With a name like Café Le Majestik you may be picturing a dining room of grandeur that sparkles with magical touches. Heck, you may even expect a French touch. In reality, you’ll find a HK café with décor that may elicit memories for those growing up in Hong Kong before the turn of the century.  These establishments were created to offer British inspired dishes tweaked for a Chinese palette and at a price point the masses could enjoy. As they grew in popularity, so did their menus.

HK cafés are known for their baked dishes; hence I had to try a classic baked pork chop in tomato sauce with fried rice ($13.99). It’s a bargain arriving with a bowl of overly tangy tomato borscht (adorned with vegetables and no beef) and a hot drink of choice. The mixed tea and coffee drink was properly strong but did take a while to arrive given the solo person making drinks was overrun with orders.

The actual baked rice dish was lacking. While I enjoyed the thick tomato sauce and cheese, the pork chop was lukewarm indicating they likely pre-fried them and assembled dishes to order by placing the meat, sauce, and cheese under the broiler and sliding it onto rice. I like my baked dishes sizzling hot where everything goes into the oven and no one would dare touch the dish as it’s presented. At Majestik, touch away. 

Things improved with the wonton noodles, which did remind me of bowls I had in Hong Kong. The noodles are thin and springy with a lovely chewiness that’s different from those found in supermarkets. Their four-item noodle soup ($13.99) is ideal for trying a bit of everything with two pieces of fish ball, cuttlefish ball, fried fish cake, and meat/fish dumplings. While Majestik’s noodles were amazing, the accompaniments were passable and too soft for my taste. Of the four, the fried fish cake had the most promise.

Despite having so many broths in our meal already, I had to try their imitation shark fin soup ($5.99) and this was the most impressive. Large enough to share amongst two or three people, it’s thick and flavourful with a strong kick of sesame oil for an aromatic essence. With a fair amount of bean curd thread (the “shark fin”) and slivers of black fungus, pork, and bamboo shoots it was hearty and hot. In a pinch, order the imitation soup with another snack item and you’ll have a satisfying lunch.