Cafe in Sham Shui Po Serves Yummy Food in Comfy Surroundings at Reasonable Prices

Hong Kong Restaurant Review

House 41 is a cheerful café located on the ground floor of YHA Mei Ho House in Kowloon’s gritty Sham Shui Po district. It is managed by the Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association.

TripAdvisor Guide to Hong Kong

House 41 serves yummy food in cheerful, laid-back surroundings.

The dining room is divided into several spaces, offering a sense of intimacy you don’t normally find in Hong Kong at eateries in this price range.

The menu is tilted toward a traditional Hong Kong take on Western dishes. Most entries include a choice of soup or salad.

You will find curries, rice plates, pasta dishes, grilled meats – the list goes on. Several beers as well as both red and white wines are served.

The restaurant is self-service. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Breakfast

Served from 7 am to 11 am, breakfast is included in the price of dormitory beds or hotel rooms for members of the Youth Hostels Association.

There are three set breakfasts:

Western Style Breakfast – sausage, tomato, baked beans, scrambled eggs, and bread.
Vegetarian Style Breakfast – cornflakes, milk, fresh fruit, and bread.
Chinese Style Breakfast – glutinous rice (congee) with chicken.

All three set breakfasts cost HK$30 and include coffee or tea.

Lunch

Served from 12 noon to 5.30 pm, the lunch menu comprises 17 entries.

Prices run from from HK$38 for linguine Bolognese with Mozzarella cheese or baked chicken rice with cheese and cream sauce (with soup or salad) to HK$98 for the Chef’s Combo, which includes a chef’s sandwich, croissant, salad, chicken wings, beer battered fish, chocolate cake, and New York cheese cake.

Coffee or tea are HK$8 extra. Special drinks are HK$12 extra.

Dinner

Served from 6 pm to 10 pm, the dinner menu comprises 11 entrees at dinner, and they are a bit pricier.

Prices run from HK$78 for grilled Portobello and asparagus with mashed potatoes to HK$148 for roasted suckling pig in Segovia sauce.

Soup or salad is included. Coffee or tea are HK$8 extra. Special drinks are HK$12 extra.

Desserts include chocolate cake or New York cheese cake (HK$28) and Macaron Set (HK$58), which includes pistachio, lemon, raspberry, chocolate, caramel, and vanilla.

The Verdict

I had lunch with two friends at the restaurant, and all three of us agreed that it was excellent value.

One of my dining companions and I opted for the linguine Bolognese with Mozzarella cheese.

The serving was both generous and tasty.

My other dining companion ordered the beer battered fish and chips with green salad (HK$68).

The fish was light, the chips were perfectly cooked, and the tartare sauce was to die for.

I especially liked the relaxed ambiance and comfortable seating. I would definitely return for lunch if I were in the neighborhood.

Our meal was self-funded.

Where

House 41, Mei Ho House Youth Hostel, Block 41, Mei Ho House, 70 Berwick Street, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Telephone: (852) 3077-3500.

The restaurant is within walking distance of the Sham Shui Po MTR station (exit B2) and the Savannah College of Art and Design.

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