A zest of freshness in Wanchai
ADDRESS
Shop AB, G/F, 87 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
灣仔軒尼詩道87號地下AB號舖
2-min walk from Exit B1, Wan Chai MTR Station
If you find yourself roaming in Wanchai, in a trance of indecisiveness. Perhaps you should go to Rach A Moo Yang, have a beer, unleash those pretentious façades just a little.
For me or Vera (my sister), living in Wan Chai is not a usual choice for us in Hong Kong. This strange and irrational habit is based on my stereotype of the central area of Hong Kong Island, which is probably too commercial and too economical. But I must admit that my short-sightedness blocked the potentially interesting experiences of these 20 years. My short time growing up in Hong Kong left me with too limited an understanding of this culinary hub to construct my own personal flavor map. So I relied on family intel, one of which was to find your ultimate Thai food in Kowloon Tong, which shaped my understanding of Hong Kong geography for two decades. However, an unexpected encounter with Rach A moo Yang refreshed my taste palate in Hong Kong and gave me a new understanding of Wan Chai.
Located between Hennessey and Luard Road, Rach A Moo Yang is surrounded by hotels, banks, and topless bars (if that is your thing). The area is fairly abundant with diverse cuisines and trendy cafes. So, in large chances, you might pass this petite palm island without hindsight. During my time ins Wanchai, I cannot omit the feeling of curious and appreciation while wandering in between shops and stroes, that brought full of surprise and new horizons for me. After the Covid and regular short time frame to explore, this is the first time I ever looked into the ecology of food scene with an awe. My sister and I stepped into this transcending street style of “store” at 4:00 pm after a dreadful day of walking and compromising( general loathing), when we desperately needed a recharger, we magically walked into this yellow lala land. Our guts did not question our intuitive steps. At first, the food display shelf at the front attracted us, we assumed it was a fast street food fix, then we discovered the next-door tiny but somehow intimate space, which contained 4 tables indoors and 1 table outdoors. Without any further a due to our empty stomach, we immediately ordered a satay combo, papaya salad, Thai stir-fried water spinach, and coconut milk with green jelly.
Trust me, there is always better satay, but not every satay can mark your moment.
The satay combination came first, with generously served satay sauce over the freshly fried chicken, beef, and pork. The sweetness of the first bite relieved our long stored fuzziness and fatigue. Without even realizing it, we already shuffled half of the plate in a daze. Follow up with a refreshing papaya salad, the spicy and sourness kicks in after our unstoppable indulging, leading to a full 2.5x speed in between sweet, spicy, and sour, icy, more sweetness, spicier, and sourer, icy to cool off, so on and so on., Then, is the Stir-fried water spinach show time. The steaming water spinach with finely chopped red chili pepper evaporates the scents of shrimp paste and soy sauce, we yield for a second of appreciation and wonder – what else we can ask for?
More coconut milk is the answer, without this creamy, sugary, and icy refresher, we would not survive the addictive spiciness.
After we finished the meal, we sat there for another 15 minutes, listening to the mix of laughter and rolling of the wheels. I asked Vera how was meal and if she would revisit here. Vera: “That was probably the meal I had like those on TV, who walk into somewhere led by intuition, but that placemarks you. Moo yang marked me.”
After 7 p.m., Rach Moo Yang turns into a hot dinner and night snack spot with queues and crowds outside of both doors. The crowded eager to just being there seems more attractive than the food-self, with people researching what to order while waiting and sneaky peaking other people’s plates to ensure their choices. Perhaps our experience might have turned out differently, or maybe, will we even step in to and give it a try?
Recommend Time to Visit: 4 – 6 pm before dawn.
Recommend dish: Trust your gut.