Summary: Horrendous service, but the mixian, for my money, is the best in HK. Cheap as you'd expect, soup bursting with flavor, and the plentiful choice of ingredients don't taste like they've been frozen for months. Worth a try even if you're mortally offended by the time you order one bowl
I love mixian - it's my favorite HK cheap meal, far more so than beef tendon, wanton noodles, yum cha, fish balls, cart noodles etc. It's got all the best flavors - sour, spicy, salty and filled with whatever ingredients you like. I appreciate that they don't usually overdo it; where cart noodles overflow with chicken wings and meatballs and squid noodles; mixian just usually has enough for a variety of texture and flavor
I've had a bunch ( i really like sam dor!), but between the convenience of it being located in Central (withanother in Sheung Wan) and how great the soup base is, this mixian joint is my favorite in town. The soup is the big differentiator: a bit sour, a bit (or a lot, depending on what level spiciness you choose) spicy, and with unusually savory depth. The menu for additional toppings is extensive (and offered in English!) and they offer a soupy AND dry version, which makes it a bit atypical. They also serve a phenomenal chili sauce, which i recommend you try as a topping on a spoonful of noodles/ingredients - amazing flavor beyond the normal chili/ mala oil
My go-to combination is tofu skin (fu zhok), fried tofu balls (tau pok), chinese mushrooms (tung ku) and white carrot (lo bak), with clear soup and less mixian. Then you add a giant spoonful of the amazing chili sauce, and you're in mixian-heaven. it's a giant meal for 58hkd, and you go home warm, happy, vegetarian and full.
The service is definitely horrible - you'll be yelled at for all the typical hongkong stuff - eating too slowly, taking up too much space (you get SQUASHED during lunch), not ordering quickly or clearly enough, etc etc. I'm kinda used to it by now though, and i still go 1-2x a week; it's that good. Also, FYI if it bothers you, the cooks have a gross habit of leaving the tickets on the bowl at the counter where the servers pick it up, and the tickets often soak into the soup a bit. I'm just assuming it's not toxic -_-
Anyway, i love this place's mixian, and no toxic soupy paper, abusive server or terrible seating will stop me from going. I have no idea what this place is actually called thanks to my horrible Chinese, but whatever its name is, it's definitely worth a try.
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