Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles 利強記北角雞蛋仔


Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles Storefront

The Storefront of Lee Keung Kee

 

Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles, also known as eggettes or gai daan zai in Cantonese, is the most famous egg waffle chain in Hong Kong. As we were passing by one of their branches on our way to Tsim Sha Tsui, we had to try it.

The origins of the egg waffle or gai daan jai (which literally translates to “chicken egg son”) are unknown, despite being ingrained in the memories of Hong Kong residents young and old. “One story says the enterprising post-war generation created the egg-shaped mold to make up for an eggless batter, as eggs used to be a luxury. Another tale points to street hawkers who bought damaged eggs on the cheap to work them into a batter, resulting in the classic golden color of the cake. It also is reasonable to suggest that the special iron skillet used to mold the gai daan tsai is a Hong Kong take on the traditional checkered European waffle press. Today, the two related snacks are often sold by the same stall.” source: Wikipedia

I am a huge fan of the classic waffles, it is my top choice for dessert. Upon finding out about the egg waffles in Hong Kong, I had to try them. As usual, the famous food places in Hong Kong will always have a very long queue – are the famous egg waffles at Lee Keung Kee worth the queue?

 

Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles preparation

Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles

Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles

The queue was around 15 minutes long on a Saturday evening. Most of the people in the queue were eager tourists probably awaiting their first bite of the gai daan zai. The egg waffles are prepared on the spot and they are piping hot when you get them. The portion is rather large and you get one for only HK$15. Interestingly they had kept the prices steady since 2012, and my checks had to go back to 2009 where it was HKD $11. The cost for the ingredients of the egg waffle is just that low.

If I were to try and describe how the egg waffle tastes, you just need to imagine a very thin round and crispy regular waffle with a soft and chewy inside – it tastes exactly like that. You will have a very satisfying experience if you are not a frequent eater of the best waffles in Singapore. However if you are used to eating the more upmarket waffles like the ones at Gelare which go for SGD $8 per pop, you may be a bit disappointed. Given the cost of the egg waffle and the preparation time, the fragrance and the oomph are a bit lacking compared to say Gelare’s waffles. While that may not be a fair comparison given the price difference, we rate these egg waffles 3.5/5.

We must add a note here that this is not their main outlet. Their main outlet at 492 King’s Road near the North Point MTR has received much better reviews on OpenRice, and most of the other commentaries online rate that branch highly.

 

Final Thoughts

If you are staying at a hotel near the Jordan MTR, Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles may be a good choice for a snack. They do have many branches elsewhere too. However, if you are on a calorie limit and you already have too many things to eat in your Hong Kong trip plan, it may be a good idea to skip this place.

On the other hand, if you are a waffle fan and you want to try delicious egg waffles, we would recommend trying their main branch near the North Point MTR instead.

 

 

info  Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles @ Tsim Sha Tsui

Address:
178 Nathan Rd, Tsun Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Directions:
MTR to Jordan, take exit D and walk to your right down King’s Rd – Google Maps

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday from 11am, Sunday from 12:30pm (unconfirmed)

Signature items:
Egg waffle

Contact:
NA

info  Lee Keung Kee North Point Egg Waffles @ North Point (Main Branch)

Address:
492 King’s Rd, North Point, Hong Kong

Directions:
MTR to North Point, take exit B3 and walk to your left down Nathan Rd – Google Maps

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday from 11am, Sunday from 12:30pm (unconfirmed)

Signature items:
Egg waffle

Contact:
+852 2590 9726




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