Replacing the long-standing Tsui Wah location that closed last year, this noodle chain's flagship restaurant has big shoes to fill—along with the stomachs of many late-night partygoers
There aren't many chain restaurant outlets that deserve the moniker of "iconic", but the four-storey Central branch of Tsui Wah was certainly one of them. In its 22 years of operation, the 24-hour cha chaan teng adjacent to the Lan Kwai Fong party district was the site of millions of post-clubbing meals scarfed down unceremoniously in the wee hours of the morning—inspiring the ritual of the 'Tsui Wah check' where revellers could more clearly rate their date without the influence of beer goggles, thanks to the restaurant's unrelentingly bright lights.
When this institution closed in March 2020 due to the double whammy of civil unrest and the pandemic, it marked the passing of an age of late-night eating into lore—although the closure would soon be followed by months of restrictions on the city's nightlife.
Now, as Hong Kong slowly reacquaints itself with the pleasures of nocturnal entertainment, popular noodle chain Tam Jai Sam Gor has taken over the mantle of the Wellington Street venue with its own flagship store just in time to welcome a new breed of post-pandemic partygoer. With over 70 locations across the city, the chain announced its intention to take over the lease more than a year after Tsui Wah's closure—to the tune of $450,000 paid in rent each month.
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