Samsen Sheung Wan 泰麵 上環店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I didn’t realize that Samsen the popular Thai noodle joint has opened a branch in Sheung Wan until a few months ago, when little nugget was having his lessons in the area on Saturdays.

Samsen is the brainchild of owner-chef Adam Cliff, an Australian chef who spent years at the highly successful Nahm in Bangkok under world-renowned chef David Thompson. Before launching Samsen, he was the head chef of Chachawan, another hugely popular Thai restaurant in Sheung Wan.

Compared to Chachawan, Samsen has a much smaller food menu focused more on its wok-fried noodles, skewers, curry and roti (both savory and sweet). 

At around 8:30pm, the crowd had thinned out a bit, so I was able to grab a seat at the counter next to the other solo diners.

Wok fried Thai watercress ($88) — These were tossed with chili, garlic and yellow beans. I figured they wouldn’t be too spicy since there was no chili 🌶️ sign next to it on the menu. I was obviously wrong. The spicy kick caught me a little off guard, but otherwise, it was pretty decent, with a nice wok hei.

Stir-fried flat noodles with chicken and baby corn ($148) — This came with even better wok hei. The flat noodles, slightly sticky (in a lovely way) was nicely tossed with baby corn, baby kale, succulent chicken fillet and egg in a light oyster sauce. I really enjoyed the texture of these flat noodles. I could probably have this everyday!

I have to come back to try their roti sometime. They make it fresh on the spot, and it comes in both sweet and savory versions.

It was raining all day, and it got worse during dinner. A black rain signal was on for a while, so I had to wait a bit before heading back out into the rain.

This was a very good meal — enough to make me wonder why I took so long to come back. That said, for the ultimate Thai dai pai dong (open-air food stall) experience, I still prefer Chachawan or Soi 29, thanks to their more extensive menu. Samsen is more of a stopgap option if you’re in the mood for a quick Thai noodle fix.

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 23 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sheung Wan

Tel: +852 2234-0080

Website: http://www.samsen-hk.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm (Mon - Sun), 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon - Thu), 6:00pm - 11:00pm (Fri - Sun)