Nourishing Afternoon Tea @ Xi Mian Jian

On a rainy day when everything around is wet and you don’t want to go anywhere! Finding a place to enjoy a hearty afternoon tea might just lift your spirits. As a longtime fan of rice noodles, I chose this place, Xi Mian Jian, located inside QRE Plaza in Wan Chai, for afternoon tea! The reason I picked it is because of their rich broth simmered for 10 hours. We ordered a bowl of rice noodles along with several snacks! It was truly a super generous afternoon tea. I added $3 to my meal for iced lemon tea, while Dad had iced lemon water for $25. The lemon tea was fragrant without bitterness, and the fresh lemon made it genuinely good. Hand-smashed cucumber $16! Fresh cucumbers mixed with spicy mala sauce, crunchy and flavorful with a spicy kick that whets the appetite. Fried fish cake $12! The fish cake was fragrant, not greasy, chewy and bouncy, with a hint of red curry aroma—very tasty. Special chicken mid-wings $14 for two! The crispy, flavorful chicken skin was tooth-tingling, and the juicy meat inside made us cheer for the warmth after eating. Braised pork large intestine $18! This is Dad’s favorite dish, so of course we didn’t miss it. For this price, the portion of pork intestine was surprisingly generous. The pork intestine was chewy and well-marinated, and most importantly, it still carried the enticing aroma of pork intestine. Signature fish maw thick chicken rice noodles $65! We also added extra toppings: radish $6, fresh tofu skin $6, and pork skin $8, making it incredibly rich. Coming here for this soup, of course, the first thing to do is to take a sip! The chicken soup was rich, fragrant, and sweet, clearly made with quality ingredients. Best of all, it didn’t leave you thirsty afterward—superb. Inside were three pieces of smooth fish maw tubes! Soaked with the chicken soup aroma, the taste was truly captivating. Being able to swallow all that collagen was pure happiness. The chicken pieces were generous in size and had smooth skin and fragrant meat, greatly satisfying both of us who love chicken. But the biggest surprise was the giant size of the pork skin! It was braised to perfection and saved for last because after soaking up the fresh chicken soup, it was ridiculously delicious. There really aren’t many small shops that put this much care into their food nowadays! Those who spend so much time simmering a beautiful broth deserve lots of support. Considering the price, the value is really good. Friends who work or live nearby are truly lucky.