in delicious beef fat and seasoned with sea salt. It came with a side of garlic aioli.

Verdict: Street Meat is open until 2 am. Given its convenient location just in LKF, it’s definitely a great spot to binge on greasy food after a night out. Goodbye hangover! However they run out of items quick, so you may not get what you want if you stumble in at 1 am. I’ll be back to try the Chelsea Market Lobster Roll and Upper East Macaron Sandwich, which were both sold out during my visit. 

I recommend: 32nd Street K-Town Ramen Burger, Mid Town Halal Chicken Bowl

Street Meat
Address: 50 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Website: http://www.facebook.com/streetmeat.hk
Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-2am