Aberdeen Fishball Shop (山窿謝記魚蛋)

This is the famous 山窿謝記魚蛋. I remember them as a small stall hidden in the alley between a rock cliff and a building in the old Aberdeen, when I was going to secondary school in Wong Chuk Hang. Now they occupy two units on a side street nearby. It is full almost every time I go there. You have to share the table with someone else, unless you are really fortunate.

A small bowl of fish balls with noodles is 16 dollars. But I recommend the large bowl of mixed balls (什會) with noodles. At 32 dollars a bowl, it is not cheap, but it is well worth it, in my opinion. You get to try 魚蛋, 炸魚蛋, 炸魚片, 魚餃, 墨魚丸, 牛丸, and 牛腩. Isn’t it great?

These people are lining up not to eat in the shop, but to buy take out. Many people drive there to pick up 雲吞, 魚餃, etc. My favourites are 炸魚蛋 and 炸魚片, at 70 dollars a catty. They make great snacks. But get there early, they normally get sold out by mid afternoon. The proprietress is a jovial woman who sits at the counter collecting money and selling take out all day. When asked why they don’t make more of those, she replied that they want to keep the quality up.

It is a family business, many of the people who work there seem related. And they seem happy, particularly the proprietress. She seems to be in high spirits, and jokes with the customers all the time – many of whom are regulars.